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WCAG Guide 📅 March 16, 2026 ⏱ 8 min read

WCAG 2.2: What's New and How It Affects Your Website (2026)

WCAG 2.2 became an official W3C Recommendation in October 2023 — and is rapidly becoming the standard referenced by the European Accessibility Act and international accessibility law. Here's exactly what changed from WCAG 2.1, the 9 new success criteria, and what you need to do.

📌 Quick Answer: If you already comply with WCAG 2.1 AA, WCAG 2.2 AA adds 6 new Level A/AA criteria that you need to address — mostly focused on mobile usability, focus indicators, and authentication. One Level AA criterion from 2.1 was also removed.

WCAG 2.1 vs WCAG 2.2: What Changed?

📋 WCAG 2.1 (2018)

  • 78 success criteria
  • Focus on mobile accessibility
  • Focus on cognitive disabilities
  • Added 17 criteria over WCAG 2.0
  • Still widely used in law references
  • EAA references WCAG 2.1 Level AA

✅ WCAG 2.2 (2023)

  • 87 success criteria (net: +9, -1+1)
  • Focus on cognitive accessibility
  • Focus on mobile & touch
  • Better focus/keyboard visibility
  • Improved authentication UX
  • Backward compatible with 2.1

The 9 New Criteria in WCAG 2.2

Here's every new requirement, what it means, and what you need to check on your site:

NEW 2.4.11 — Level AA
Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)
When a component receives keyboard focus, it must not be entirely hidden behind sticky headers, banners, or other overlaid content.
✅ Check: Tab through your site. If a focused button disappears behind your sticky nav — you fail this criterion.
NEW 2.4.12 — Level AAA
Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced)
Stricter version: no part of the focused element is obscured — not just "not entirely hidden."
ℹī¸ Level AAA — not required for EAA compliance, but good practice.
NEW 2.4.13 — Level AAA
Focus Appearance
Focus indicators must meet minimum size (at least 2px) and contrast ratio (3:1) requirements.
Level AAA — but now considered best practice for all sites.
NEW 2.5.7 — Level AA
Dragging Movements
Any functionality using dragging (e.g., sliders, sortable lists) must have an alternative that uses only click/tap without dragging.
✅ Check: Drag-to-sort lists, map panning, carousel swipes — all need a non-drag alternative.
NEW 2.5.8 — Level AA
Target Size (Minimum)
Interactive targets (buttons, links) must be at least 24×24 CSS pixels, or the spacing around them must be adequate.
✅ Check: Small icon buttons on mobile, close/delete buttons, social icons — these commonly fail.
NEW 3.2.6 — Level A
Consistent Help
If a page provides help (e.g., chat widget, contact link, phone number), it must appear in the same location on every page.
✅ Check: If you have a chat bubble or "Contact us" in the footer — make sure it's on EVERY page, not just some.
NEW 3.3.7 — Level A
Redundant Entry
Information already entered by the user must not be asked again in the same process (e.g., checkout flow asking for shipping and billing — should auto-copy).
✅ Check: Multi-step forms — does step 3 ask for info the user already entered in step 1?
NEW 3.3.8 — Level AA
Accessible Authentication (Minimum)
Login processes must not require users to solve cognitive function tests (puzzles, math, CAPTCHAs) unless an alternative is provided like copy/paste or a password manager.
✅ Check: Do you use image CAPTCHAs? Do you block password managers? Both may fail this criterion.
NEW 3.3.9 — Level AAA
Accessible Authentication (Enhanced)
Stricter version — no cognitive tests at all, even with alternatives.
Level AAA — optional, but consider using "magic link" or passkey authentication.

What Was Removed from WCAG 2.1?

REMOVED Was: 4.1.1 — Level A
Parsing
This criterion required HTML to be well-formed and not have duplicate IDs. It was removed because modern browsers handle malformed HTML gracefully, making this criterion largely obsolete and increasingly difficult to evaluate consistently.

Does the EAA Require WCAG 2.1 or WCAG 2.2?

The EAA Directive officially references WCAG 2.1 Level AA as its technical standard. However, WCAG 2.2 is backward compatible with 2.1 — meaning if you comply with WCAG 2.2, you automatically comply with WCAG 2.1.

Many accessibility experts and national enforcement bodies are already recommending WCAG 2.2 as the target — both for best practice and to future-proof your compliance as laws are updated.

✅ Recommendation: Target WCAG 2.2 Level AA. It includes everything from 2.1, plus better support for mobile users, cognitive accessibility, and modern authentication patterns. It's the safer long-term choice.

Summary: Your WCAG 2.2 Action List

  1. Fix any keyboard focus hidden behind sticky headers (2.4.11)
  2. Ensure all interactive targets are at least 24×24px (2.5.8)
  3. Add non-drag alternatives to any drag interactions (2.5.7)
  4. Place help elements (chat, contact) consistently across all pages (3.2.6)
  5. Auto-populate previously entered info in multi-step forms (3.3.7)
  6. Ensure login doesn't block password managers or use inaccessible CAPTCHAs (3.3.8)

Check Your WCAG 2.2 Compliance Automatically

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