What's new in WCAG 2.2
Nine new success criteria, one removed. Here is every change, with the level, a plain-language requirement, and who it helps.
All nine, at a glance
Linked names have a full reference page with thresholds, code, exceptions, and a test procedure. Levels and names are from the W3C “What’s New in WCAG 2.2” page (Source: W3C WAI ) .
| SC | Criterion | Level | What it requires |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4.11 | Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) | AA | When a component receives keyboard focus, it is not entirely hidden by author-created content such as a sticky header, footer, or cookie banner. |
| 2.4.12 | Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) | AAA | The enhanced version of 2.4.11: no part of the focused component may be hidden by author-created content. |
| 2.4.13 | Focus Appearance | AAA | The keyboard focus indicator is large enough and has enough contrast to be clearly visible. |
| 2.5.7 | Dragging Movements | AA | Any functionality that uses a dragging movement offers a single-pointer alternative that does not require dragging. |
| 2.5.8 | Target Size (Minimum) | AA | Interactive targets are at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, unless an exception (spacing, inline, user-agent control, essential, or an equivalent) applies. |
| 3.2.6 | Consistent Help | A | When a help mechanism (contact details, a help link, a chat option) repeats across pages, it appears in the same relative order each time. |
| 3.3.7 | Redundant Entry | A | Information the user already entered in a process is auto-populated or available to select, rather than required to be entered again. |
| 3.3.8 | Accessible Authentication (Minimum) | AA | No cognitive function test (such as remembering a password or transcribing a code) is required for any step of logging in, unless an alternative, a mechanism to help, object recognition, or personal content is provided. |
| 3.3.9 | Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) | AAA | The enhanced version of 3.3.8: it also removes the object-recognition and personal-content exceptions. |
Focus & keyboard
- Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) AA 2.4.11
Sighted keyboard users and low-vision users who lose their place when the focused element scrolls under fixed content. - Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) AAA 2.4.12
The same users as 2.4.11, with a stricter, fully-visible guarantee. - Focus Appearance AAA 2.4.13
Low-vision and keyboard users who cannot find a faint or thin focus indicator.
Pointer & touch
- Dragging Movements AA 2.5.7
People with motor or dexterity disabilities and people using a head pointer, eye-tracker, or switch, for whom dragging is difficult or impossible. - Target Size (Minimum) AA 2.5.8
People with limited fine motor control, hand tremors, or who use a touchscreen and miss small targets.
Forms & cognition
- Consistent Help A 3.2.6
People with cognitive and learning disabilities who rely on finding help in a predictable place. - Redundant Entry A 3.3.7
People with cognitive or memory disabilities, and anyone for whom re-typing is slow or error-prone. - Accessible Authentication (Minimum) AA 3.3.8
People with cognitive disabilities affecting memory, reading, or attention. It permits password managers, copy and paste, and passkeys. - Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) AAA 3.3.9
The same users as 3.3.8, with a stricter guarantee.
One criterion was removed
WCAG 2.2 removes 4.1.1 Parsing (formerly Level A). W3C states it “was originally adopted to address problems that assistive technology had directly parsing HTML… Assistive technology no longer has any need to directly parse HTML… This criterion no longer has utility and is removed.” (Source: WCAG 2.2 Recommendation, 4.1.1 (Obsolete and removed) ) Genuine markup problems that used to fail 4.1.1 now fail other criteria, such as 1.3.1 Info and Relationships or 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value. See what changed.
The exact counts
Published figures vary across the web, so here is the arithmetic in full:
- WCAG 2.1 had 78 success criteria.
- WCAG 2.2 adds 9 and removes 1 (4.1.1 Parsing) → 86 total.
- Of those 86, 55 are Level A or AA — the set you meet for AA conformance.
- Of the 9 new criteria, 6 are A or AA and 3 are AAA.
Common questions
How many new success criteria are in WCAG 2.2?
Nine. WCAG 2.2 adds nine success criteria compared with WCAG 2.1, and removes one (4.1.1 Parsing). Six of the nine are at Level A or AA.
How many of the new criteria matter for AA conformance?
Six: Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), Dragging Movements, Target Size (Minimum), Consistent Help, Redundant Entry, and Accessible Authentication (Minimum). The other three are Level AAA.
How many success criteria does WCAG 2.2 have in total?
Eighty-six. WCAG 2.1 had 78; WCAG 2.2 adds nine and removes one (4.1.1 Parsing), for 86. Of those, 55 are Level A or AA, which is the set required for AA conformance.