WCAG 2.2 AA checklist for online stores

What WCAG 2.2 AA is

WCAG stands for Web Content Accessibility Guidelines. It is written by the W3C (World Wide Web Consortium), through its Web Accessibility Initiative. WCAG is a list of testable rules called success criteria. Each one has a number, such as 1.4.3, and a level: A, AA or AAA.

Version 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on October 5, 2023. The current edition is dated December 12, 2024. It is not a law. Laws and courts point to it as the measure of an accessible website.

“Level AA” means the page meets every Level A and every Level AA criterion. In WCAG 2.2 that is 31 Level A and 24 Level AA criteria, 55 in all.

The four principles in brief

Every criterion sits under one of four principles: perceivable, operable, understandable and robust. Our guide to what WCAG is explains each one with store examples, and all 13 guidelines under them.

WCAG levels in brief

Level A is the minimum and Level AA is the usual target. Level AAA is stricter again, and W3C does not recommend it as a requirement for whole sites. Our guide to WCAG A vs AA vs AAA shows what each level asks of an online store.

What is new in WCAG 2.2

WCAG 2.2 adds nine success criteria: two at Level A, four at Level AA and three at Level AAA. It removes one: 4.1.1 Parsing, which W3C says “no longer has utility.” These are the six new criteria you need for Level AA:

New WCAG 2.2 criteria at Levels A and AA, with Shopify examples
Criterion	What it asks	Where it shows up on Shopify
2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), AA	When something has keyboard focus, it is not completely hidden by other content you added.	Sticky headers, sticky add-to-cart bars, cookie banners and chat bubbles covering the focused link.
2.5.7 Dragging Movements, AA	Anything done by dragging can also be done with a single tap or click.	Price range sliders in filters and before/after image sliders. Add number fields or buttons.
2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), AA	Things you tap are at least 24 by 24 CSS pixels, or have enough space around them.	Quantity plus and minus buttons, colour swatches, slider dots, filter checkboxes, close buttons.
3.2.6 Consistent Help, A	If help (contact details, a chat, a help page) appears on many pages, it is in the same place on each.	A contact link or chat that moves between the header, footer and product pages.
3.3.7 Redundant Entry, A	People are not asked to type the same information twice in one process.	Wholesale, quote and multi-step forms. Shopify's checkout is Shopify's part.
3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum), AA	Logging in does not require a memory test or puzzle, unless there is another way.	Account and contact forms with a CAPTCHA, or login fields that block paste and password managers.

The three new Level AAA criteria are 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced), 2.4.13 Focus Appearance and 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced). W3C says content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to 2.1 and 2.0, so moving to 2.2 does not undo earlier work. For a store example and a Shopify fix for each new rule, see what changed between WCAG 2.1 and 2.2.

Most new criteria need a person to test

Of the six, common automated tools reliably measure only target size (2.5.8). Focus being covered, dragging, consistent help, retyping and login puzzles mostly need someone to try the page.

Which laws use WCAG 2.0, 2.1 or 2.2

Most laws name an older version. Because 2.2 includes 2.0 and 2.1, one target covers them all. Our guide to what WCAG is has the full list of versions and laws.

Which WCAG version each law or standard uses, as of October 16, 2026
Law or standard	WCAG version	Notes
ADA (United States, private businesses)	No version in the law. Settlements usually ask for 2.1 AA.	The Justice Department's 2024 rule for state and local governments uses 2.1 AA.
AODA (Ontario)	2.0 AA	For organizations with 50 or more employees in Ontario, except live captions and audio description.
Manitoba accessibility standard	2.1 AA	Private sector since May 1, 2025, for any organization with an employee in Manitoba.
Accessible Canada Act	2.1 AA, through CAN/ASC-EN 301 549:2024	Federally regulated businesses only, such as banks and airlines.
European Accessibility Act	2.1 AA today, through EN 301 549 v3.2.1	EN 301 549 v4.1.1 (September 2, 2026) moves to 2.2. It applies once cited in the EU's Official Journal.

More detail is in our guides to ADA website compliance, AODA compliance, Canadian accessibility laws and the European Accessibility Act.

The WCAG criteria Shopify stores fail most

WebAIM's 2026 scan of one million home pages found low-contrast text on 83.9% of them, missing alt text on 53.1% and unlabelled form fields on 51.0% (February 2026). This table lists the criteria behind those numbers, and the ones a scan cannot see.

Common WCAG 2.2 A and AA failures on Shopify stores
Criterion	Plain meaning	Where it fails on Shopify	Can a tool check it?
1.1.1 Non-text Content, A	Images have a text alternative.	Product images and banners with no alt text.	Partly. A person judges if the text is useful.
1.3.1 Info and Relationships, A	Structure is in the code, not only the look.	Bold text used as headings, size charts as images, missing labels.	Partly
1.4.1 Use of Color, A	Colour is not the only signal.	Sold-out swatches shown only by fading. Links shown only by colour.	Partly
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum), AA	Text has 4.5:1 contrast (3:1 for large text).	Grey text, sale badges, text over hero images.	Mostly. Text on images needs a person.
1.4.10 Reflow, AA	Works at 320 pixels wide without sideways scrolling.	Wide tables, carousels and app widgets on small screens.	Partly
1.4.11 Non-text Contrast, AA	Borders, icons and focus rings have 3:1 contrast.	Pale input borders, white swatches on white.	A person, mostly
2.1.1 Keyboard, A	Everything works with a keyboard.	Hover-only menus, swatches and quick view.	A person
2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide, A	Moving content can be paused.	Auto-rotating slideshows and marquees.	A person
2.4.4 Link Purpose, A	Each link says where it goes.	Image links with no text, many “Shop now” links.	Partly
2.4.7 Focus Visible, AA	You can see which item has keyboard focus.	Themes that remove the focus outline.	A person
2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), AA	Focus is not fully hidden.	Sticky headers, cookie banners, chat bubbles.	A person
2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum), AA	Tap targets are at least 24 by 24 pixels.	Quantity buttons, slider dots, swatches.	Yes
3.1.1 Language of Page, A	The page language is set in the code.	Old themes and translated stores.	Yes
3.3.2 Labels or Instructions, A	Fields have visible labels.	Newsletter and search boxes with placeholder text only.	Partly
4.1.2 Name, Role, Value, A	Controls have a name and state screen readers can read.	Icon-only cart, menu and close buttons.	Mostly
4.1.3 Status Messages, AA	Updates are announced without moving focus.	“Added to cart” and price changes after picking a variant.	A person

Automated checks find only part of the problems: about 57% of issues by volume in Deque's 2021 study of its own audits. Start with our free accessibility checker for one page, the contrast checker for 1.4.3 and 1.4.11, and the alt text checker for 1.1.1, with alt text examples for what to write. The 1.4.3 and 1.4.11 rules are explained in our guide to WCAG colour contrast requirements. Icon buttons need a name for 4.1.2: see how aria-label works in Shopify themes. For 1.2, read captions, transcripts and audio description for product videos, and for 1.4.4 and 1.4.12 see how text spacing breaks Shopify buttons and badges and how to test it. Work through our ADA website checklist to keep track of what you have fixed. Then test the path to checkout by keyboard. The step-by-step version for Shopify is in our Shopify ADA compliance guide, and how Inclusely tests explains which criteria software can and cannot check.

Questions about WCAG 2.2 AA

What is WCAG 2.2 AA?

WCAG 2.2 Level AA is the current W3C standard for accessible web content, first published October 5, 2023. To meet Level AA, a page must satisfy all 55 success criteria at Level A and Level AA, including six that are new in 2.2, such as Focus Not Obscured and Target Size.

What are the new WCAG standards for 2026?

There is no new WCAG version in 2026. WCAG 2.2 (October 2023) is current, and WCAG 3.0 is still a W3C draft. What changed in 2026 is that the European standard EN 301 549 v4.1.1, published September 2, 2026, moved to WCAG 2.2.

What are the WCAG 2.2 requirements?

For Level AA, 55 success criteria grouped under four principles. In practice for a store: text alternatives for images, captions for video, 4.5:1 text contrast, everything usable by keyboard with a visible focus, focus not hidden by sticky bars, tap targets of at least 24 by 24 pixels, labelled form fields, clear error messages and controls that screen readers can name.

What are the new ADA accessibility guidelines for 2026?

There are none for private businesses. The ADA still has no technical web rule for stores, and settlements usually ask for WCAG 2.1 AA. The only 2026 federal change was for state and local governments: an April 20, 2026 rule moved their WCAG 2.1 AA deadlines to April 26, 2027 and April 26, 2028.

Is WCAG 2.2 required by law?

Not by name in most places yet. US settlements usually ask for WCAG 2.1 AA, Ontario's AODA uses 2.0 AA and Manitoba uses 2.1 AA. Because 2.2 includes almost everything in 2.0 and 2.1, working toward 2.2 AA covers those targets too.

Does meeting WCAG 2.2 AA mean I meet WCAG 2.1 AA?

Yes. W3C says content that conforms to WCAG 2.2 also conforms to 2.1 and 2.0. The only criterion dropped in 2.2, 4.1.1 Parsing, was removed because it no longer helped users.

This page explains the law in general terms. It is not legal advice. For advice about your business, speak with a lawyer.

WCAG 2.2 AA, explained for online stores

The short answer