What's new in WCAG 2.2: the nine new success criteria

The short version

WCAG 2.2 has nine success criteria that WCAG 2.1 didn't have. Six of them are at Levels A and AA, the levels most sites aim for. Three are at Level AAA.

One old criterion is gone: 4.1.1 Parsing. The W3C calls it obsolete, because modern browsers and assistive technologies no longer trip over the small markup errors it was written to catch.

Because each version builds on the last, a page that meets WCAG 2.2 also meets 2.1 and 2.0. The reverse isn't true, so a site checked only against 2.1 may still have work to do.

The six new A and AA criteria

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), AA. When something gets keyboard focus, it can't be completely hidden by content you put on the page, such as a sticky header, a cookie banner or a chat bubble.
• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, AA. Anything done by dragging, like a slider, a map or a sortable list, also needs a way to do it with simple clicks or taps.
• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), AA. Buttons and other click targets are at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or have enough space around them that a finger or shaky hand doesn't hit the neighbor. Links inside a sentence are exempt.
• 3.2.6 Consistent Help, A. If you offer help, such as a phone number, a contact form or a chat, on several pages, put it in the same relative place each time.
• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry, A. Don't make people type the same information twice in one process. Fill it in for them, or let them pick it, unless re-entering it is essential or needed for security.
• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum), AA. Logging in can't depend on a memory or puzzle test unless there's another way. In practice: let password managers fill the field, allow paste, and don't block one-time codes from being pasted.

The three AAA additions

2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) asks that focused items are never hidden at all. 2.4.13 Focus Appearance sets a minimum size and contrast for the focus indicator. 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) removes the object-recognition and personal-content exceptions from 3.3.8.

AAA criteria are rarely required for a whole site, but Focus Appearance is a good design target even if you never claim AAA.

Where most sites trip up

• Sticky headers and banners that cover the focused link as someone tabs down the page. Add scroll padding (scroll-padding-top in CSS) equal to the header height, and make cookie banners dismissable.
• Small icon buttons in carousels, social links and close buttons. Padding counts toward the target size, so you can usually fix this without changing the icon.
• Checkout and booking forms that ask for the same address twice. Offer a “Same as billing address” checkbox.
• Login pages that disable paste or use image puzzles with no alternative.

Does the law require WCAG 2.2?

Not yet in the US rules that name a version. The Justice Department's 2024 rule for state and local governments uses WCAG 2.1 Level AA. In the EU, the current harmonised standard behind the European Accessibility Act is also based on WCAG 2.1 AA, while a newer version of that standard, published in 2026, moves to WCAG 2.2.

The W3C recommends using the latest version. Since 2.2 includes everything in 2.1 that still matters, aiming for 2.2 AA covers both. See the Title II rule and the European Accessibility Act for the details.

What to do this week

1. Tab through your home page and your main form with a keyboard. Watch whether the focused item ever disappears behind a sticky element.
2. Check the smallest buttons on a phone: social icons, carousel arrows, close buttons.
3. Walk through your checkout, booking or sign-up flow and note anything you have to type twice.
4. Try logging in with a password manager and with paste.

Sources

• W3C: What's new in WCAG 2.2
• W3C: WCAG 2 overview