What is WCAG 2.2? A Complete Guide for 2026

What is WCAG 2.2?

WCAG 2.2 (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.2) is the current version of the internationally recognised accessibility standard published by the W3C Web Accessibility Initiative. It became an official W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023, adding nine new success criteria to the existing WCAG 2.1 framework.

WCAG 2.2 is backwards compatible, all WCAG 2.1 and 2.0 criteria still apply. The new criteria address gaps identified in mobile usability, cognitive accessibility, and authentication.

The 9 new success criteria in WCAG 2.2

WCAG 2.2 adds the following new requirements:

Level A (minimum accessibility)

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum): No UI component receiving keyboard focus should be entirely hidden by other content (e.g., a sticky header).
• 3.2.6 Consistent Help: If a help mechanism (chat, phone number, FAQ link) appears across multiple pages, it must appear in the same location on each page.
• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry: Information already entered in the same multi-step process must not need to be entered again unless re-entry is essential or security-related.
• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum): Authentication processes cannot require cognitive function tests (e.g., solving puzzles, transcribing text) unless an alternative or assistance is provided.

Level AA (standard compliance, required for most regulations)

• 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced): Goes further: the focused component must be fully visible.
• 2.4.13 Focus Appearance: Focus indicators must meet minimum size and contrast requirements.
• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements: Any functionality using drag must also be achievable with a single pointer action (e.g., a click).
• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum): Interactive targets must be at least 24×24 CSS pixels, or have sufficient spacing.
• 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced): No cognitive tests at all in authentication.

What was removed in WCAG 2.2?

WCAG 2.2 removed 4.1.1 Parsing: a criterion that required valid HTML. Modern browsers handle invalid HTML gracefully, so the criterion no longer meaningfully improves accessibility.

Does your organisation need to meet WCAG 2.2?

The European Accessibility Act references WCAG 2.1, but the W3C strongly recommends targeting WCAG 2.2 for new builds. Many national regulations are already updating their references. Building to WCAG 2.2 AA now is the future-proof approach.

Use the RedQA Accessibility Scanner to test your site, or contact us for a full manual audit.

Related reading: The European Accessibility Act 2025: What Your Business Must Do Now · The Most Common WCAG Failures (And How to Fix Them)