WCAG (2.1, 2.2)
The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the internationally recognised technical standard for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. Published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), WCAG 2.2 is the latest stable version, adding nine new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1 with a focus on mobile accessibility, cognitive load reduction, and authentication barriers.
§ 1 Definition
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of technical standards developed by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) that defines how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities. The guidelines are organised under four principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) with 13 guidelines and testable success criteria at three conformance levels: A (minimum), AA (mid-range, most commonly legally required), and AAA (highest, not required as a general policy). WCAG 2.1, published in 2018, added 17 success criteria addressing mobile accessibility, low vision, and cognitive disabilities. WCAG 2.2, published in October 2023, added 9 more criteria focusing on focus visibility, authentication alternatives, dragging movements, and accessible target sizes while deprecating the obsolete 4.1.1 Parsing criterion.
§ 2 What changed in WCAG 2.2
WCAG 2.2 introduced nine new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1. Key additions include 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum, AA) requiring that the focus indicator is fully visible and not hidden behind other elements; 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced, AAA); 2.4.13 Focus Appearance (AAA) demanding a focus indicator thickness of at least 2 CSS pixels and a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 with adjacent colours; 2.5.7 Dragging Movements (AA) requiring pointer interactions to have a single-point alternative; 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum, AA) requiring pointer targets to be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels; and 3.3.7 Accessible Authentication (AA) and 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (No Exception, AAA) requiring that logins do not rely on cognitive function tests such as transcribing distorted text or solving puzzles. WCAG 2.2 also deprecated 4.1.1 Parsing, which is no longer considered a meaningful test for modern HTML.
§ 3 WCAG 2.1 vs WCAG 2.2: what you need to know
WCAG 2.2 is fully backwards compatible with WCAG 2.1. Any content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.1. This means organisations do not need to choose between versions. If you target WCAG 2.2 AA, you automatically satisfy WCAG 2.1 AA. For organisations subject to the European Accessibility Act (EAA), the harmonised European standard EN 301 549 currently references WCAG 2.1, but the next revision is expected to adopt WCAG 2.2. The US Department of Justice's 2024 ADA Title II rule references WCAG 2.1 Level AA, but meeting 2.2 AA is the safest forward-looking target.
§ 4 Conformance levels: A, AA, and AAA
WCAG success criteria are assigned three conformance levels. Level A is the minimum, covering the most critical barriers such as missing alt text, no keyboard access, and insufficient colour contrast. Level AA is the most commonly adopted and legally referenced standard, covering the majority of accessibility requirements including captioning, audio descriptions, contrast ratios of at least 4.5:1 for normal text, and proper heading structure. Level AAA is the highest level, covering enhanced requirements such as sign language interpretation, extended audio descriptions, and a 7:1 contrast ratio. W3C recommends against requiring Level AAA as a general policy because some content types cannot meet AAA criteria, but individual AAA criteria should be pursued where feasible.
§ 5 Common questions
- Q. Is WCAG legally mandatory?
- A. WCAG itself is a technical standard, not a law. However, many laws and regulations reference WCAG as the benchmark for digital accessibility. The ADA, Section 508, the European Accessibility Act (EAA), the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and similar laws in dozens of countries all use WCAG as the standard. In practice, WCAG AA conformance is the de facto legal yardstick worldwide.
- Q. Should I target WCAG 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2?
- A. Target WCAG 2.2 AA. It is backwards compatible with 2.1 and 2.0, meaning you meet all three standards at once. Building to an older version means you will have to retrofit later, and the gap keeps widening. The EAA deadline passed in June 2025, and forward-looking organisations are already planning for WCAG 3.0.
- Q. Is WCAG compliance the same as being accessible?
- A. Not quite. WCAG conformance is a necessary foundation, but it does not guarantee a good experience. You can pass every automated check and still produce a confusing, frustrating interface. Real accessibility requires testing with real users and a commitment to inclusive design, not just a compliance checklist.
- WCAG is the globally recognised standard for web accessibility.
- WCAG 2.2 adds nine new criteria around focus, authentication, and target sizes.
- WCAG 2.2 is backwards compatible with 2.1 and 2.0; targeting 2.2 AA covers all three.
- EN 301 549 (EAA standard) currently uses 2.1; the next revision will likely adopt 2.2.
- Conformance is necessary but not sufficient. Test with real users.
Atomic Glue builds to WCAG 2.2 AA (and beyond where practical) as our baseline. We perform automated audits using axe-core, manual keyboard testing, and screen reader verification on every project. Our Web Development services bake compliance in from the start. Get in touch for a compliance readiness assessment.
Get in touchThe Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are the internationally recognised technical standard for making web content accessible to people with disabilities. Published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI), WCAG 2.2 is the latest stable version, adding nine new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1 with a focus on mobile accessibility, cognitive load reduction, and authentication barriers.
Category: Accessibility (also: Architecture, Privacy)
Author: Atomic Glue Team
## Definition
WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) is a set of technical standards developed by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative (WAI) that defines how to make web content accessible to people with disabilities. The guidelines are organised under four principles (Perceivable, Operable, Understandable, Robust) with 13 guidelines and testable success criteria at three conformance levels: A (minimum), AA (mid-range, most commonly legally required), and AAA (highest, not required as a general policy). WCAG 2.1, published in 2018, added 17 success criteria addressing mobile accessibility, low vision, and cognitive disabilities. WCAG 2.2, published in October 2023, added 9 more criteria focusing on focus visibility, authentication alternatives, dragging movements, and accessible target sizes while deprecating the obsolete 4.1.1 Parsing criterion.
## What changed in WCAG 2.2
WCAG 2.2 introduced nine new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1. Key additions include 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum, AA) requiring that the focus indicator is fully visible and not hidden behind other elements; 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced, AAA); 2.4.13 Focus Appearance (AAA) demanding a focus indicator thickness of at least 2 CSS pixels and a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 with adjacent colours; 2.5.7 Dragging Movements (AA) requiring pointer interactions to have a single-point alternative; 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum, AA) requiring pointer targets to be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels; and 3.3.7 Accessible Authentication (AA) and 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (No Exception, AAA) requiring that logins do not rely on cognitive function tests such as transcribing distorted text or solving puzzles. WCAG 2.2 also deprecated 4.1.1 Parsing, which is no longer considered a meaningful test for modern HTML.
## WCAG 2.1 vs WCAG 2.2: what you need to know
WCAG 2.2 is fully backwards compatible with WCAG 2.1. Any content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to WCAG 2.1. This means organisations do not need to choose between versions. If you target WCAG 2.2 AA, you automatically satisfy WCAG 2.1 AA. For organisations subject to the European Accessibility Act (EAA), the harmonised European standard EN 301 549 currently references WCAG 2.1, but the next revision is expected to adopt WCAG 2.2. The US Department of Justice's 2024 ADA Title II rule references WCAG 2.1 Level AA, but meeting 2.2 AA is the safest forward-looking target.
## Conformance levels: A, AA, and AAA
WCAG success criteria are assigned three conformance levels. Level A is the minimum, covering the most critical barriers such as missing alt text, no keyboard access, and insufficient colour contrast. Level AA is the most commonly adopted and legally referenced standard, covering the majority of accessibility requirements including captioning, audio descriptions, contrast ratios of at least 4.5:1 for normal text, and proper heading structure. Level AAA is the highest level, covering enhanced requirements such as sign language interpretation, extended audio descriptions, and a 7:1 contrast ratio. W3C recommends against requiring Level AAA as a general policy because some content types cannot meet AAA criteria, but individual AAA criteria should be pursued where feasible.
## Common questions
Q: Is WCAG legally mandatory?
A: WCAG itself is a technical standard, not a law. However, many laws and regulations reference WCAG as the benchmark for digital accessibility. The ADA, Section 508, the European Accessibility Act (EAA), the Accessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act (AODA), and similar laws in dozens of countries all use WCAG as the standard. In practice, WCAG AA conformance is the de facto legal yardstick worldwide.
Q: Should I target WCAG 2.0, 2.1, or 2.2?
A: Target WCAG 2.2 AA. It is backwards compatible with 2.1 and 2.0, meaning you meet all three standards at once. Building to an older version means you will have to retrofit later, and the gap keeps widening. The EAA deadline passed in June 2025, and forward-looking organisations are already planning for WCAG 3.0.
Q: Is WCAG compliance the same as being accessible?
A: Not quite. WCAG conformance is a necessary foundation, but it does not guarantee a good experience. You can pass every automated check and still produce a confusing, frustrating interface. Real accessibility requires testing with real users and a commitment to inclusive design, not just a compliance checklist.
## Key takeaways
- WCAG is the globally recognised standard for web accessibility.
- WCAG 2.2 adds nine new criteria around focus, authentication, and target sizes.
- WCAG 2.2 is backwards compatible with 2.1 and 2.0; targeting 2.2 AA covers all three.
- EN 301 549 (EAA standard) currently uses 2.1; the next revision will likely adopt 2.2.
- Conformance is necessary but not sufficient. Test with real users.
## Related entries
- [Accessibility (a11y)](atomicglue.co/glossary/accessibility)
- [Semantic HTML](atomicglue.co/glossary/semantic-html-website-development)
- [ARIA](atomicglue.co/glossary/aria)
- [Accessibility Audit](atomicglue.co/glossary/accessibility-audit)
- [Color Contrast Ratio](atomicglue.co/glossary/color-contrast-ratio)
Last updated July 2026. Permalink: atomicglue.co/glossary/wcag