The WCAG 2.2 AA checklist, with the automation column filled in
All 55 success criteria at Level A and AA, grouped by principle, each marked either as something an automated rule can reach or as something a person has to check.
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- WCAG 2.2 success criteria at Level A and AA
- 55
- Reachable by an automated rule on the engine we run
- 23
- That need a person, and are reported as not checked
- 32
The automated column was computed on 11 September 2026 by reading the scanning engine's own rule tags and intersecting them with the criterion list — the same calculation our reports run. Upgrade the engine and the split moves.
Perceivable — 11 of 20 reachable by a rule
Text alternatives, captions, contrast and reflow — where automation is strongest, because a missing alt attribute or a failing contrast ratio is a measurable fact.
| Criterion | What it asks for | Automation |
|---|---|---|
1.1.1Non-text ContentLevel A | Every image, icon and control carries a text alternative that conveys its purpose. | Automated rule |
1.2.1Audio-only and Video-onlyLevel A | Audio-only and video-only content has a transcript or an equivalent alternative. | Automated rule |
1.2.2Captions (Prerecorded)Level A | Pre-recorded video carries synchronised captions. | Automated rule |
1.2.3Audio Description or Media AlternativeLevel A | Pre-recorded video has audio description or a full text alternative. | Person required |
1.2.4Captions (Live)Level AA | Live video carries live captions. | Person required |
1.2.5Audio Description (Prerecorded)Level AA | Pre-recorded video describes what is shown but not spoken. | Person required |
1.3.1Info and RelationshipsLevel A | Headings, lists, tables and labels are real markup rather than styling. | Automated rule |
1.3.2Meaningful SequenceLevel A | The reading order in the markup matches the order the page appears to have. | Person required |
1.3.3Sensory CharacteristicsLevel A | Instructions never rely on shape, size, colour or position alone. | Person required |
1.3.4OrientationLevel AA | Content works in portrait and landscape unless one orientation is essential. | Automated rule |
1.3.5Identify Input PurposeLevel AA | Common fields such as name and email declare their autocomplete purpose. | Automated rule |
1.4.1Use of ColorLevel A | Colour is never the only thing distinguishing one state or meaning from another. | Automated rule |
1.4.2Audio ControlLevel A | Audio that plays automatically for more than three seconds can be stopped. | Automated rule |
1.4.3Contrast (Minimum)Level AA | Text meets the required contrast ratio against its background. | Automated rule |
1.4.4Resize TextLevel AA | Text can be enlarged to twice its size without losing content or function. | Automated rule |
1.4.5Images of TextLevel AA | Wording is real text rather than a picture of words. | Person required |
1.4.10ReflowLevel AA | Content reflows into a narrow viewport without scrolling in two directions. | Person required |
1.4.11Non-text ContrastLevel AA | Controls, focus indicators and meaningful graphics contrast with what is next to them. | Person required |
1.4.12Text SpacingLevel AA | Increased line height, word and letter spacing do not clip or overlap content. | Automated rule |
1.4.13Content on Hover or FocusLevel AA | Tooltips and pop-ups can be dismissed, hovered over, and stay until dismissed. | Person required |
Operable — 8 of 20 reachable by a rule
Keyboard, pointer and timing. A rule can flag a control unreachable in the accessibility tree; it cannot tell you the focus order made sense.
| Criterion | What it asks for | Automation |
|---|---|---|
2.1.1KeyboardLevel A | Every function can be reached and operated with a keyboard alone. | Automated rule |
2.1.2No Keyboard TrapLevel A | Focus can always be moved back out of a widget, dialog or embedded player. | Person required |
2.1.4Character Key ShortcutsLevel A | Single-letter shortcuts can be turned off, remapped or limited to focus. | Person required |
2.2.1Timing AdjustableLevel A | Time limits can be turned off, adjusted or extended before they expire. | Automated rule |
2.2.2Pause, Stop, HideLevel A | Moving, blinking or auto-updating content can be paused or hidden. | Automated rule |
2.3.1Three Flashes or BelowLevel A | Nothing flashes more than three times in any one second. | Person required |
2.4.1Bypass BlocksLevel A | A skip link or landmark structure lets a user jump past repeated navigation. | Automated rule |
2.4.2Page TitledLevel A | Every page has a title that describes its topic or purpose. | Automated rule |
2.4.3Focus OrderLevel A | Focus moves in an order that preserves meaning and operability. | Person required |
2.4.4Link Purpose (In Context)Level A | Link text makes the destination clear, on its own or from its surroundings. | Automated rule |
2.4.5Multiple WaysLevel AA | More than one route reaches each page, such as navigation plus search. | Person required |
2.4.6Headings and LabelsLevel AA | Headings and labels actually describe the topic or purpose they sit above. | Person required |
2.4.7Focus VisibleLevel AA | The element with keyboard focus is visibly indicated. | Person required |
2.4.11Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)Level AA | Sticky headers, chat widgets and cookie bars do not hide the focused element. | Person required |
2.5.1Pointer GesturesLevel A | Pinch, swipe and path-based gestures have a single-pointer alternative. | Person required |
2.5.2Pointer CancellationLevel A | Actions complete on release, and a press started by mistake can be abandoned. | Person required |
2.5.3Label in NameLevel A | The accessible name contains the text a sighted user sees on the control. | Automated rule |
2.5.4Motion ActuationLevel A | Anything triggered by shaking or tilting has an ordinary control as well. | Person required |
2.5.7Dragging MovementsLevel AA | Anything you can drag can also be done without dragging. | Person required |
2.5.8Target Size (Minimum)Level AA | Targets are large enough, or spaced far enough apart, to hit reliably. | Automated rule |
Understandable — 3 of 13 reachable by a rule
Predictable content and behaviour. Almost none of it is machine-decidable, because the questions are about meaning.
| Criterion | What it asks for | Automation |
|---|---|---|
3.1.1Language of PageLevel A | The page declares the language it is written in. | Automated rule |
3.1.2Language of PartsLevel AA | Passages in a different language declare that language. | Automated rule |
3.2.1On FocusLevel A | Moving focus to a control does not change the context around it. | Person required |
3.2.2On InputLevel A | Changing a setting does not submit or navigate without a warning first. | Person required |
3.2.3Consistent NavigationLevel AA | Repeated navigation appears in the same relative order on every page. | Person required |
3.2.4Consistent IdentificationLevel AA | The same function is named and iconed the same way throughout. | Person required |
3.2.6Consistent HelpLevel A | Help, chat or contact details sit in the same relative place on every page. | Person required |
3.3.1Error IdentificationLevel A | Errors are described in text, not signalled only by a red border. | Person required |
3.3.2Labels or InstructionsLevel A | Inputs have labels or instructions telling the user what is wanted. | Automated rule |
3.3.3Error SuggestionLevel AA | When a fix is known, the message says how to correct the entry. | Person required |
3.3.4Error PreventionLevel AA | Legal, financial and data submissions are reversible, checked or confirmed. | Person required |
3.3.7Redundant EntryLevel A | Information already given in a process is not demanded a second time. | Person required |
3.3.8Accessible Authentication (Minimum)Level AA | Logging in never depends on a memory or puzzle test with no alternative. | Person required |
Robust — 1 of 2 reachable by a rule
Survives contact with assistive technology. Only two criteria sit here since WCAG 2.2 dropped 4.1.1 Parsing as obsolete.
| Criterion | What it asks for | Automation |
|---|---|---|
4.1.2Name, Role, ValueLevel A | Every control exposes a name, a role and its current state to assistive technology. | Automated rule |
4.1.3Status MessagesLevel AA | Status and error messages are announced without moving focus to them. | Person required |
What this does not do
- It is not legal advice.
- We build testing tools. Which version and level apply to you is a question for somebody qualified to answer it.
- An automated label is not a completed check.
- A rule covers part of a criterion, sometimes a small part. Clearing all 23 does not clear those 23 criteria.
- The automation column dates.
- It was computed on 11 September 2026 against the engine we had installed. Upgrade the engine and the split moves. The product recalculates it at runtime; this page does not.
- We do not certify or issue conformance reports.
- No conformance report is produced or signed on your behalf, and no audit letter is issued. Level AAA is also out of scope here — WCAG 2.2 runs to 86 criteria once AAA is included.
Frequently asked questions
55 — the 38 carried forward from WCAG 2.0, plus the 12 WCAG 2.1 added at those levels (giving 50), plus 6 more in WCAG 2.2, minus 4.1.1 Parsing which 2.2 removed as obsolete. Watch the deltas quoted elsewhere: WCAG 2.1 added 17 criteria and WCAG 2.2 added 9, but those count AAA too, which is how the all-levels totals reach 61, 78 and 86.
Read the guide: WCAG 2.2 AA compliance checklist →23, on the engine we run today, produced by reading the engine's own rule tags at runtime and intersecting them with the criterion list, so it moves when the engine is upgraded. The split by principle is very uneven — 11 of 20 under Perceivable, 8 of 20 under Operable, 3 of 13 under Understandable, and 1 of 2 under Robust.
No. A rule can see whether a video element has a caption track, but not whether the captions are accurate, synchronised or in the right language — a rule covers only part of a criterion, which is why our reports say no problems found rather than passed.
No. We do not certify, we do not issue or sign conformance reports, and nothing here is legal advice. The conformance claim is yours to make, and it rests on the work a person does across the other 32 criteria.
Related
- European Accessibility ActWho the EAA covers and what it asks for
- ADA ComplianceHow the ADA is applied to websites and apps
- Section 508The US federal procurement standard
- All of AccessibilityAutomated WCAG scanning, workflow audits, and reports
- PricingPer-seat test management and per-thread device testing, priced on the page
Clear the 23 automated criteria this afternoon
Run a scan against a public URL and get the machine-checkable subset back as a ranked list of changes, with everything else marked not checked rather than passed.