WCAG 2.2 is the current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It was published by the W3C in October 2023, and in Australia it is now the standard the Australian Human Rights Commission recommends, at a minimum of Level AA. If your website was last checked against WCAG 2.0 or 2.1, here is what has changed, with a plain-English example for each new requirement.
The short version
- WCAG 2.2 keeps almost everything from WCAG 2.1.
- It adds nine new success criteria: two at Level A, four at Level AA and three at Level AAA.
- It removes one old criterion, 4.1.1 Parsing, because modern browsers and screen readers no longer need it.
- The new criteria mostly help keyboard users, people with low vision, people with limited movement, and people with cognitive disability or memory difficulties.
If your site already meets WCAG 2.1 AA, you’re most of the way there. You only need to check the six new Level A and AA criteria.
The six new criteria at Level A and AA
These are the ones you need to meet for WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (Level AA)
What it means: When someone moves around the page with a keyboard, the item they are on must not be completely hidden behind something else on the page.
Example: A sticky header, chat button or cookie banner covers the link a keyboard user has just tabbed to, so they can’t see where they are.
How to meet it: Make sure sticky headers and footers don’t cover focused items, for example by adding scroll padding, and let people close banners and pop-ups.
2.5.7 Dragging Movements (Level AA)
What it means: Anything you can do by dragging must also be possible with a simple click or tap.
Example: A price range slider, a drag-and-drop file upload or a board where you drag cards between columns.
How to meet it: Add buttons or another single-click option, such as plus and minus buttons on a slider, a “Choose file” button, or a “Move to” menu.
2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) (Level AA)
What it means: Buttons, links and other controls must be at least 24 by 24 pixels, or have enough space around them that they are hard to tap by mistake.
Example: Tiny social media icons or close buttons sitting right next to each other, which are easy to miss or mis-tap on a phone or with a shaky hand.
How to meet it: Make small icons and buttons bigger, or add space between them. Links inside a sentence are exempt.
3.2.6 Consistent Help (Level A)
What it means: If you offer help, such as contact details, a phone number, a chat button or a link to FAQs, it must be in the same place on every page where it appears.
Example: The phone number is in the header on some pages and the footer on others, so people who need help have to hunt for it.
How to meet it: Put help options in the same order and position across your site, usually in the header or footer template.
3.3.7 Redundant Entry (Level A)
What it means: People shouldn’t have to type the same information twice in the same process. It should be filled in for them or available to select.
Example: A checkout asks for your address for delivery, then makes you type it all again for billing.
How to meet it: Add a “Same as delivery address” option, or fill in answers people have already given. Asking again for security, such as confirming a new password, is allowed.
3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) (Level AA)
What it means: Logging in must not depend on remembering or working something out, unless there is another way or help to do it.
Example: A login page that blocks pasting into the password field, or a puzzle that asks you to type distorted letters.
How to meet it: Allow password managers and copy and paste, and offer options such as email login links or passkeys. Picture-based checks such as “select the photos with buses” are still allowed at this level.
The three new AAA criteria
Level AAA is the highest level. Most organisations don’t aim to meet all of it, but these are worth knowing about.
- 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced): no part of the focused item can be hidden, not just “not completely” hidden.
- 2.4.13 Focus Appearance: the keyboard focus outline must be large and high contrast, at least as thick as a 2 pixel outline and with a 3:1 change in contrast.
- 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced): the same as 3.3.8, but picture-recognition checks and personal questions are no longer allowed either.
The criterion that was removed
4.1.1 Parsing used to require clean HTML code with no duplicate IDs or unclosed tags. Browsers and assistive technology now handle these problems themselves, so it was removed from WCAG 2.2. Errors that actually affect people are still covered by other criteria.
Where the new criteria usually trip people up
Common WCAG 2.2 failures include:
- sticky headers, chat widgets and cookie banners hiding the keyboard focus
- small icon buttons in headers, footers and carousels
- login pages that block pasting passwords
- checkout and enquiry forms that ask for the same details twice
- sliders and file uploads that only work by dragging
Free scanners can’t reliably test most of these, because they depend on how the page behaves when someone uses it. Read more about what free tools can and can’t catch.
What this means for your site
- If your last audit was against WCAG 2.0 or 2.1, retest the six new A and AA criteria as a minimum.
- Check your templates first: header, footer, login, forms and checkout. Fixing them fixes every page that uses them.
- Update your contracts, briefs and procurement documents to ask for WCAG 2.2 Level AA.
For how WCAG 2.2 fits with Australian law and government requirements, read Australian website accessibility standards. To see how we report issues, look at our sample audit report, or find out about our WCAG 2.2 AA audits.