WCAG 2.2 is the newest completed edition of W3C's Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published as a Recommendation on 5 October 2023. It keeps every rule from WCAG 2.1 except one, adds nine new success criteria, and drops 4.1.1 Parsing as obsolete.
If you build to Level AA you meet 55 criteria, and you also cover the older 2.1 and 2.0 AA targets that many laws still name. Below you will find what the standard contains, what each new rule asks for, how it compares with 2.1, and where to read the official text.
Quick facts
Status
W3C Recommendation, the latest finished versionPublished
5 October 2023Success criteria
86: 31 A, 24 AA, 31 AAALevel AA means
55 criteria (A plus AA)Added
9 criteria, 6 of them at A or AARemoved
4.1.1 Parsing
What is WCAG 2.2?
W, C, A and G stand for Web, Content, Accessibility and Guidelines. They are written by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium) through its Web Accessibility Initiative, known as WAI. Most practitioners say it as “wuh-cag”.
Version 2.2 is organised in three layers. At the top are four principles, often shortened to POUR: Perceivable, Operable, Understandable and Robust. Under them sit 13 guidelines, which are goals rather than tests. Under the guidelines are 86 success criteria, and those are the testable statements an audit checks one by one. Each criterion has a level: A, AA or AAA.
Around the standard, W3C publishes informative material: the Understanding documents, which explain the intent of each criterion, and a large library of techniques and known failures. They help you interpret the rules, but they are not requirements. Only the success criteria and the conformance requirements are normative. The POUR principles page explains the top layer in more depth, and WCAG explained covers the basics for newcomers.
WCAG 2.2 release date and version history
W3C published WCAG 2.2 as a Recommendation, its term for a finished standard, on 5 October 2023. It is the third release in the 2.x line:
- WCAG 1.0 came out in 1999 and is long retired.
- WCAG 2.0 followed in December 2008 with 61 criteria. It is also published as ISO/IEC 40500.
- WCAG 2.1 arrived in June 2018 with 78 criteria.
- WCAG 2.2, from October 2023, has 86 criteria after adding nine and dropping one.
There is no WCAG 2.3 in progress. W3C is working on a different model called WCAG 3.0, which is still a working draft and is not required anywhere. The WCAG versions page compares every release side by side.
The nine new success criteria
The additions focus on three groups of people: keyboard users who lose track of focus, people with motor impairments who struggle with small targets or dragging, and people with cognitive or memory disabilities who are blocked by login puzzles and repeated questions.
| Number | Name | Level | What it asks for |
|---|---|---|---|
2.4.11 | Focus not obscured (minimum) | AA | When a control has keyboard focus, sticky bars, cookie notices and chat bubbles must not hide it completely. |
2.4.12 | Focus not obscured (enhanced) | AAA | The stricter twin: no part of the focused control may be covered. |
2.4.13 | Focus appearance | AAA | The focus indicator has a minimum size and a 3:1 change in contrast between focused and unfocused states. |
2.5.7 | Dragging movements | AA | Sortable lists, sliders and map panning offer a click or tap alternative to dragging. |
2.5.8 | Target size (minimum) | AA | Pointer targets need a minimum area of 24 by 24 CSS pixels unless spacing makes up for it. |
3.2.6 | Consistent help | A | Help options that repeat across pages, such as a phone number or a chat link, appear in the same relative order. |
3.3.7 | Redundant entry | A | Information a user already typed in the same process is filled in for them or offered to pick. |
3.3.8 | Accessible authentication (minimum) | AA | Signing in must not depend on remembering, transcribing or solving something, unless a helper such as paste or a password manager is allowed. |
3.3.9 | Accessible authentication (enhanced) | AAA | Removes the exceptions for object recognition and personal content tests. |
Six of the nine are A or AA criteria, which means a typical AA project picks up six new checks. The WCAG 2.2 AA guide shows how to test and fix each of them.
Why 4.1.1 Parsing was removed
4.1.1 asked for markup without duplicate ids, unclosed elements or badly nested tags. When it was written, browsers repaired broken code in different ways, so assistive technology could receive a different structure from the one the author intended. Modern browsers now follow one shared parsing standard, so that risk has largely gone, and most issues the old rule flagged made no difference to users.
WCAG 2.2 therefore drops it. W3C has also published notes for 2.0 and 2.1 saying that, for HTML and XML content, 4.1.1 should be treated as always satisfied.
Clean markup still matters. A duplicate id can make a label point at the wrong field, or make aria-labelledby read the wrong text. Those problems now count as failures of 1.3.1 Info and relationships or 4.1.2 Name, role, value instead.
Difference between WCAG 2.1 and 2.2
The short answer: 2.2 is 2.1 plus nine criteria, minus 4.1.1. The criteria carried over from 2.1 keep their levels, and existing passes stay passes.
| Point | WCAG 2.1 | WCAG 2.2 |
|---|---|---|
| Published | June 2018 | October 2023 |
| Total criteria | 78 | 86 |
| Level A / AA / AAA | 30 / 20 / 28 | 31 / 24 / 31 |
| Criteria needed for AA | 50 | 55 |
4.1.1 Parsing | Included (now treated as met for HTML) | Removed |
| Main focus of additions | Mobile, low vision, cognitive | Focus, pointer targets, login, help |
Because each version builds on the previous one, a page that meets 2.2 AA automatically meets the AA level of 2.1 and 2.0 as well. The reverse is not true. Read WCAG 2.1 for what that version introduced.
WCAG 2.2 for mobile apps
Strictly speaking, the guidelines cover web content. Their principles carry over to native apps too, and many app contracts and app store reviews quote it. W3C has published guidance on applying WCAG to non-web software, and the EN 301 549 standard used in the EU reuses most criteria for apps.
Two of the new rules matter most on phones. Target size (minimum) affects every icon button in a toolbar or bottom bar. Dragging movements affects swipe-to-delete lists, sliders and drag-and-drop uploads: each needs a single-tap way to do the same thing. The mobile rules added earlier in 2.1, such as orientation, pointer gestures and reflow, still apply. The WCAG for mobile apps guide covers testing on iOS and Android.
Who requires WCAG 2.2 accessibility standards
Adoption is moving version by version. The UK public sector already tests against WCAG 2.2 AA. Many new procurement contracts and private policies also name 2.2.
Several major rules still point to older versions: EN 301 549 (used by EU law) and India's GIGW align with 2.1 AA, the Title II web rule under the ADA adopted 2.1 AA, and Section 508 still uses 2.0 AA. Building to 2.2 AA covers all of them at once, because of backward compatibility. The accessibility laws page lists the main rules by country. This overview is not legal advice; a lawyer can confirm what applies to you.
Reading the official WCAG 2.2 guidelines
The standard is long and dense, so most people use it through its companion pages:
- The WCAG 2.2 Recommendation is the normative text that audits quote.
- The quick reference lets you filter criteria by level and see techniques and failures for each.
- Understanding WCAG 2.2 explains intent, benefits and examples for every criterion.
- What's new in WCAG 2.2 summarises the nine additions with short user stories.
Searching for a WCAG 2.2 guidelines PDF? The official version is the web page on w3.org. If you need a file to share, print that page to PDF from your browser so you know it is current. For day to day tracking, the WCAG checklist here shows the full set of 86 with level and version filters.
Questions people ask
What is WCAG 2.2 in simple terms?
It is the latest finished set of web accessibility rules from W3C. It contains 86 testable success criteria grouped under four principles. Most organisations aim for the 55 criteria at Levels A and AA.
When was WCAG 2.2 released?
It became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023. Before that, WCAG 2.1 had been the current version since June 2018.
Is WCAG 2.2 backward compatible with 2.1?
Yes. A page that meets 2.2 at a given level also meets 2.1 and 2.0 at that level. The one oddity is 4.1.1 Parsing, which 2.2 removed and which W3C says to count as satisfied for HTML content under the two older versions.
Is WCAG 2.2 required by law?
It depends on where you are and who you serve. The UK public sector uses 2.2 AA, while many other rules still name 2.1 AA or 2.0 AA. Meeting 2.2 AA satisfies those older targets too, but check the rule that applies to you with a lawyer.
Does WCAG 2.2 apply to mobile apps?
WCAG is written for the web, but app contracts and standards such as EN 301 549 apply most of its criteria to native apps. Target size and dragging movements are the new rules app teams notice first.
Is there a WCAG 2.3?
No. W3C has said small 2.x updates are possible, but there is no 2.3 draft to follow. The next big change is WCAG 3.0, which is still a working draft.
Where can I find the official WCAG 2.2 guidelines?
On the W3C site at w3.org/TR/WCAG22. The quick reference and the Understanding documents on w3.org are easier to read and link back to the official text.