Tableau: How to Fix Tab Order

In Tableau, the focus order is set by the order in which zones are added to the dashboard during authoring.

This results in a focus order that isn’t logical and doesn’t meet accessibility standards (WCAG SC 2.4.3 Focus Order).

Test the tab order using your keyboard. Watch the focus move. If the focus does not in a logical order that matches the visual order, then you need to fix the tab order so that keyboard users can navigate your dashboard in a predictable way.

• If you are using version 2021.3 or later, new dashboards should automatically have a top-to-bottom, left-to-right focus order.
  • Verify the focus order makes sense for your dashboard. If so, no changes are needed.
• If the dashboard was created before version 2021.3, or the default order is not logical:
  • Manually edit the workbook XML to fix the focus order (steps below).

Edit Tableau XML to Control Focus Order

• Open the .twb file in a plain text editor such as Notepad or VS Code.
• Locate the <dashboard> element:
  • If you see enable-sort-zone-taborder='true', change it to false to allow custom ordering.
• Find the <zones> section:
  • Each dashboard object (view, text, filter, etc.) is a <zone> element with an id attribute.
• Set the id values in the desired order:
  • Lower numbers = earlier focus.
  • Containers (vertical/horizontal) can have higher numbers.
  • Consider using multiples of 10 in case you need to make future edits.
• Save the file and reopen in Tableau
• Test The tab order with a keyboard to confirm that the order follows the logical, visual order to meet.