WCAG 2.2 Checklist: Every A and AA Criterion in Plain Words

WCAG 2.2 is the current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published by the W3C in October 2023. Most laws and contracts that mention accessibility ask for Level AA, which in WCAG 2.2 means 55 success criteria: 31 at Level A and 24 at Level AA. This WCAG 2.2 checklist lists every one of them in plain words, marks what is new, and shows which ones an automated tool can check for you and which need a person.

What Is New in WCAG 2.2

WCAG 2.2 adds nine success criteria to WCAG 2.1 and removes one. Six of the new criteria are at Level A or AA:

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), AA: sticky headers, cookie banners and chat widgets must not completely cover the element that has keyboard focus.
• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, AA: sliders, sortable lists and maps that use dragging also need a click or tap alternative.
• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), AA: targets of at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or enough spacing between smaller ones.
• 3.2.6 Consistent Help, A: help links and contact options stay in the same place across pages.
• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry, A: do not make people retype information they already gave in the same process.
• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum), AA: no memory tests or puzzles to log in, and do not block paste or password managers.

The other three (2.4.12, 2.4.13 and 3.3.9) are Level AAA. 4.1.1 Parsing was removed, because modern browsers and assistive technology no longer depend on it. WCAG 2.2 is backward compatible: if you meet WCAG 2.2 AA, you also meet WCAG 2.1 AA, which is what the European Accessibility Act's standard EN 301 549 refers to today.

How to Use This WCAG 2.2 Checklist

The criteria are grouped under the four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. The last column says whether automated testing can check a criterion. "Yes" means a tool can usually decide pass or fail. "Partly" means a tool can catch common failures, such as an image with no alt attribute, but a person still has to judge the result, such as whether the alt text is accurate. "Manual" means you need to test by hand. Work through the WCAG 2.2 checklist on your key templates and journeys rather than every page: the homepage, a content page, a form, search, and the sign-up and checkout flow.

1. Perceivable

The first part of the WCAG 2.2 checklist covers whether users can see, hear or otherwise take in the content.

Criterion	Level	In plain words	Automated check?
1.1.1 Non-text Content	A	Images, icons and image buttons have a text alternative. Decorative images are hidden from screen readers.	Partly
1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only	A	Recorded audio has a transcript. Silent video has a text or audio description.	Manual
1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded)	A	Recorded video with sound has captions.	Manual
1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative	A	Recorded video has audio description or a full text alternative.	Manual
1.2.4 Captions (Live)	AA	Live video with sound has captions.	Manual
1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded)	AA	Recorded video has audio description of important visual content.	Manual
1.3.1 Info and Relationships	A	Headings, lists, tables and form labels are marked up so their structure is clear to assistive technology.	Partly
1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence	A	The reading order in the code matches the visual order where it matters.	Manual
1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics	A	Instructions do not rely only on shape, size, position or sound ("click the round button on the right").	Manual
1.3.4 Orientation	AA	Content works in both portrait and landscape.	Manual
1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose	AA	Fields for personal data use the right autocomplete values.	Partly
1.4.1 Use of Color	A	Color is not the only way information is shown, such as errors or links in text.	Partly
1.4.2 Audio Control	A	Audio that plays automatically for more than 3 seconds can be paused or muted.	Manual
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)	AA	Text has a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1, or 3:1 for large text.	Yes
1.4.4 Resize Text	AA	Text can be zoomed to 200% without losing content or function.	Partly
1.4.5 Images of Text	AA	Real text is used instead of pictures of text, except logos.	Manual
1.4.10 Reflow	AA	Content fits a 320px wide screen without scrolling sideways.	Manual
1.4.11 Non-text Contrast	AA	Buttons, form borders, focus rings and icons have at least 3:1 contrast.	Manual
1.4.12 Text Spacing	AA	Content still works when users increase line, letter and word spacing.	Manual
1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus	AA	Tooltips and popovers can be dismissed, hovered and stay until closed.	Manual

2. Operable

This part of the WCAG 2.2 checklist covers whether users can use every control and move around the page, with any input method. Four of the six new A and AA criteria are here.

Criterion	Level	In plain words	Automated check?
2.1.1 Keyboard	A	Everything works with a keyboard alone.	Partly
2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap	A	Keyboard focus never gets stuck in a component.	Manual
2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts	A	Single-key shortcuts can be turned off or remapped.	Manual
2.2.1 Timing Adjustable	A	Time limits can be turned off, adjusted or extended.	Partly
2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide	A	Moving, blinking or auto-updating content can be paused.	Partly
2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold	A	Nothing flashes more than three times a second.	Manual
2.4.1 Bypass Blocks	A	A skip link or landmarks let users jump past repeated navigation.	Partly
2.4.2 Page Titled	A	Each page has a descriptive title.	Yes
2.4.3 Focus Order	A	Tabbing moves through the page in a logical order.	Manual
2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context)	A	Link text, with its context, says where the link goes. No bare "click here" links without context.	Partly
2.4.5 Multiple Ways	AA	There is more than one way to find a page, such as navigation, search or a sitemap.	Manual
2.4.6 Headings and Labels	AA	Headings and labels describe their topic or purpose.	Manual
2.4.7 Focus Visible	AA	The keyboard focus indicator is visible.	Manual
2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)	AA	New in 2.2. A focused element is not completely hidden by sticky headers, cookie banners or chat widgets.	Manual
2.5.1 Pointer Gestures	A	Multi-finger or path gestures have a simple single-pointer alternative.	Manual
2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation	A	Actions fire on release, not on press, so mistakes can be undone.	Manual
2.5.3 Label in Name	A	The accessible name of a control includes its visible label text.	Partly
2.5.4 Motion Actuation	A	Features triggered by shaking or tilting also have a button, and motion can be turned off.	Manual
2.5.7 Dragging Movements	AA	New in 2.2. Anything done by dragging can also be done with simple clicks or taps.	Manual
2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum)	AA	New in 2.2. Click and tap targets are at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or have enough space around them.	Partly

3. Understandable

This part of the WCAG 2.2 checklist covers predictable behavior and forms that help users avoid and fix mistakes.

Criterion	Level	In plain words	Automated check?
3.1.1 Language of Page	A	The page language is set in the html lang attribute.	Yes
3.1.2 Language of Parts	AA	Passages in another language are marked with their own lang.	Manual
3.2.1 On Focus	A	Focusing an element does not trigger an unexpected change, such as opening a new page.	Manual
3.2.2 On Input	A	Changing a field does not cause an unexpected change unless users are warned.	Manual
3.2.3 Consistent Navigation	AA	Repeated navigation appears in the same order on every page.	Manual
3.2.4 Consistent Identification	AA	Things that do the same job are labeled the same way everywhere.	Manual
3.2.6 Consistent Help	A	New in 2.2. Help options such as contact details or chat appear in the same place on every page.	Manual
3.3.1 Error Identification	A	Form errors are described in text, not only shown in red.	Manual
3.3.2 Labels or Instructions	A	Fields have labels or instructions.	Partly
3.3.3 Error Suggestion	AA	When an error is detected, the message suggests how to fix it.	Manual
3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data)	AA	Purchases and legal or financial submissions can be reviewed, corrected or reversed.	Manual
3.3.7 Redundant Entry	A	New in 2.2. Users are not asked to type the same information twice in one process, unless it is needed.	Manual
3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum)	AA	New in 2.2. Logging in does not require a memory or puzzle test. Allow paste and password managers.	Manual

4. Robust

The last part of the WCAG 2.2 checklist covers whether content works with current and future browsers and assistive technology.

Criterion	Level	In plain words	Automated check?
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value	A	Custom controls expose their name, role and state to assistive technology.	Partly
4.1.3 Status Messages	AA	Status updates such as "Added to cart" are announced without moving focus.	Manual

Run the Automated Part of the WCAG 2.2 Checklist First

Automated testing is the fastest way through the rows marked "Yes" and "Partly". The accessibility audit loads your page in a real browser and maps every failure to its WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 success criterion and level, with a fix for each. The color contrast checker covers 1.4.3, the alt text checker helps with 1.1.1, and the Chrome extension runs the same checks on pages behind a login or on staging sites while you build. Fix those first, because on most sites they are the WCAG 2.2 checklist items that fail most often, and they are usually the cheapest to fix. The guide to fixing missing alt text is a good place to start.

Then Test the Rest of the WCAG 2.2 Checklist by Hand

1. Keyboard only: unplug the mouse and tab through each journey. Check focus is visible, in a logical order, never trapped and never hidden under a sticky header (2.1.1, 2.1.2, 2.4.3, 2.4.7, 2.4.11).
2. Zoom and small screens: zoom to 200% and 400%, and test at 320px wide (1.4.4, 1.4.10).
3. Screen reader: try NVDA on Windows or VoiceOver on Mac and iPhone. Listen for unlabeled buttons, missing status messages and confusing reading order (1.3.1, 1.3.2, 4.1.2, 4.1.3).
4. Forms: submit with errors, check messages are in text and suggest a fix, and that nothing has to be typed twice (3.3.1, 3.3.3, 3.3.7).
5. Login: confirm paste and password managers work and there is no puzzle-only CAPTCHA (3.3.8).
6. Media: captions and transcripts for video and audio (1.2.x).

Automated tools find a meaningful share of issues, but a clean automated result does not mean a site meets every row of this WCAG 2.2 checklist. The accessibility testing guide covers how to combine both approaches. For the legal side, see what the European Accessibility Act requires, and the ADA compliance checker for US sites.