WCAG is the technical standard for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. It is published by the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI). The current version is WCAG 2.2.

What does WCAG 2.2 AA mean?

It means meeting every success criterion at levels A and AA in WCAG 2.2. By my count from the W3C's list of criteria, that is 55 criteria: 31 at A and 24 at AA.

Does a site that meets WCAG 2.1 also meet WCAG 2.2?

Not always. According to the W3C, content that meets WCAG 2.2 also meets 2.1 and 2.0, but not the other way round. A site at 2.1 AA also needs the 2 A and 4 AA criteria that are new in 2.2 to reach 2.2 AA.

Which WCAG version does the law ask for?

It depends on the law. The EU public sector standard EN 301 549 includes WCAG 2.1 AA, and the US Department of Justice's ADA Title II rule names WCAG 2.1 AA for state and local governments. This is not legal advice; confirm it for your product with a lawyer.

When is WCAG 3 coming?

There is no date. WCAG 3 is an early draft, and the W3C says it will be years before it is finished. Today WCAG 2.2 is the benchmark.

What is WCAG? WCAG 2.2 and Level AA explained

In short

WCAG uses testable rules to measure whether a website or app can be used by people with disabilities. Each rule is called a success criterion and belongs to a level.

The version to look at today is WCAG 2.2. Targeting AA means meeting all 55 criteria at levels A and AA.

The rules rest on four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable, robust.
WCAG 2.2 added 9 new criteria to 2.1 and removed criterion 4.1.1 Parsing.
In the EU and the US, accessibility law points to WCAG through standards and rules rather than repeating it.

What is WCAG and who publishes it?

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. The W3C presents WCAG as the text for anyone who needs a technical standard.

The technical documents are written by the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group (AG WG). The group works under the W3C's Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI).

The versions and their dates:

WCAG 2.0: December 11, 2008.
WCAG 2.1: June 5, 2018.
WCAG 2.2: October 5, 2023. The text was updated on December 12, 2024.

A standard at a dated address doesn't change. Content that meets WCAG 2.2 also meets 2.1 and 2.0. The W3C recommends using the most recent version.

WCAG 2.2 also has an ISO counterpart. According to the W3C, ISO/IEC 40500:2025 is identical to WCAG 2.2 of October 2023.

You may have heard of WCAG 3 too. It is still an early draft, and the W3C FAQ says it will be years before it is finished. For projects today, WCAG 2.2 is the benchmark.

Four principles: POUR

Every rule in WCAG belongs to one of four principles, known by their initials as POUR. Under the principles sit 13 guidelines, and under each guideline testable success criteria.

The definitions below are my summary of the W3C text.

Perceivable: Information and controls are presented in ways users can perceive. Example criteria: 1.1.1 Non-text Content, 1.4.3 Contrast.
Operable: Controls and navigation can be used. Example criteria: 2.1.1 Keyboard, 2.5.8 Target Size.
Understandable: Information and the operation of the interface are understandable. Example criteria: 3.3.1 Error Identification, 3.3.2 Labels.
Robust: Content is robust enough to be interpreted by a wide range of software, including assistive technologies. Example criterion: 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value.

I use the four principles as a testing order too. First I check whether users can see and hear the content, then whether they can operate and understand it. Last I check whether the code gives the screen reader the right information.

Levels A, AA and AAA

WCAG defines three conformance levels: A is the lowest, AA the middle, AAA the highest. The levels are cumulative. To reach AA, a page has to meet every A and every AA criterion.

Figure: the levels are nested. I counted the numbers from the list of criteria in the WCAG 2.2 text, without the removed 4.1.1.

Level A removes the most basic barriers. A menu that can't be used with a keyboard, or a button image without a text alternative, fails here.

Level AA adds rules such as contrast, resizing text, visible focus and reflow at a width of 320 pixels.

Level AAA is the strictest. For text contrast it asks for 7:1 instead of 4.5:1, for example. Even so, the W3C does not recommend making AAA a general rule for whole sites, because some content can't meet every AAA criterion.

The W3C also notes that even content that meets AAA is not accessible to every person with every type and degree of disability. So I treat the level as a floor. It doesn't replace testing with people with disabilities.

To check the contrast criteria against your own colours, use the contrast checker. Enter two colours and see whether the ratio reaches the thresholds of 1.4.3 and 1.4.6.

New success criteria in WCAG 2.2

WCAG 2.2 added 9 success criteria to 2.1. According to the W3C page “What's New in WCAG 2.2”, two are at level A, four at AA and three at AAA.

No.	Criterion	Level
2.4.11	Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)	AA
2.4.12	Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced)	AAA
2.4.13	Focus Appearance	AAA
2.5.7	Dragging Movements	AA
2.5.8	Target Size (Minimum)	AA
3.2.6	Consistent Help	A
3.3.7	Redundant Entry	A
3.3.8	Accessible Authentication (Minimum)	AA
3.3.9	Accessible Authentication (Enhanced)	AAA

The W3C page explains the new criteria with user stories. Behind 2.5.7 and 2.5.8, for example, is a retiree whose hand shakes. The criteria on help, forms and sign-in are tied to the story of a supermarket worker with a cognitive disability.

What do the new criteria ask in practice?

Focus (2.4.11, 2.4.12, 2.4.13). Keyboard users have to see where focus is at all times. If a sticky header or a banner completely covers the focused element, the page fails AA.

Dragging and target size (2.5.7, 2.5.8). A list you can reorder by dragging also needs up and down buttons. Small icon buttons are either at least 24 × 24 CSS pixels or have enough space around them.

Help and forms (3.2.6, 3.3.7). The link to support sits in the same place in the order on every page. The shipping address just entered at checkout is filled in for the billing address automatically, or can be selected.

Sign-in (3.3.8, 3.3.9). A sign-in that relies only on remembering a password or solving a puzzle shuts out people with memory or attention difficulties. At level AA there has to be another way or a mechanism that helps.

4.1.1 Parsing was removed

WCAG 2.2 no longer has criterion 4.1.1 Parsing; the W3C considers it obsolete. It was meant to make sure browsers and assistive technologies could read the code correctly.

The W3C FAQ explains that browsers now handle code errors much better. Assistive technologies also don't read the code directly, but through the browser. Problems that 4.1.1 used to catch are now caught by criteria such as 1.3.1 or 4.1.2.

If you still work to WCAG 2.0 or 2.1, the W3C's note is clear: for content in HTML or XML, 4.1.1 is always considered met. Otherwise the criteria from 2.0 and 2.1 are essentially the same in 2.2.

Criteria filter: who owns which criterion?

In an audit, getting each finding to the right person matters as much as the finding itself. Pick your target level and your role in the list below. The list and the count update.

Criteria filter

This list has 27 criteria.

A 1.1.1 Non-text Content
Every image shown to users has a text alternative that serves the same purpose.
DesignDevelopment
A 1.3.1 Info and Relationships
Structure that is shown visually, such as a heading or a list, can also be determined in the code.
Development
A 1.4.1 Use of Color
Colour is not the only visual means of conveying information or an action.
Design
AA 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)
Text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, large text at least 3:1.
Design
AA 1.4.4 Resize Text
Text can be resized up to 200% without loss of content or functionality.
Development
AAA 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced)
Text has a contrast ratio of at least 7:1, large text at least 4.5:1.
Design
AA 1.4.10 Reflow
Content can be used at a width of 320 CSS pixels without scrolling in two directions.
DesignDevelopment
AA 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast
The parts of controls and graphics needed to understand them have at least 3:1 contrast with adjacent colours.
Design
A 2.1.1 Keyboard
All functionality can be operated with a keyboard.
Development
A 2.4.3 Focus Order
When you move through the page with Tab, focus moves in an order that preserves meaning and operability.
Development
A 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)
Where a link goes can be told from its text or its context.
Design
AA 2.4.7 Focus Visible
Any interface operated by keyboard has a visible focus indicator.
DesignDevelopment
AA 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)
The focused element is not entirely hidden by content the page itself places on top of it.
DesignDevelopmentNew in 2.2
AAA 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced)
No part of the focused element is hidden by content the page itself places on top of it.
DesignDevelopmentNew in 2.2
AAA 2.4.13 Focus Appearance
The focus indicator is at least as large as a 2 CSS pixel thick outline around the element, with a contrast of at least 3:1 between focused and unfocused states.
DesignNew in 2.2
AA 2.5.7 Dragging Movements
Anything that works by dragging also works with a single pointer without dragging, for example by clicking.
DesignDevelopmentNew in 2.2
AA 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum)
Click and tap targets are at least 24 × 24 CSS pixels, or have enough spacing around them.
DesignNew in 2.2
A 3.1.1 Language of Page
The default language of the page can be determined by software, for example lang="en".
Development
A 3.2.6 Consistent Help
Help that repeats across pages, such as a contact link, appears in the same order relative to the other content on every page.
DesignNew in 2.2
A 3.3.1 Error Identification
When the system detects an input error, the field in error is identified and the error is described in text.
DesignDevelopment
A 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions
Wherever input is required, there is a label or instructions.
Design
AA 3.3.3 Error Suggestion
When an error is detected and a correction is known, the user gets a suggestion.
Design
A 3.3.7 Redundant Entry
Information already entered in the same process is filled in automatically or can be selected when it is needed again.
DesignDevelopmentNew in 2.2
AA 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum)
If signing in requires a test such as remembering a password or solving a puzzle, there is another way or some help.
DesignDevelopmentNew in 2.2
AAA 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced)
The stricter version of the minimum rule, without its exceptions for object recognition and personal content.
DesignDevelopmentNew in 2.2
A 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value
Every control has its name and role set in the code, and its state is passed to assistive technologies.
Development
AA 4.1.3 Status Messages
Status messages can be passed to screen readers without moving focus.
Development

The list has 27 of the 86 criteria in WCAG 2.2, the ones I check most often. The short descriptions are my summary of the W3C text. The Design and Development tags are not from the W3C; they are how I split the work. The level choice is cumulative: at AA you also see the A criteria.

Many criteria are joint work. Design draws the focus indicator, development builds it so it doesn't get lost. In the report I assign such criteria to both people.

Where the law points to WCAG: EU and US

Laws rarely copy WCAG. They point to it, usually through a standard or a technical rule. Two examples that matter to many teams:

European Union. The European Accessibility Act (Directive (EU) 2019/882) applies to certain products placed on the market and to certain services provided to consumers after June 28, 2025. E-commerce and consumer banking services are among them. Micro-enterprises that provide services are exempt from its accessibility requirements.

For the public sector, the W3C's EU policy page says the Web Accessibility Directive (2016/2102) uses the standard EN 301 549. That standard includes WCAG 2.1 Level AA verbatim for web content. I cover the European framework in the guide to the European Accessibility Act.

United States. The Department of Justice's rule under Title II of the ADA sets WCAG 2.1 Level AA as the technical standard for the web content and mobile apps of state and local governments. According to the DOJ fact sheet, an interim final rule published on April 20, 2026 moved the compliance date to April 26, 2027 for entities with a population of 50,000 or more, and to April 26, 2028 for smaller ones.

What this means for the work: both rules name WCAG 2.1 AA. A product that meets WCAG 2.2 AA covers those criteria and is ready for standards that move to 2.2.

Note: This section is not legal advice. Whether a law applies to your product is something to confirm with a lawyer, using the text of the law.

My note

In audits I look at AA. Contrast and visible focus are AA criteria. A page with faint text or invisible focus is hard to use, even if it passes level A.

The problems I see most often in audits aren't deep in the code, but in the design file. Light grey help text, or an error field marked only in red, are examples. Fixed in the design, they leave much less work for development later.

Of the new criteria in WCAG 2.2, I think 2.4.11 matters most. Sticky headers and cookie banners can cover the focused element. The way to find it is simple: put the mouse away and Tab through the page from top to bottom.

A first pass in one hour

A full conformance review tests every criterion one by one. But a team can do the first pass itself in an hour. I start in this order:

Check that the page code has lang="en" (3.1.1).
Measure the contrast of body text, help text and button text (1.4.3).
Put the mouse away and try to finish the main flow with only Tab, Enter and the arrow keys (2.1.1, 2.4.7, 2.4.11).
Zoom the browser to 200%, then narrow the window to 320 pixels (1.4.4, 1.4.10).
Fill in the form wrongly on purpose and see what the error message says, and where (3.3.1, 3.3.3).
Turn on the screen reader and listen to the button names. An icon that is read out only as “button” has no name (4.1.2).

This pass won't find every problem. But it clears the most visible barriers before the first audit and teaches the team the language of the criteria.

If you want these checks done on your product, the UX Audit includes the core WCAG 2.2 checks. I describe how an audit runs in the UX audit guide. I treat accessibility as part of usability.