WCAG 2.2 AA Checker

What Is WCAG 2.2 Level AA?

The Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation in October 2023. It is the newest version of the standard that almost every accessibility law in the world points to, and it builds directly on WCAG 2.1: every 2.1 requirement is still there, except 4.1.1 Parsing, which was retired because modern browsers handle the problems it covered.

WCAG 2.2 adds nine success criteria. Six of them are at Level A or AA, so they matter for most organizations: Focus Not Obscured (2.4.11), Dragging Movements (2.5.7), Target Size (2.5.8), Consistent Help (3.2.6), Redundant Entry (3.3.7) and Accessible Authentication (3.3.8). Together they focus on people with low vision, motor disabilities and cognitive disabilities, and on common friction points such as sign-in forms and sticky headers.

Level AA is the target most organizations aim for. It includes every Level A requirement plus the Level AA ones, 55 success criteria in total in WCAG 2.2. Because WCAG 2.2 is backwards compatible, a site that meets 2.2 AA also meets 2.1 AA and 2.0 AA.

Who Should Test Against WCAG 2.2 AA?

• Any organization that wants the most current, future-proof target. Meeting 2.2 AA also covers 2.1 AA and 2.0 AA.
• UK public sector bodies, whose websites the Government Digital Service has monitored against WCAG 2.2 AA since October 2024.
• Teams redesigning a site or building a new one, where adopting the latest version costs little extra.
• Businesses preparing for future rules, since new laws and standard revisions tend to adopt the latest WCAG version.

The New WCAG 2.2 Criteria at Level A and AA

These are the six requirements most teams have not tested for yet. Only Target Size can be checked automatically today; the others need a short manual review.

• 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), AA

  When a control receives keyboard focus, it must not be completely hidden by sticky headers, cookie banners or chat widgets.

• 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, AA

  Anything that works by dragging, such as sliders and sortable lists, needs a single-pointer alternative like buttons or tapping.

• 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), AA

  Click and tap targets must be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or have enough space around them. This checker tests it automatically.

• 3.2.6 Consistent Help, A

  If you offer help such as a phone number, chat or contact link on several pages, keep it in the same relative place.

• 3.3.7 Redundant Entry, A

  Do not make people type the same information twice in one process. Pre-fill it or let them select it.

• 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum), AA

  Sign-in must not depend on a memory or puzzle test unless there is an alternative. Allow password managers and pasting.

What This WCAG 2.2 AA Checker Tests

WCAG 2.2 Level AA has 55 success criteria. This checker runs 63 automated rules, which test 20 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. Tab through the page and check that no focused control disappears behind a sticky header or banner (2.4.11).
2. Try every slider, carousel and drag-and-drop feature with a single click or tap (2.5.7).
3. Compare the position of your help links across several pages (3.2.6).
4. Walk through checkout or sign-up and note anywhere you are asked for the same details twice (3.3.7).
5. Sign in with a password manager and by pasting a password (3.3.8).
6. Check that alternative text is meaningful and that focus order follows the visual order.

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 2.2 Level AA every day and alerts you to new issues.

Related Guides

• WCAG 2.2 Checklist: What Changed and How to Test Each CriterionA practical WCAG 2.2 AA checklist: the nine new success criteria, the one that was removed, and how to test your website against each requirement.
• 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.
• Automated vs Manual Accessibility Testing: Where Each FitsWhat automated accessibility testing catches, what needs a human, and how to combine both into a repeatable process that keeps your website WCAG compliant.
• WCAG Success Criteria LibraryLook up any of the 55 criteria in WCAG 2.2 Level AA in plain language, with how to test it by hand.
• Free Accessibility Statement GeneratorPublish a statement that names WCAG 2.2 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 2.2 Level AA.

WCAG 2.2 AA Checker Questions