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2.4.13 Focus Appearance

AAA only: the visible focus indicator must meet minimum size, contrast and area requirements, going beyond simply being visible at all.

Level AAA Added in WCAG 2.2 Needs manual review

What WCAG 2.4.13 Requires

AAA only: the visible focus indicator must meet minimum size, contrast and area requirements, going beyond simply being visible at all.

Can AccessBell Test This Automatically?

Not fully. Like most WCAG criteria that depend on meaning or context, this one needs a person to judge. AccessBell's report lists it for manual review rather than marking it pass or fail automatically, so it never gets missed.

How to Test It by Hand

Measure a focus indicator's thickness, contrast and area against the specific AAA thresholds in the success criterion.

Common Failures

  • A thin 1px focus outline is technically visible but does not meet the minimum area and contrast the AAA level requires.

WCAG 2.4.13 Questions

What does WCAG 2.4.13 require?

AAA only: the visible focus indicator must meet minimum size, contrast and area requirements, going beyond simply being visible at all.

Can AccessBell test WCAG 2.4.13 automatically?

Not fully. This criterion needs a person to judge, so AccessBell's report lists it for manual review rather than marking it pass or fail on its own.

What level is WCAG 2.4.13?

Level AAA, added in WCAG 2.2. Level AAA is the highest, most demanding conformance level in WCAG.

Sources

This page explains a technical standard and is not legal advice. See our disclaimer.

Check Your Site Against WCAG 2.4.13

Run a free scan and see whether your pages pass 2.4.13 Focus Appearance, along with every other criterion in WCAG 2.2, 2.1 or 2.0.

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