What’s new in WCAG 2.2: the 9 new criteria

WCAG 2.2 adds nine success criteria to WCAG 2.1 and removes one, 4.1.1 Parsing. Six of the nine are at Level A or AA, so a site that already meets WCAG 2.1 Level AA has six new criteria to meet: focus that is not hidden, dragging alternatives, target size, consistent help, no redundant entry, and accessible sign-in. The other three are at Level AAA.

Our checklist has every A and AA criterion with code that passes and fails.

The W3C published WCAG 2.2 as a Recommendation in October 2023, and the current text is dated 12 December 2024. In 2025 it was also approved as an ISO standard, ISO/IEC 40500:2025, which the W3C announced in October 2025.

The nine new success criteria

WCAG 2.1 and 2.2 by the numbers

Level A gains two criteria and loses 4.1.1 Parsing, Level AA gains four, and Level AAA gains three. A Level AA target in WCAG 2.2 means 55 criteria: 31 at A and 24 at AA.

What a site at WCAG 2.1 AA has to add

WCAG 2.2 says it is backwards compatible with 2.1: “Content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.0 and WCAG 2.1.” Moving up is therefore additive. These are the six criteria to add, with what usually fails.

2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)

When an element has keyboard focus, it must not be entirely hidden by content the author created. The usual failures are sticky headers and footers, cookie banners and chat widgets that cover the focused link as the page scrolls. A partly hidden element passes at AA; the AAA criterion 2.4.12 asks for none of it to be hidden. We go through focus hidden behind sticky headers and banners, overlay by overlay.

2.5.7 Dragging Movements

Anything that works by dragging, such as a slider, a sortable list or a map, must also work with a single pointer without dragging, for example with buttons or a tap on the destination, unless dragging is essential or the browser provides it and the author has not changed it. Keyboard support alone does not meet it: the criterion is about pointer users. We cover single-pointer alternatives to dragging pattern by pattern.

2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum)

Pointer targets must be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or have enough space around them, or meet one of four other exceptions: an equivalent control, targets in a sentence, sizes the browser sets and you have not changed, and presentations that are essential or legally required. Typical failures are icon buttons, carousel dots and tightly packed pagination. We explain the spacing test and the CSS fixes in WCAG target size and the 24px minimum.

3.2.6 Consistent Help

If a set of pages offers help, such as contact details, a contact form, a chat or a self-help page, and that help repeats across the pages, it must appear in the same order relative to the other content. It does not require you to offer help.

3.3.7 Redundant Entry

In a process, information the user already entered must be filled in or offered for selection when it is needed again, rather than asked for again, unless re-entering it is essential, it is needed for security, or it is no longer valid. A checkout that asks for the delivery address twice is the typical failure. We walk through redundant entry and consistent help together: a checkout for one, page templates for the other.

3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum)

A step in signing in must not depend on a cognitive function test, such as remembering a password or solving a puzzle, unless there is another method, or a mechanism to help, such as letting the browser or a password manager fill the field and allowing paste. Tests that ask the user to recognise objects, or to identify non-text content they provided, are allowed at AA. Blocking paste into a password field is the classic failure. We cover passwords, one-time codes and CAPTCHAs under 3.3.8 in a separate guide.

Why 4.1.1 Parsing was removed

4.1.1 asked that markup parse cleanly: complete start and end tags, elements nested according to their specifications, no duplicate attributes, and unique IDs. When WCAG 2.0 was written, assistive technology parsed the markup itself and broke on errors. Assistive technology now relies on the browser, and the HTML standard defines how browsers recover from markup errors, so the W3C judged that the problems 4.1.1 targeted either no longer exist or are addressed by other criteria, such as 1.3.1 and 4.1.2. WCAG 2.2 marks it “obsolete and removed”.

If a policy or contract requires WCAG 2.0 or 2.1, the W3C says you “may need to continue to test and report 4.1.1”. The current WCAG 2.1 text treats it as always satisfied for content in HTML or XML.

The three new AAA criteria

• 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced): no part of the focused element is hidden by author-created content.
• 2.4.13 Focus Appearance: an area of the focus indicator is at least as large as a 2 CSS pixel thick perimeter of the unfocused component, and those pixels change by a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 between the unfocused and focused states.
• 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced): as 3.3.8, but object recognition and personal content no longer count as exceptions.

Level AAA is not recommended as a general target for whole sites, the W3C notes, because some content cannot meet every AAA criterion.

Where WCAG 2.2 stands in standards and law

• ISO: WCAG 2.2 was approved as ISO/IEC 40500:2025; the W3C announced it in October 2025.
• EU: the harmonised standard EN 301 549 V3.2.1, cited under the Web Accessibility Directive for public-sector sites, adopts WCAG 2.1 Level AA. V4.1.1, published in September 2026, adopts WCAG 2.2 Level AA and awaits citation; no harmonised standard is cited under the European Accessibility Act yet. See how EN 301 549 V4.1.1 brings WCAG 2.2 into the European standard.
• Elsewhere: laws and contracts name a WCAG version themselves. Check the one that applies to you.