The accessibility field guide

From WCAG requirement to a practical test.

Explore all 86 active WCAG 2.2 success criteria. Each reference includes an original example, a testing workflow and a worksheet you can save or download. Filter by version to work with 2.0, 2.1 or 2.2.

WCAG level and legal coverage are separate questions. Start with the WCAG overview or the requirements guide if you are choosing a target. Legacy Parsing guidance remains available for older reporting requirements.

The level filter shows criteria assigned that level. An AA evaluation includes both A and AA. WCAG 2.2 has 86 active criteria; legacy Parsing appears when you select 2.0 or 2.1.

86 resources found

Perceivable · Level AAA

WCAG 1.2.9: Audio-only (Live)

Live audio-only material needs an alternative presenting equivalent information at Level AAA.

Perceivable · Level A

WCAG 1.3.2: Meaningful Sequence

When the order of content affects meaning, the programmatically determined reading sequence must preserve that meaning.

Perceivable · Level AA

WCAG 1.3.4: Orientation

Content should work in both portrait and landscape unless a particular orientation is essential to its purpose.

Perceivable · Level AA

WCAG 1.3.5: Identify Input Purpose

For fields collecting information about the user, identify the expected purpose programmatically when it appears in WCAG's input-purpose list and the technology supports it.

Perceivable · Level AAA

WCAG 1.3.6: Identify Purpose

At Level AAA, the purpose of interface components, icons and regions is programmatically identifiable in markup-based content.

Perceivable · Level A

WCAG 1.4.2: Audio Control

Audio that starts automatically and continues for more than three seconds needs a way to pause or stop it, or a volume control independent of the system volume.

Perceivable · Level AA

WCAG 1.4.3: Contrast (Minimum)

Ordinary text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 against its background; large text needs 3:1.

Perceivable · Level AA

WCAG 1.4.4: Resize Text

Text can be enlarged to 200 percent without losing content or functionality, apart from the specified exceptions for captions and images of text.

Perceivable · Level AAA

WCAG 1.4.6: Contrast (Enhanced)

At Level AAA, ordinary text needs at least 7:1 contrast and large text needs at least 4.5:1, subject to the stated exceptions.

Perceivable · Level AAA

WCAG 1.4.7: Low or No Background Audio

For prerecorded audio-only material that is primarily speech and falls within this criterion's scope, background sound must be absent, switchable off, or at least 20 decibels below the foreground speech, with limited exceptions.

Perceivable · Level AAA

WCAG 1.4.8: Visual Presentation

At Level AAA, readers can control several aspects of text presentation: colors, line width, alignment, spacing and resizing behavior.

Perceivable · Level AA

WCAG 1.4.10: Reflow

Content should reflow without loss or two-dimensional scrolling at a width equivalent to 320 CSS pixels, or a height equivalent to 256 CSS pixels for vertically written content, apart from content needing a two-dimensional layout.

Perceivable · Level AA

WCAG 1.4.11: Non-text Contrast

Visual information needed to identify controls, their states and meaningful graphical objects generally needs 3:1 contrast against adjacent colors.

Perceivable · Level AA

WCAG 1.4.12: Text Spacing

Users can increase specified text-spacing values without losing content or functionality in markup-based content that supports those properties.

Perceivable · Level AA

WCAG 1.4.13: Content on Hover or Focus

Additional content triggered by hover or keyboard focus must satisfy the dismissible, hoverable and persistent conditions where they apply.

Operable · Level A

WCAG 2.1.1: Keyboard

Provide keyboard operation for all functionality, without requiring precisely timed individual keystrokes, except for functions whose underlying purpose depends on a movement path.

Operable · Level A

WCAG 2.1.4: Character Key Shortcuts

Character-only shortcuts must be switchable off, remappable to include a non-printable key, or active only while the relevant component has focus.

Operable · Level A

WCAG 2.2.1: Timing Adjustable

For time limits imposed by content, let users turn them off, adjust them sufficiently or extend them under the criterion's conditions, unless a defined exception applies.

Operable · Level AAA

WCAG 2.2.3: No Timing

At Level AAA, activities do not make timing essential except for non-interactive synchronized media and real-time events.

Operable · Level AAA

WCAG 2.2.4: Interruptions

At Level AAA, users can postpone or suppress interruptions except those involving an emergency.

Operable · Level AAA

WCAG 2.2.5: Re-authenticating

At Level AAA, a user whose authenticated session expires can sign in again and continue without losing data.

Operable · Level AAA

WCAG 2.2.6: Timeouts

At Level AAA, tell users how long inactivity can last before it causes data loss, unless the data is preserved for more than 20 hours without action.

Operable · Level AAA

WCAG 2.3.2: Three Flashes

At Level AAA, nothing on the page flashes more than three times in any one-second period.

Operable · Level A

WCAG 2.4.3: Focus Order

Where navigation sequence affects meaning or operation, keyboard focus must follow a sequence that preserves both.

Operable · Level A

WCAG 2.4.4: Link Purpose (In Context)

A link's purpose must be understandable from its text or from text plus programmatically determined context, except where its purpose is ambiguous to everyone.

Operable · Level AA

WCAG 2.4.5: Multiple Ways

Within a set of pages, offer more than one way to locate a page unless it is a process step or result.

Operable · Level AA

WCAG 2.4.7: Focus Visible

Keyboard users need a visible indicator showing which interactive element currently has focus.

Operable · Level AAA

WCAG 2.4.8: Location

At Level AAA, provide information showing where the user is within a set of pages.

Operable · Level AAA

WCAG 2.4.9: Link Purpose (Link Only)

At Level AAA, a mechanism lets users identify each link's purpose from link text alone, except where the purpose is generally ambiguous.

Operable · Level AAA

WCAG 2.4.13: Focus Appearance

At Level AAA, a visible focus indicator needs an area at least equivalent to a two-CSS-pixel perimeter and a 3:1 change between the same pixels in focused and unfocused states, subject to stated browser-control exceptions.

Operable · Level A

WCAG 2.5.1: Pointer Gestures

Functions using multipoint or path-based gestures need a single-pointer alternative that does not require a path, unless the gesture is essential.

Operable · Level A

WCAG 2.5.2: Pointer Cancellation

Single-pointer actions should avoid committing a function on pointer-down, allow abort or undo around completion, reverse the down action on release, or meet an essential exception.

Operable · Level A

WCAG 2.5.3: Label in Name

When a control has a visible text label, its accessible name must contain that text.

Operable · Level A

WCAG 2.5.4: Motion Actuation

Functions triggered by device or user motion need an interface-control alternative, and the motion response can be disabled unless a defined exception applies.

Operable · Level AAA

WCAG 2.5.5: Target Size (Enhanced)

At Level AAA, pointer targets are generally at least 44 by 44 CSS pixels, with specified exceptions for equivalent controls, inline targets, unmodified browser controls and essential presentation.

Operable · Level AA

WCAG 2.5.7: Dragging Movements

Functions requiring a dragging movement need a single-pointer alternative without dragging, unless dragging is essential or the behavior is an unmodified browser function.

Understandable · Level AA

WCAG 3.1.2: Language of Parts

Identify the language of passages or phrases that differ from the page's default, except for defined cases such as proper names, technical terms and words adopted into surrounding usage.

Understandable · Level AAA

WCAG 3.1.3: Unusual Words

At Level AAA, provide a way to identify specific meanings of unusual or restricted words, including jargon and idioms.

Understandable · Level AAA

WCAG 3.1.4: Abbreviations

At Level AAA, users can identify the expansion or meaning of abbreviations.

Understandable · Level AAA

WCAG 3.1.5: Reading Level

At Level AAA, material requiring reading ability above lower-secondary education needs supplemental content or a simpler version, after excluding proper names and titles from that assessment.

Understandable · Level AAA

WCAG 3.1.6: Pronunciation

At Level AAA, provide a way to identify pronunciation when a word's meaning in context depends on how it is spoken and would otherwise be ambiguous.

Understandable · Level A

WCAG 3.2.1: On Focus

Receiving focus must not itself trigger a change of context.

Understandable · Level A

WCAG 3.2.2: On Input

Changing a control's setting must not unexpectedly change context unless the user was told beforehand.

Understandable · Level AA

WCAG 3.2.3: Consistent Navigation

Navigation repeated across a set of pages must keep the same relative order unless the user initiates a change.

Understandable · Level AAA

WCAG 3.2.5: Change on Request

At Level AAA, context changes happen only at the user's request, or a mechanism allows the changes to be turned off.

Understandable · Level A

WCAG 3.2.6: Consistent Help

When specified help mechanisms repeat across a set of pages, keep their order relative to other content consistent unless the user changes it.

Understandable · Level AA

WCAG 3.3.3: Error Suggestion

When automatically detected input errors have known corrections, suggest how to fix them unless doing so would compromise security or the content's purpose.

Understandable · Level AAA

WCAG 3.3.5: Help

At Level AAA, context-sensitive help is available.

Understandable · Level AAA

WCAG 3.3.6: Error Prevention (All)

At Level AAA, all pages requiring information submission provide reversal, checking with correction, or review/confirmation with correction.

Understandable · Level A

WCAG 3.3.7: Redundant Entry

Within the same process, information already entered by or provided to the user and required again should be auto-filled or selectable, unless re-entry is essential, security-related or the prior information is no longer valid.

Robust · Level A

WCAG 4.1.2: Name, Role, Value

User-interface components need programmatically determinable names and roles, and their user-settable states, properties and values must be available to software.

Robust · Level AA

WCAG 4.1.3: Status Messages

In markup-based content, status messages must have roles or properties that allow assistive technology to announce them without moving focus.