This is a complete WCAG 2.2 checklist for Level A and Level AA: all 55 success criteria, in the order the standard lists them, with a plain-language statement of what each one requires and how to check it. Level AA is the conformance level referenced by the ADA Title II rule, the HHS Section 504 rule, Section 508, the European Accessibility Act and nearly every lawsuit settlement, so meeting everything on this page is what “WCAG compliant” means in practice. WCAG 2.2 is backward compatible: a site that passes this list also conforms to WCAG 2.1 AA and 2.0 AA. It is also an ISO standard, ISO/IEC 40500:2025, identical to the October 2023 text; the W3C published errata updates to 2.2 on 12 December 2024 and to 2.1 as recently as 6 May 2025, none of which changed the criteria. The nine criteria added in 2.2 are marked, as is the one criterion that 2.2 removed.
If you want the short version first, our ADA compliance website checklist groups the highest-impact items for editors and developers, and ten checks you can do in 30 minutes is the quick self-test. For what WCAG is and how it is structured, see the WCAG glossary entry.
How to use this checklist
- Conformance is per page and all-or-nothing. A page conforms to AA only when it meets every A and AA criterion below. If a task spans several pages (checkout, sign-up), every page in the process must conform.
- Test templates and flows, not every page. Most criteria are decided by the theme and components. Test each distinct template once, then test every multi-step process end to end.
- Automated tools cover about a third of this list. Items marked “manual” in the how-to-check notes cannot be verified by a scanner.
- Level AAA is not required by any regulation and is not achievable for all content. The 31 AAA criteria are listed briefly at the end for completeness.
Principle 1: Perceivable
Information and interface components must be presentable to users in ways they can perceive.
Guideline 1.1: Text alternatives
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.1.1 Non-text Content | A | Every image, icon, chart and CAPTCHA has a text alternative that serves the same purpose. Decorative images are marked so assistive technology ignores them. | WAVE or axe for missing alt; manual review for whether alt text is meaningful. |
Guideline 1.2: Time-based media
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) | A | Audio-only content has a transcript; video-only content has a transcript or audio description. | Manual: inventory media. |
| 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) | A | Recorded video with audio has accurate, synchronized captions. | Manual: play with captions on; auto-captions must be corrected. |
| 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) | A | Recorded video has an audio description or a full text alternative describing visual content. | Manual. |
| 1.2.4 Captions (Live) | AA | Live video with audio has real-time captions. | Manual; applies to webinars and streams. |
| 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) | AA | Recorded video has an audio description track where visual information is essential. | Manual. |
Guideline 1.3: Adaptable
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | A | Structure conveyed visually (headings, lists, tables, form labels, groups) is also in the markup. | WAVE structure view; screen reader; check tables have header cells and fields have labels. |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | A | Reading order in the code matches the intended order. | Disable CSS or read with a screen reader. |
| 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics | A | Instructions do not rely only on shape, color, size, position or sound (“click the round button on the right”). | Manual content review. |
| 1.3.4 Orientation | AA | Content is not locked to portrait or landscape unless essential. | Rotate a phone. |
| 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose | AA | Fields collecting personal data use the right autocomplete attribute (name, email, tel, street-address). | Inspect form markup. |
Guideline 1.4: Distinguishable
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.4.1 Use of Color | A | Color is never the only way to convey information, indicate an action or distinguish an element (links, errors, required fields). | Manual; view in grayscale. |
| 1.4.2 Audio Control | A | Audio that plays automatically for more than three seconds can be paused, stopped or muted independently. | Load pages with sound on. |
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | AA | Text has at least 4.5:1 contrast; large text (18pt, or 14pt bold) at least 3:1. | WebAIM Contrast Checker; WAVE flags failures. |
| 1.4.4 Resize Text | AA | Text can be enlarged to 200 percent without loss of content or function. | Browser zoom to 200 percent. |
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | AA | Real text is used instead of images of text, except logos and essential cases. | Manual. |
| 1.4.10 Reflow | AA | Content reflows to 320 CSS pixels wide with no two-dimensional scrolling (except tables, maps and similar). | Resize the window or DevTools device toolbar to 320px. |
| 1.4.11 Non-text Contrast | AA | Interface components and meaningful graphics (field borders, icons, focus indicators, chart lines) have at least 3:1 contrast. | Contrast checker on UI colors. |
| 1.4.12 Text Spacing | AA | Overriding line height to 1.5, paragraph spacing to 2x, letter spacing to 0.12em and word spacing to 0.16em causes no loss of content. | Apply a text-spacing bookmarklet; look for clipping. |
| 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus | AA | Tooltips and menus that appear on hover or focus can be dismissed (Escape), hovered over, and persist until dismissed. | Manual with mouse and keyboard. |
Principle 2: Operable
Interface components and navigation must be operable by everyone.
Guideline 2.1: Keyboard accessible
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.1.1 Keyboard | A | All functionality is available from a keyboard. | Tab through every page and process without a mouse. |
| 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap | A | Focus can always be moved away from any component using the keyboard. | Tab into and out of every widget, modal and embed. |
| 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts | A | Single-character shortcuts can be turned off, remapped, or are active only on focus. | Manual, if the site has shortcuts. |
Guideline 2.2: Enough time
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable | A | Time limits can be turned off, adjusted or extended (with exceptions for real-time events and essential limits). | Check session timeouts and timed forms. |
| 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide | A | Moving, blinking, scrolling or auto-updating content that lasts more than five seconds can be paused, stopped or hidden. | Carousels, tickers, animated backgrounds. |
Guideline 2.3: Seizures and physical reactions
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold | A | Nothing flashes more than three times in one second. | Review animations and video. |
Guideline 2.4: Navigable
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | A | A way to skip repeated content, usually a skip link, plus landmarks or headings. | Press Tab on page load. |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | A | Every page has a descriptive, unique title. | Read the browser tab; check the sitemap for duplicates. |
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | A | Keyboard focus moves in an order that preserves meaning. | Tab through and watch the sequence. |
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | A | The purpose of each link is clear from its text or its immediate context. | List links; look for “click here” and “read more”. |
| 2.4.5 Multiple Ways | AA | More than one way to find a page: navigation plus search, sitemap or related links. | Manual. |
| 2.4.6 Headings and Labels | AA | Headings and labels describe their topic or purpose. | Read the heading outline. |
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | AA | The keyboard focus indicator is visible. | Tab through; look for the ring. |
| 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) | AA | New in 2.2. A focused element is not entirely hidden behind sticky headers, footers, banners or chat widgets. | Tab through pages with sticky elements. |
Guideline 2.5: Input modalities
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures | A | Multi-point or path-based gestures (pinch, swipe) have a single-pointer alternative. | Test carousels and maps with taps only. |
| 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation | A | Actions trigger on release, not on press, or can be aborted or undone. | Press and slide off a button; nothing should fire. |
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | A | The accessible name of a control contains its visible label text. | Inspect aria-label against visible text. |
| 2.5.4 Motion Actuation | A | Anything triggered by shaking or tilting the device can also be done with a control, and motion can be disabled. | Manual, if used. |
| 2.5.7 Dragging Movements | AA | New in 2.2. Anything done by dragging has a single-pointer alternative without dragging. | Sliders, sortable lists, map panning. |
| 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) | AA | New in 2.2. Targets are at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or spaced so a 24px circle around each does not overlap another target (inline links in text are exempt). | Measure icon buttons, pagination, social links. |
Principle 3: Understandable
Information and the operation of the interface must be understandable.
Guideline 3.1: Readable
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.1.1 Language of Page | A | The page language is declared (lang attribute on the html element). | View source. |
| 3.1.2 Language of Parts | AA | Passages in another language are marked with their own lang attribute. | Manual. |
Guideline 3.2: Predictable
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.2.1 On Focus | A | Receiving focus does not change context (no auto-opening windows or submitting forms). | Tab through forms. |
| 3.2.2 On Input | A | Changing a setting does not automatically change context unless the user was told beforehand. | Select dropdown options; nothing should submit or navigate. |
| 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation | AA | Repeated navigation appears in the same order on every page. | Compare templates. |
| 3.2.4 Consistent Identification | AA | Components with the same function are identified the same way everywhere. | Compare icons and labels across pages. |
| 3.2.6 Consistent Help | A | New in 2.2. Help mechanisms (contact details, chat, help link) appear in the same relative place on every page where they are offered. | Compare templates. |
Guideline 3.3: Input assistance
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 3.3.1 Error Identification | A | Input errors are identified and described in text. | Submit forms with errors; screen reader test. |
| 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions | A | Fields have labels or instructions; required fields and formats are stated. | Inspect forms; placeholder text is not a label. |
| 3.3.3 Error Suggestion | AA | When an error is detected and a fix is known, the fix is suggested. | Trigger validation errors. |
| 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) | AA | Submissions with legal or financial consequences can be reversed, checked or confirmed. | Review checkout and account flows. |
| 3.3.7 Redundant Entry | A | New in 2.2. Information already entered in a process is auto-populated or selectable, not asked for again. | Multi-step forms and checkouts. |
| 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) | AA | New in 2.2. Login does not require a cognitive function test (memorizing, transcribing, puzzles) unless an alternative or assistance is provided. Allowing paste and password managers satisfies it. | Test login: can you paste? Is there a CAPTCHA with no alternative? |
Principle 4: Robust
Content must be robust enough to work with current and future user agents, including assistive technologies.
| Criterion | Level | What it requires | How to check |
|---|---|---|---|
| 4.1.1 Parsing | A | Removed in WCAG 2.2. Formerly required valid, well-formed markup; modern browsers handle errors consistently, so it was retired. Still listed in 2.1 and 2.0. | Nothing to test for 2.2; HTML validation remains good practice. |
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | A | Every custom component exposes its name, role, state and value to assistive technology (use native HTML first, ARIA only where needed). | Screen reader on menus, accordions, tabs, custom selects; axe flags many. |
| 4.1.3 Status Messages | AA | Status messages (saved, added to cart, results updated, errors) are announced without moving focus, via live regions. | Screen reader test on dynamic actions. |
The nine criteria WCAG 2.2 added
If your site was built or last audited against 2.1, these are the items to test first. Six are Level A or AA and appear above; three are AAA.
- 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), AA: sticky headers and cookie banners cannot completely hide the focused element.
- 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced), AAA: the focused element is never obscured at all.
- 2.4.13 Focus Appearance, AAA: the focus indicator meets minimum size and contrast.
- 2.5.7 Dragging Movements, AA: drag interactions have a non-drag alternative.
- 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), AA: 24 by 24 pixel minimum targets.
- 3.2.6 Consistent Help, A: help in the same place on every page.
- 3.3.7 Redundant Entry, A: do not ask for the same information twice in a process.
- 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum), AA: no cognitive tests to log in.
- 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced), AAA: no cognitive tests even with object recognition or personal content.
In our experience the two that catch existing sites most often are target size (icon buttons, pagination and social links are routinely under 24 pixels) and focus not obscured (almost every site with a sticky header fails it until the scroll padding is fixed).
Level AAA, for reference
WCAG 2.2 has 31 Level AAA criteria. No regulation requires them, and the W3C states that AAA cannot be met for all content, but several are worth adopting where they are cheap. The full set: sign language for video (1.2.6), extended audio description (1.2.7), media alternative (1.2.8), live audio-only alternatives (1.2.9), identify purpose (1.3.6), enhanced contrast of 7:1 (1.4.6), low or no background audio (1.4.7), visual presentation (1.4.8), images of text with no exception (1.4.9), keyboard with no exception (2.1.3), no timing (2.2.3), no interruptions (2.2.4), re-authenticating without data loss (2.2.5), timeouts warned in advance (2.2.6), three flashes with no exceptions (2.3.2), animation from interactions can be disabled (2.3.3), current location shown (2.4.8), link purpose from link text alone (2.4.9), section headings (2.4.10), focus not obscured enhanced (2.4.12), focus appearance (2.4.13), target size enhanced at 44 by 44 pixels (2.5.5), concurrent input mechanisms (2.5.6), unusual words (3.1.3), abbreviations (3.1.4), reading level (3.1.5), pronunciation (3.1.6), change on request (3.2.5), help (3.3.5), error prevention for all submissions (3.3.6), and accessible authentication enhanced (3.3.9). The 44-pixel target and the 7:1 contrast are the two we most often recommend adopting anyway.
Frequently asked questions
How many success criteria are in WCAG 2.2?
86 in total: 31 at Level A, 24 at Level AA and 31 at Level AAA. Level AA conformance requires meeting all 55 A and AA criteria. WCAG 2.1 had 78 (including 4.1.1 Parsing, which 2.2 removed).
Should I use the WCAG 2.1 or 2.2 checklist?
Use 2.2. It contains every 2.1 criterion except the retired 4.1.1, so passing 2.2 AA means you also pass 2.1 AA, which is what the ADA Title II rule and most settlements cite. The only reason to work from 2.1 is a contract that names it specifically, and even then the 2.2 additions are worth meeting.
Is WCAG 2.2 legally required?
Not by name, yet. United States regulations cite WCAG 2.1 AA (Title II, HHS Section 504) or 2.0 AA (Section 508); the European standard EN 301 549 cites 2.1. Because 2.2 is a superset, building to it satisfies all of them and is the sensible target for anything built or remediated now.
Can a plugin or overlay make my site pass this checklist?
No. Most of the criteria above concern how the site is coded: structure, keyboard behavior, focus management, component semantics. An overlay adds a script on top of that code and cannot change it. Overlays are also frequently reported to interfere with the screen readers and browser settings people already use.
Need this done for your site?
Our ADA compliance services audit every template and process against this list, report each failing criterion with its location and fix, and remediate in the code. Every site we build is developed to WCAG 2.2 AA from the first template.
or call 919-200-0201