Reviewed November 11, 2026

WCAG 2.2: The Three New Criteria That Change Checkout

WCAG 2.2 is the current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, published by the W3C on October 5, 2023, and revised in December 2024. It adds nine new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1, six of them at levels A and AA, and it removes one old criterion, 4.1.1 Parsing, which had become obsolete. The new criteria that matter most for a store are the ones that govern the checkout: Focus Not Obscured, which requires the focused element to be visible and not hidden behind a sticky header; Target Size Minimum, which requires interactive targets to be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels; and Dragging Movements, which requires an alternative to dragging for things like sliders and carousels. If your store targets WCAG 2.2 AA, those are the new bars to clear.

What changed, and when

WCAG 2.2 was published by the W3C on October 5, 2023, and revised on December 12, 2024. It is the current version of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines, and it adds nine new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1, six of them at levels A and AA, and three at level AAA. It also removes one old criterion, 4.1.1 Parsing, which required HTML to be well-formed and had become obsolete because modern browsers and assistive technology handle malformed HTML gracefully. The structure is unchanged: four principles, thirteen guidelines, and success criteria at levels A, AA, and AAA. A site that conforms to WCAG 2.2 AA also conforms to 2.1 AA, because 2.2 is a superset with one removal.

The three criteria that change checkout

Focus Not Obscured, 2.4.11, is the one that catches the most stores. It requires that when an element receives keyboard focus, it is not entirely hidden by other content, a sticky header, a cookie banner, or a chat widget that slides over it. The classic failure is a checkout form where the focused field scrolls under a sticky header and the keyboard user cannot see where they are. The fix is to reserve space for sticky elements, or to scroll the focused element into view, and to test it with a keyboard, not just by looking at the page. Target Size Minimum, 2.5.8, requires interactive targets to be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, with limited exceptions for spacing, inline links, and essential targets. It catches the small icon buttons that are everywhere on a store: the close cross on a cart drawer, the quantity plus and minus, the remove-from-cart trash can, the mobile menu hamburger. Those are often 16 or 20 pixels, and a shopper with a motor impairment or a tremor cannot hit them reliably. Dragging Movements, 2.5.7, requires a single-pointer alternative to dragging, which means a slider, a carousel, or a drag-to-reorder control needs buttons or arrow keys as well. A product image carousel that only works by dragging is a failure, even if it looks fine.

The other new criteria, in brief

The remaining new criteria are less visible on a store, but they still matter. Accessible Authentication, 3.3.8, requires that logging in does not depend on a cognitive function test like solving a puzzle, remembering a password from another session, or transcribing a CAPTCHA, unless an alternative is provided. That one bites stores that use puzzle CAPTCHAs on account creation or checkout. Redundant Entry, 3.3.7, requires that information the user has already entered is auto-populated or available to select, rather than asked for again, which is a checkout form design rule as much as an accessibility rule. Consistent Help, 3.2.6, requires that help mechanisms appear in the same place and order on every page, which means the chat widget and the help link should not move around. Focus Appearance, 2.4.13 at AAA, is not required for AA conformance, but it sets the bar for a visible focus indicator that is at least 2 pixels thick and has a 3 to 1 contrast ratio against adjacent colors.

What to do about it

If your store targets WCAG 2.1 AA, the move to 2.2 AA is not a rebuild. It is three checks at checkout and a handful of smaller ones elsewhere. Tab through the checkout with a keyboard and watch whether the focused element ever disappears behind a sticky header or a banner. Measure the smallest interactive targets, the close crosses and the quantity buttons, and make them 24 by 24 pixels. Find every control that only works by dragging and add buttons or arrow keys. Then check the login flow for a puzzle CAPTCHA, and the checkout form for a field that asks for information the shopper already entered. The WebAIM Million 2026 report found that 95.9 percent of the top one million home pages have detectable WCAG failures, with low contrast on 83.9 percent, missing alt text on 53.1 percent, and missing form labels on 51 percent. Most stores fail the old criteria before they reach the new ones, so fix the old failures first, then clear the three new bars at checkout. The new criteria are not a reason to start over. They are a reason to finish the job.

Frequently asked questions

What is the difference between WCAG 2.1 and 2.2?

WCAG 2.2 adds nine new success criteria on top of WCAG 2.1, six of them at levels A and AA, and removes one old criterion, 4.1.1 Parsing. The structure is the same: four principles, thirteen guidelines, and success criteria at levels A, AA, and AAA. A site that conforms to WCAG 2.2 AA also conforms to 2.1 AA, because 2.2 is a superset with one removal.

Which new WCAG 2.2 criteria matter most for a store?

Three. Focus Not Obscured, 2.4.11, requires the focused element to be visible and not hidden behind a sticky header or a cookie banner. Target Size Minimum, 2.5.8, requires interactive targets to be at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, which catches small icon buttons and close crosses. Dragging Movements, 2.5.7, requires an alternative to dragging for sliders, carousels, and drag-to-reorder controls.

Does WCAG 2.2 apply to my store legally?

The law does not name a WCAG version, but WCAG 2.2 AA is the current target that courts, regulators, and demand letters use. The European accessibility standard EN 301 549 version 4.1.1, published in September 2026, adopts WCAG 2.2 AA, and the US Department of Justice's web accessibility guidance points to WCAG 2.1 AA as the floor. A store that meets 2.2 AA is ahead of the legal floor, not behind it.

What happened to criterion 4.1.1 Parsing?

It was removed in WCAG 2.2 because it had become obsolete. The criterion required HTML to be well-formed, with complete start and end tags and no duplicate attributes, but modern browsers and assistive technology handle malformed HTML gracefully, so the criterion no longer predicted real accessibility barriers. Its removal does not mean sloppy HTML is fine; it means the standard stopped testing for a problem that browsers had already solved.