WCAG 2.2 Requirements: What Changed and What You Need to Fix

WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on October 5, 2023. It builds on WCAG 2.1 (published June 2018) and WCAG 2.0 (published December 2008). If your site meets WCAG 2.2 AA, it automatically satisfies all requirements from previous versions.

This is not a theoretical exercise. Courts reference WCAG in ADA cases. The European Accessibility Act takes effect in June 2025 with requirements aligned to WCAG 2.2. Settlement agreements are already citing 2.2. Understanding what changed and what you need to fix is a business decision, not just a technical one.

What WCAG 2.2 Added: The 9 New Criteria

WCAG 2.2 introduces 9 new success criteria across Levels A, AA, and AAA.

New Level A Criteria

Consistent Help (3.2.6): If your site provides help mechanisms like a phone number, chat, or contact form, they must appear in the same relative location across pages. If your "Contact Us" link is in the footer on your homepage, it needs to be in the footer on every page. Redundant Entry (3.3.7): If a user has already entered information in a multi-step process, do not ask them to enter it again. Either auto-populate previously entered data or let them select it from a dropdown. This applies to forms, checkout flows, and any multi-page process.

New Level AA Criteria (The Ones That Matter Most for Compliance)

Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) (2.4.11): When an element receives keyboard focus, it cannot be entirely hidden behind sticky headers, cookie banners, or other fixed-position content. This is a common problem on sites with sticky navigation bars or persistent chat widgets.

How to test: Tab through your entire page. If the focused element ever disappears behind a sticky element, you fail this criterion.

Dragging Movements (2.5.7): Any functionality that uses dragging (sliders, drag-and-drop interfaces, map panning) must have a single-pointer alternative. Users with motor impairments may not be able to perform drag gestures.

How to fix: Add buttons or input fields alongside drag controls. A range slider needs plus/minus buttons or a number input. A drag-and-drop list needs up/down arrow buttons.

Target Size (Minimum) (2.5.8): Interactive elements must have a minimum target size of 24x24 CSS pixels, or sufficient spacing from adjacent targets. This was one of the most requested additions to WCAG.

Common failures: Small social media icons in footers, tightly packed navigation links, tiny "x" buttons on modals, and close-together links in text.

Accessible Authentication (Minimum) (3.3.8): Login processes cannot require users to solve cognitive function tests (like CAPTCHAs) unless an alternative is provided. Users must be able to paste passwords (no paste-blocking on password fields) and use password managers. Biometric authentication or email magic links satisfy this criterion.

New Level AAA Criteria

Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) (2.4.12): The focused element cannot be even partially hidden. Stricter than the AA version. Focus Appearance (2.4.13): The focus indicator must meet minimum size and contrast requirements. Specifically, it needs an area of at least a 2px perimeter around the element and a 3:1 contrast ratio against the unfocused state. Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) (3.3.9): Even stricter authentication requirements, eliminating object recognition and personal content recognition tests.

What WCAG 2.2 Removed

WCAG 2.2 removed one criterion: 4.1.1 Parsing. This criterion previously required valid HTML parsing. Modern browsers and assistive technologies handle parsing errors consistently enough that this is no longer a meaningful accessibility barrier.

If your accessibility testing tools still flag 4.1.1 Parsing violations, you can deprioritize those.

Conformance Levels Refresher

• Level A: Minimum accessibility. 30 criteria in WCAG 2.2.
• Level AA: The compliance target for legal purposes. 24 additional criteria on top of Level A.
• Level AAA: Maximum accessibility. 33 additional criteria. Not expected as a full-site conformance target.

The practical target is WCAG 2.2 Level AA, which includes all Level A criteria plus the Level AA criteria. This is what the DOJ's April 2024 rule references (at the 2.1 level) and what settlement agreements typically require.

What You Need to Fix If You Already Meet WCAG 2.1 AA

If your site already meets WCAG 2.1 AA, the gap to WCAG 2.2 AA is four new criteria:

1. Focus Not Obscured (2.4.11): Check that sticky headers, footers, cookie banners, and chat widgets do not cover focused elements.

1. Dragging Movements (2.5.7): Audit any drag-based interactions and add single-pointer alternatives.

1. Target Size (2.5.8): Measure interactive element sizes. Anything under 24x24 CSS pixels needs to grow or have adequate spacing.

1. Accessible Authentication (3.3.8): Ensure login flows allow password paste and do not rely solely on CAPTCHA.

Plus two new Level A criteria that WCAG 2.1 AA sites may not have addressed:

1. Consistent Help (3.2.6): Verify help mechanisms are in the same location across pages.

1. Redundant Entry (3.3.7): Check multi-step forms and checkout flows for redundant data requests.

How to Test Your Site Against WCAG 2.2

Automated Testing

Run a free scan with OnePageAudit to check your site against WCAG 2.2 AA criteria. Automated tools detect issues like missing alt text, color contrast failures, missing form labels, and target size violations.

Automated scanning catches approximately 30-50% of WCAG violations. The new 2.2 criteria (especially focus visibility and dragging alternatives) require manual testing.

Manual Testing Checklist for WCAG 2.2

1. Tab through your entire site using only the keyboard. At every focused element, check that it is fully visible and not hidden behind sticky content (2.4.11).

1. Find every drag interaction on your site. Verify each one has a button, input, or other single-pointer alternative (2.5.7).

1. Inspect interactive elements for target size. Use browser DevTools to measure clickable areas. Look especially at icon buttons, small links, and densely packed navigation (2.5.8).

1. Test your login flow. Try pasting a password. Check whether a CAPTCHA is the only authentication method. Verify password managers work (3.3.8).

1. Check help mechanisms across multiple pages. Confirm they appear in the same relative position (3.2.6).

1. Walk through any multi-step form. Check if information entered in step 1 is requested again in step 3 (3.3.7).

Timeline and What Is Coming Next

WCAG 3.0 (originally called "Silver") is in development by the W3C, but it is years away from becoming a Recommendation. For the foreseeable future, WCAG 2.2 AA is the target.

The European Accessibility Act took effect in June 2025 and applies to products and services sold in the EU, including websites and mobile apps. Its technical requirements align with EN 301 549, which maps to WCAG 2.2.

In the US, the ADA Title II rule's compliance deadlines are already in effect, and private lawsuits under Title III continue to reference WCAG 2.2 with increasing frequency.

Next Steps

Scan your website free to establish your current compliance baseline. OnePageAudit maps every violation to its specific WCAG criterion so you know exactly what to fix. Related reading:

• ADA Website Compliance Checklist for Small Businesses
• How Much Does an ADA Lawsuit Cost?
• ADA Compliance Checker: How to Test Your Website