diff --git a/frontend/templates/files.html b/frontend/templates/files.html
index 9c9b13aa..8daee476 100644
--- a/frontend/templates/files.html
+++ b/frontend/templates/files.html
@@ -345,25 +345,25 @@
 
 {% block content %}
 <!-- Drop overlay -->
-<div id="dropOverlay" class="drop-overlay">
+<div id="dropOverlay" class="drop-overlay" aria-hidden="true">
   <div class="drop-message">
-    <i class="fas fa-cloud-upload-alt"></i>
+    <i class="fas fa-cloud-upload-alt" aria-hidden="true"></i>
     <p>Drop files or folders anywhere to upload</p>
     <div class="drop-hint">Supports PDF, Office docs, images, HTML, Markdown, and more – folders are processed recursively</div>
   </div>
 </div>
 
 <!-- Upload progress modal -->
-<div id="uploadModal" class="upload-modal">
+<div id="uploadModal" class="upload-modal" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-label="Upload progress">
   <div class="upload-modal-header">
-    <span><i class="fas fa-upload"></i> Uploading Files</span>
-    <button class="close-modal-btn" onclick="closeUploadModal()">
-      <i class="fas fa-times"></i>
+    <span><i class="fas fa-upload" aria-hidden="true"></i> Uploading Files</span>
+    <button class="close-modal-btn" onclick="closeUploadModal()" aria-label="Close upload progress">
+      <i class="fas fa-times" aria-hidden="true"></i>
     </button>
   </div>
   <div class="upload-modal-body">
-    <div id="uploadStatusMessage" class="text-sm text-gray-700 mb-2"></div>
-    <div id="uploadProgressContainer" class="space-y-2"></div>
+    <div id="uploadStatusMessage" class="text-sm text-gray-700 mb-2" aria-live="polite"></div>
+    <div id="uploadProgressContainer" class="space-y-2" role="status" aria-live="polite"></div>
   </div>
 </div>
 
@@ -374,7 +374,7 @@
   <div id="queueBanner" class="hidden bg-blue-50 border-l-4 border-blue-400 text-blue-800 p-4 mb-6 rounded-r-lg" role="status">
     <div class="flex items-center justify-between">
       <div class="flex items-center">
-        <i class="fas fa-spinner fa-spin mr-3 text-blue-500"></i>
+        <i class="fas fa-spinner fa-spin mr-3 text-blue-500" aria-hidden="true"></i>
         <span>
           <strong id="queueBannerCount">0</strong> item(s) are currently queued or being processed.
           Files will appear here once processing completes.
@@ -382,7 +382,7 @@
       </div>
       <a href="/admin/queue" class="text-blue-600 hover:text-blue-800 text-sm font-medium whitespace-nowrap ml-4"
          id="queueBannerLink" style="display:none;">
-        <i class="fas fa-external-link-alt mr-1"></i>View Queue
+        <i class="fas fa-external-link-alt mr-1" aria-hidden="true"></i>View Queue
       </a>
     </div>
   </div>
@@ -445,7 +445,7 @@
   <div class="filters-section" style="margin-top: 0.75rem;">
     <div style="width: 100%;">
       <label for="fulltext-search" style="font-weight: 600; display: block; margin-bottom: 0.4rem;">
-        <i class="fas fa-search"></i> Full-Text Search (OCR text, metadata, tags)
+        <i class="fas fa-search" aria-hidden="true"></i> Full-Text Search (OCR text, metadata, tags)
       </label>
       <div style="display: flex; gap: 0.5rem; align-items: center; flex-wrap: wrap;">
         <input
@@ -490,10 +490,10 @@
       </div>
       <div class="flex flex-wrap gap-2">
         <button type="button" onclick="bulkReprocess()" style="padding: 0.5rem 1rem; background-color: #3182ce; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 0.25rem; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; min-height: 44px;">
-          <i class="fas fa-sync"></i> Reprocess Selected
+          <i class="fas fa-sync" aria-hidden="true"></i> Reprocess Selected
         </button>
         <button type="button" onclick="bulkDelete()" style="padding: 0.5rem 1rem; background-color: #e53e3e; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 0.25rem; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; min-height: 44px;">
-          <i class="fas fa-trash"></i> Delete Selected
+          <i class="fas fa-trash" aria-hidden="true"></i> Delete Selected
         </button>
         <button type="button" onclick="clearSelection()" style="padding: 0.5rem 1rem; background-color: #718096; color: white; border: none; border-radius: 0.25rem; cursor: pointer; font-weight: 600; min-height: 44px;">
           Clear Selection
@@ -504,13 +504,13 @@
 
   <!-- File table (desktop) -->
   <div class="hidden md:block overflow-x-auto">
-    <table class="file-table" id="fileTable">
+    <table class="file-table" id="fileTable" aria-label="File records">
       <thead>
         <tr>
-          <th style="width: 40px;">
-            <input type="checkbox" id="selectAll" onclick="toggleSelectAll()" title="Select all files on this page">
+          <th scope="col" style="width: 40px;">
+            <input type="checkbox" id="selectAll" onclick="toggleSelectAll()" title="Select all files on this page" aria-label="Select all files on this page">
           </th>
-          <th class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('id')">
+          <th scope="col" class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('id')" role="columnheader" aria-sort="{% if sort_by == 'id' %}{% if sort_order == 'asc' %}ascending{% else %}descending{% endif %}{% else %}none{% endif %}">
             ID
             <span class="sort-indicator {% if sort_by == 'id' %}active{% endif %}">
               {% if sort_by == 'id' %}
@@ -520,7 +520,7 @@
               {% endif %}
             </span>
           </th>
-          <th class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('original_filename')">
+          <th scope="col" class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('original_filename')">
             Original Filename
             <span class="sort-indicator {% if sort_by == 'original_filename' %}active{% endif %}">
               {% if sort_by == 'original_filename' %}
@@ -530,7 +530,7 @@
               {% endif %}
             </span>
           </th>
-          <th class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('file_size')">
+          <th scope="col" class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('file_size')">
             File Size
             <span class="sort-indicator {% if sort_by == 'file_size' %}active{% endif %}">
               {% if sort_by == 'file_size' %}
@@ -540,7 +540,7 @@
               {% endif %}
             </span>
           </th>
-          <th class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('mime_type')">
+          <th scope="col" class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('mime_type')">
             MIME Type
             <span class="sort-indicator {% if sort_by == 'mime_type' %}active{% endif %}">
               {% if sort_by == 'mime_type' %}
@@ -550,8 +550,8 @@
               {% endif %}
             </span>
           </th>
-          <th>Status</th>
-          <th class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('created_at')">
+          <th scope="col">Status</th>
+          <th scope="col" class="sortable" onclick="sortTable('created_at')">
             Created At
             <span class="sort-indicator {% if sort_by == 'created_at' %}active{% endif %}">
               {% if sort_by == 'created_at' %}
@@ -561,7 +561,7 @@
               {% endif %}
             </span>
           </th>
-          <th>Actions</th>
+          <th scope="col">Actions</th>
         </tr>
       </thead>
       <tbody>
@@ -582,11 +582,11 @@
           <td>{{ file.created_at.strftime('%Y-%m-%d %H:%M:%S') if file.created_at else 'N/A' }}</td>
           <td>
             <div style="display: flex; align-items: center;">
-              <button onclick="viewFileDetail({{ file.id }}, event)" class="action-btn" title="View details" style="min-height:44px;min-width:44px;">
-                <i class="fas fa-info-circle"></i>
+              <button onclick="viewFileDetail({{ file.id }}, event)" class="action-btn" title="View details" aria-label="View details for {{ file.original_filename }}" style="min-height:44px;min-width:44px;">
+                <i class="fas fa-info-circle" aria-hidden="true"></i>
               </button>
-              <button onclick="showDeleteModal({{ file.id }}, event)" class="action-btn delete" title="Delete file" style="min-height:44px;min-width:44px;">
-                <i class="fas fa-trash"></i>
+              <button onclick="showDeleteModal({{ file.id }}, event)" class="action-btn delete" title="Delete file" aria-label="Delete {{ file.original_filename }}" style="min-height:44px;min-width:44px;">
+                <i class="fas fa-trash" aria-hidden="true"></i>
               </button>
             </div>
           </td>
@@ -621,11 +621,11 @@
         <div class="flex flex-col items-end gap-2 flex-shrink-0">
           <span class="status-badge status-{{ file.processing_status }}">{{ file.processing_status | title }}</span>
           <div class="flex gap-1" role="group" aria-label="File actions" onclick="event.stopPropagation();" onkeydown="event.stopPropagation();">
-            <button onclick="viewFileDetail({{ file.id }}, event)" class="action-btn" title="View details" style="min-height:44px;min-width:44px;">
-              <i class="fas fa-info-circle"></i>
+            <button onclick="viewFileDetail({{ file.id }}, event)" class="action-btn" title="View details" aria-label="View details for {{ file.original_filename }}" style="min-height:44px;min-width:44px;">
+              <i class="fas fa-info-circle" aria-hidden="true"></i>
             </button>
-            <button onclick="showDeleteModal({{ file.id }}, event)" class="action-btn delete" title="Delete file" style="min-height:44px;min-width:44px;">
-              <i class="fas fa-trash"></i>
+            <button onclick="showDeleteModal({{ file.id }}, event)" class="action-btn delete" title="Delete file" aria-label="Delete {{ file.original_filename }}" style="min-height:44px;min-width:44px;">
+              <i class="fas fa-trash" aria-hidden="true"></i>
             </button>
           </div>
         </div>
@@ -638,36 +638,36 @@
 
   <!-- Pagination -->
   {% if pagination.total_pages > 1 %}
-  <div class="pagination flex-wrap gap-2">
-    <div class="pagination-info">
+  <nav class="pagination flex-wrap gap-2" aria-label="File list pagination">
+    <div class="pagination-info" aria-live="polite">
       Showing {{ ((pagination.page - 1) * pagination.per_page + 1) }} -
       {{ min(pagination.page * pagination.per_page, pagination.total_items) }}
       of {{ pagination.total_items }} files
     </div>
     <div class="pagination-buttons flex-wrap">
       {% if pagination.page > 1 %}
-      <button class="pagination-button" onclick="goToPage(1)" style="min-height:44px;">First</button>
-      <button class="pagination-button" onclick="goToPage({{ pagination.page - 1 }})" style="min-height:44px;">Previous</button>
+      <button class="pagination-button" onclick="goToPage(1)" aria-label="Go to first page" style="min-height:44px;">First</button>
+      <button class="pagination-button" onclick="goToPage({{ pagination.page - 1 }})" aria-label="Go to previous page" style="min-height:44px;">Previous</button>
       {% endif %}
 
       {% for p in range(max(1, pagination.page - 2), min(pagination.total_pages + 1, pagination.page + 3)) %}
-      <button class="pagination-button {% if p == pagination.page %}active{% endif %}" onclick="goToPage({{ p }})" style="min-height:44px;">
+      <button class="pagination-button {% if p == pagination.page %}active{% endif %}" onclick="goToPage({{ p }})" aria-label="Page {{ p }}" {% if p == pagination.page %}aria-current="page"{% endif %} style="min-height:44px;">
         {{ p }}
       </button>
       {% endfor %}
 
       {% if pagination.page < pagination.total_pages %}
-      <button class="pagination-button" onclick="goToPage({{ pagination.page + 1 }})" style="min-height:44px;">Next</button>
-      <button class="pagination-button" onclick="goToPage({{ pagination.total_pages }})" style="min-height:44px;">Last</button>
+      <button class="pagination-button" onclick="goToPage({{ pagination.page + 1 }})" aria-label="Go to next page" style="min-height:44px;">Next</button>
+      <button class="pagination-button" onclick="goToPage({{ pagination.total_pages }})" aria-label="Go to last page" style="min-height:44px;">Last</button>
       {% endif %}
     </div>
-  </div>
+  </nav>
   {% endif %}
 
   <!-- Delete confirmation modal -->
-  <div id="deleteModal" class="modal">
+  <div id="deleteModal" class="modal" role="dialog" aria-modal="true" aria-labelledby="deleteModalTitle">
     <div class="modal-content">
-      <div class="modal-title">Confirm Deletion</div>
+      <div class="modal-title" id="deleteModalTitle">Confirm Deletion</div>
       <p>Are you sure you want to delete this file?</p>
       <div class="modal-buttons">
         <button id="cancelDelete" class="modal-btn modal-btn-cancel" style="min-height:44px;min-width:80px;">Cancel</button>
diff --git a/frontend/templates/login.html b/frontend/templates/login.html
index 7087120a..a2361d4f 100644
--- a/frontend/templates/login.html
+++ b/frontend/templates/login.html
@@ -10,7 +10,7 @@
           crossorigin="anonymous" referrerpolicy="no-referrer" />
 </head>
 <body class="bg-gray-100 h-screen flex items-center justify-center">
-    <div class="bg-white rounded-lg shadow-lg p-8 max-w-md w-full">
+    <main class="bg-white rounded-lg shadow-lg p-8 max-w-md w-full" role="main">
         <div class="flex justify-center mb-6">
             <img src="/static/images/logo_writing.svg" alt="DocuElevate Logo" class="h-16">
         </div>
@@ -67,7 +67,7 @@
             <a href="/oauth-login"
                class="w-full inline-flex justify-center py-2 px-4 border border-gray-300 rounded-md shadow-sm bg-white text-sm font-medium text-gray-700 hover:bg-gray-50 focus:outline-none focus:ring-2 focus:ring-offset-2 focus:ring-blue-500">
                 <span class="sr-only">Sign in with SSO</span>
-                <i class="fas fa-lock mr-2"></i>
+                <i class="fas fa-lock mr-2" aria-hidden="true"></i>
                 {{ oauth_provider_name }}
             </a>
         </div>
@@ -78,9 +78,7 @@
                 Return to Home
             </a>
         </div>
-    </div>
-
-    <!-- Optional footer with version info -->
+    </main>
     <div class="fixed bottom-4 text-center w-full text-xs text-gray-500">
         DocuElevate {{ app_version|default('', true) }}
     </div>
diff --git a/frontend/templates/search.html b/frontend/templates/search.html
index 0a9f771b..e78b28e8 100644
--- a/frontend/templates/search.html
+++ b/frontend/templates/search.html
@@ -84,27 +84,28 @@
 {% block content %}
 <div class="container mx-auto px-4 py-8">
   <div class="search-container">
-    <h1 class="text-3xl font-bold mb-6"><i class="fas fa-search text-blue-500"></i> Document Search</h1>
+    <h1 class="text-3xl font-bold mb-6"><i class="fas fa-search text-blue-500" aria-hidden="true"></i> Document Search</h1>
 
     <!-- Search box -->
-    <div class="search-box">
+    <div class="search-box" role="search">
+      <label for="search-input" class="sr-only">Search documents</label>
       <input
-        type="text"
+        type="search"
         id="search-input"
         placeholder="Search documents by content, sender, tags, type..."
         value="{{ query }}"
         autofocus
       >
-      <button type="button" id="search-btn">
-        <i class="fas fa-search"></i> Search
+      <button type="button" id="search-btn" aria-label="Search documents">
+        <i class="fas fa-search" aria-hidden="true"></i> Search
       </button>
     </div>
 
     <!-- Summary -->
-    <div id="search-summary" class="search-summary" style="display:none;"></div>
+    <div id="search-summary" class="search-summary" style="display:none;" aria-live="polite"></div>
 
     <!-- Results -->
-    <div id="search-results"></div>
+    <div id="search-results" aria-live="polite" aria-relevant="additions removals"></div>
 
     <!-- Pagination -->
     <div id="search-pagination" class="search-pagination" style="display:none;"></div>
diff --git a/frontend/templates/upload.html b/frontend/templates/upload.html
index 4393f4bf..e2da280a 100644
--- a/frontend/templates/upload.html
+++ b/frontend/templates/upload.html
@@ -12,6 +12,9 @@
       <div
         id="dropZone"
         class="border-4 border-dashed border-gray-300 rounded-lg p-6 sm:p-8 bg-white text-center w-full"
+        role="button"
+        tabindex="0"
+        aria-label="File upload area. Drag and drop files here, or press Enter to browse files."
         ondragover="handleDragOver(event)"
         ondragleave="handleDragLeave(event)"
       >
@@ -28,6 +31,7 @@
           onchange="handleFileSelect(event)"
           name="files"
           multiple
+          aria-label="Select files to upload"
           accept="application/pdf,application/msword,application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.wordprocessingml.document,application/vnd.ms-excel,application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.spreadsheetml.sheet,application/vnd.ms-powerpoint,application/vnd.openxmlformats-officedocument.presentationml.presentation,image/*"
         />
         <!-- Browse Files button (all devices) -->
@@ -37,7 +41,7 @@
           class="bg-blue-500 hover:bg-blue-700 text-white font-bold py-3 px-6 rounded-lg transition duration-200 mb-4"
           style="min-height:44px;"
         >
-          <i class="fas fa-folder-open mr-2"></i> Browse Files
+          <i class="fas fa-folder-open mr-2" aria-hidden="true"></i> Browse Files
         </button>
         <div class="text-sm text-gray-500 mt-2">
           <p>Allowed types: PDF, Office documents (Word, Excel, PowerPoint, etc.), Images</p>
@@ -51,7 +55,7 @@
           class="w-full flex items-center justify-center gap-2 bg-green-500 hover:bg-green-700 text-white font-bold py-3 px-6 rounded-lg transition duration-200 cursor-pointer"
           style="min-height:44px;"
         >
-          <i class="fas fa-camera"></i> Take Photo / Scan Document
+          <i class="fas fa-camera" aria-hidden="true"></i> Take Photo / Scan Document
           <input
             id="cameraInput"
             type="file"
@@ -59,6 +63,7 @@
             onchange="handleFileSelect(event)"
             accept="image/*"
             capture="environment"
+            aria-label="Take photo or scan document"
           />
         </label>
       </div>
@@ -111,12 +116,12 @@
           Download and Process
         </button>
       </form>
-      <div id="urlStatusMessage" class="mt-4"></div>
+      <div id="urlStatusMessage" class="mt-4" aria-live="polite"></div>
     </div>
   </div>
 
-  <div id="statusMessage" class="mt-4 text-gray-700"></div>
-  <div id="uploadProgress" class="mt-4 w-full max-w-2xl"></div>
+  <div id="statusMessage" class="mt-4 text-gray-700" aria-live="polite"></div>
+  <div id="uploadProgress" class="mt-4 w-full max-w-2xl" role="status" aria-live="polite"></div>
 </div>
 {% endblock %}