What is WCAG 2.2 and what changed?

WCAG 2.2 is the latest version of the international guidelines on making websites accessible to people with disabilities. It was published as a W3C Recommendation on October 5, 2023, adding nine new success criteria and removing one. In this article, we explain in plain language what changed, who it helps and where to start on your site.

What is WCAG?

WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a standard developed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and widely accepted around the world as the common benchmark for accessibility. The guidelines rest on four principles: content must be perceivable, operable, understandable and robust.

Under each principle are testable “success criteria.” The criteria are grouped into three levels: A (the most basic), AA (the level laws and organizations usually require) and AAA (the most advanced). A site that “conforms to WCAG 2.2 AA” meets all success criteria at levels A and AA.

Why a new version?

In 2018, WCAG 2.1 made important additions for mobile use and users with low vision. Version 2.2 focuses on three groups in particular: people with cognitive and learning disabilities, people with limited motor skills and people who navigate by keyboard or voice. Most of the new criteria target small but frustrating barriers people run into every day: focus that disappears behind a sticky banner, small buttons that are hard to hit with a finger, and password puzzles you have to memorize.

Nine new success criteria

Focus visibility

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), AA: When an element receives keyboard focus, it must not be entirely hidden by the site’s own content, such as a sticky header, cookie banner or chat box; at least part of it must remain visible.
• 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced), AAA: The strict version of the same rule; no part of the focused element may be hidden.
• 2.4.13 Focus Appearance, AAA: The focus indicator must be large enough (at least the area of a 2 CSS pixel thick perimeter) and have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 between the focused and unfocused states.

Touch and mouse use

• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, AA: Any action performed by dragging (sliders, reordering, maps) must also be possible with a single click or tap. For users with tremors or muscle weakness, dragging is often impossible.
• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), AA: Clickable targets must be at least 24 × 24 CSS pixels. If they are smaller, they need enough spacing around them. Links within sentences, the browser’s own controls and elements whose size is legally or functionally required are exempt.

Help, forms and sign-in

• 3.2.6 Consistent Help, A: If a help mechanism such as contact details, live chat or an FAQ appears on multiple pages, it must appear in the same order and the same place on each page.
• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry, A: Information already entered earlier in a process should not be requested again; it should be auto-populated or available to select. For example, the shipping address should be offered for the billing address with a “same as” option.
• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum), AA: Signing in must not require a cognitive function test, such as memorizing, transcribing or solving a puzzle. Letting password managers work and allowing passwords to be pasted is the easiest way to meet this criterion.
• 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced), AAA: The strict version of the same rule; exceptions such as image recognition are not allowed either.

Removed criterion: 4.1.1 Parsing

WCAG 2.2 removed the 4.1.1 Parsing criterion from earlier versions, treating it as obsolete. This criterion checked for errors in HTML code such as unclosed tags or duplicate IDs. Today, browsers tolerate these errors themselves, and assistive technologies read the code through the browser rather than directly. Errors that cause real problems are already caught under 1.3.1 (Info and Relationships) and 4.1.2 (Name, Role, Value).

Is it compatible with 2.1?

Yes. According to the W3C, content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.1 and 2.0. The existing criteria did not change; new ones were added and 4.1.1 was removed. So for a site already targeting 2.1 AA, moving to 2.2 does not mean starting from scratch, just adding a few new checks.

WCAG 2.2 has also been adopted as an international ISO standard, ISO/IEC 40500:2025. Regulations such as the European Accessibility Act mostly reference WCAG 2.1 AA today; however, a site that conforms to 2.2 also meets those requirements and is ready for the next update.

Where to start on your site

1. Navigate with the keyboard. Move through the page with the Tab key: is focus always visible, and does a sticky menu or cookie banner cover the focused element?
2. Find small targets. Social media icons, close (×) buttons, page numbers and small icons inside forms are the elements most often under 24 pixels.
3. Add alternatives to dragging. Give sliders arrow buttons and sortable lists a “move up / move down” option.
4. Check your sign-in flow. Pasting into the password field should not be blocked and password managers should work; instead of puzzles, offer verification options such as an email link or a one-time code.
5. Reduce repetition in forms. Don’t ask for the same information twice during checkout and sign-up.
6. Keep help links in a fixed place. Put the contact or support link in the same place on every page.

How GoWay helps

The GoWay accessibility tool lets your visitors adjust text size, contrast, line spacing and cursor size to suit their needs. The accessibility score in your dashboard automatically scans your site every week and lists WCAG violations by level A, AA and AAA. Automated tests can’t catch every issue; we recommend running the checks above together with your team and reviewing the accessibility report for a detailed roadmap.

Source: W3C Web Accessibility Initiative, “What’s New in WCAG 2.2” and the WCAG 2.2 Recommendation (w3.org/WAI).