WCAG 2.1 AA Checker

What Is WCAG 2.1 Level AA?

WCAG 2.1 became a W3C Recommendation in June 2018. It extended WCAG 2.0 with 17 new success criteria for mobile devices, people with low vision and people with cognitive and learning disabilities, and it kept everything from 2.0.

At Level AA, WCAG 2.1 has 50 success criteria. That is the benchmark in the US Department of Justice rule for state and local government websites, in the European standard EN 301 549, and in most ADA website settlements. If you have been told your site must be "WCAG compliant" without further detail, WCAG 2.1 AA is usually what is meant.

The additions that surprise teams most are Reflow (1.4.10), which requires content to work at 400 percent zoom without scrolling sideways, Non-text Contrast (1.4.11) for icons, input borders and focus indicators, and Text Spacing (1.4.12), which requires layouts to survive larger letter and line spacing.

Who Needs WCAG 2.1 AA?

• US state and local governments, public universities and transit agencies, under the Department of Justice ADA Title II rule adopted in 2024.
• Businesses serving the public in the US, where WCAG 2.1 AA is the standard most ADA Title III settlements and court orders use.
• Public sector bodies across the EU, and many private companies covered by the European Accessibility Act, through EN 301 549.
• Vendors answering procurement questionnaires that ask for WCAG 2.1 AA conformance.

What WCAG 2.1 Added at Level A and AA

These requirements are not in WCAG 2.0, so older audits and templates often miss them.

• 1.3.4 Orientation, AA

  Pages must work in both portrait and landscape unless a specific orientation is essential.

• 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose, AA

  Personal data fields such as name, email and address need the right autocomplete values. This checker tests it.

• 1.4.10 Reflow, AA

  Content must reflow into a single column at 320 CSS pixels wide, equivalent to 400 percent zoom, without horizontal scrolling.

• 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast, AA

  Icons, input borders, focus indicators and chart elements need 3:1 contrast against their background.

• 1.4.12 Text Spacing, AA

  Text must not be cut off when people increase line, paragraph, letter or word spacing. This checker tests inline styles that block it.

• 2.5.1 to 2.5.4 Pointer and Motion, A

  Multi-finger gestures need single-pointer alternatives, actions should fire on release, visible labels must match accessible names, and shake-to-act features need alternatives.

What This WCAG 2.1 AA Checker Tests

WCAG 2.1 Level AA has 50 success criteria. This checker runs 62 automated rules, which test 19 of them. The rest need a person to judge, and they are listed here so nothing is missed. Open a principle to see every criterion.

What to Check by Hand

Automated rules find the code-level failures. Add these checks to cover what they cannot judge.

1. Zoom the browser to 400 percent, or narrow the window to 320 pixels, and check that nothing needs sideways scrolling (1.4.10).
2. Rotate a phone or tablet and confirm the page works in both orientations (1.3.4).
3. Check the contrast of icons, input borders and focus outlines against their backgrounds (1.4.11).
4. Make sure the visible text of each button matches or starts its accessible name (2.5.3).
5. Tab through the page and confirm focus order and visible focus.
6. Review alternative text and form error messages for meaning, not just presence.

For a step-by-step routine, see Plan manual testing in our Help Center.

How to Use Your Results

1. Fix critical and serious issues first, especially on forms, navigation and checkout. Each issue shows the failing code and how to fix it.
2. Filter by criterion to hand one type of issue to the right person, for example contrast to design and labels to development.
3. Rescan after each fix to confirm it, then run the manual checks above.
4. Monitor the whole site. A free scan checks one page. AccessBell Pro monitors up to 500 URLs per domain against WCAG 2.1 Level AA every day and alerts you to new issues.

Related Guides

• WCAG 2 AA ChecklistA free WCAG 2 AA checklist spreadsheet for testing and recording issues, plus all 55 WCAG 2.2 Level A and AA success criteria and how to test each one.
• ADA Website Compliance: What Businesses Need to KnowHow the ADA applies to websites, which WCAG level courts and regulators reference, the Title II rule for public entities, and practical steps to reduce risk.
• What Is a Website Accessibility Checker? How Automated Testing WorksA plain-English guide to website accessibility checkers: what they test, how they map results to WCAG, what they miss, and how to choose one.
• WCAG Success Criteria LibraryLook up any of the 50 criteria in WCAG 2.1 Level AA in plain language, with how to test it by hand.
• Free Accessibility Statement GeneratorPublish a statement that names WCAG 2.1 Level AA as your target and tells people how to report barriers.
• Filter reports by WCAG version and levelNarrow your results to exactly the criteria in WCAG 2.1 Level AA.

WCAG 2.1 AA Checker Questions