What is Accessibility Tree?
The hierarchical structure created by the operating system to explain on-screen elements to assistive technologies.
Overview
The accessibility tree is a computer-understandable map of the buttons, text, and images on the screen. Screen readers used by visually impaired users read this tree to voice what is on the screen. Recently, AI agents also directly use this tree to understand the screen.
How it works
The operating system and browsers convert the visual interface into a textual and structural tree form in the background. Software or AI bots scan this tree to detect clickable areas on the screen.
Where it is used
It functions in screen reader software, automation tools, and AI agents that control the computer by reading on-screen elements rather than using a mouse.
Commonly confused with
It is confused with HTML source code. Source code is the raw structure of the site, whereas the accessibility tree is the visible state that the browser or system filters and organizes for accessibility.
Questions and answers
Why do AI models use the accessibility tree?
Instead of examining visual pixels one by one, reading structured texts directly is much faster and more error-free for AI.
Why is it important when developing a website?
A properly labeled structure both ensures access for individuals with disabilities and lays the groundwork for AI tools to correctly understand the page.
Related terms
Related tools
This explanation was written in plain language for TreScout with AI and machine-translated from the Turkish original · the Turkish version prevails. If something looks wrong or missing, write to hello@trescout.com. Read in Turkish →