| WCAG | |
|---|---|
| Web Content Accessibility Guidelines | |
 World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) logo | |
| Abbreviation | WCAG |
| Status | W3C Recommendation |
| Year started | January 1995 (1995-01) |
| First published | 9 May 1999 (1999-05-09) |
| Latest version | 2.2 October 5, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-10-05)[1] |
| Preview version | 3.0 July 24, 2023; 2 years ago (2023-07-24)[2] |
| Organization | W3C,ISO,IEC[3] |
| Committee | Accessibility Guidelines Working Group |
| Editors |
|
| Domain | Web accessibility |
| Copyright | © 2020–2023 W3C® (MIT, ERCIM, Keio, Beihang). |
| Website | |
TheWeb Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) are part of a series published by theWeb Accessibility Initiative (WAI) of theWorld Wide Web Consortium (W3C), the main internationalstandards organization for theInternet. They are a set of recommendations for improvingweb accessibility, primarily for people withdisabilities—but also for alluser agents, including highly limited devices, such as mobile phones. WCAG 2.0 was published in December 2008 and became anISO standard, ISO/IEC 40500:2012 in October 2012.[3] WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023.[1]
The first web accessibility guideline was compiled byGregg Vanderheiden and released in January 1995, just after the 1994 Second International Conference on the World-Wide Web (WWW II) in Chicago (whereTim Berners-Lee first mentioned disability access in a keynote speech after seeing a pre-conference workshop on accessibility led byMike Paciello).[4]
Over 38 different Web access guidelines followed from various authors and organizations over the next few years.[5] These were brought together in theUnified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines compiled at theUniversity of Wisconsin–Madison.[6]Version 8 of theUnified Web Site Accessibility Guidelines, published in 1998, served as the starting point for the W3C's WCAG 1.0.[7]
The WCAG 1.0 were published and became aW3C recommendation on 5 May 1999. In February 2008, The WCAG Samurai, a group of developers independent of the W3C, and led byJoe Clark, published corrections for, and extensions to, the WCAG 1.0.[8]
The first concept proposal of WCAG 2.0 was published on 25 January 2001. In the following years new versions were published intended to solicit feedback from accessibility experts and members of the disability community. On 27 April 2006 a "Last Call Working Draft" was published.[9] Due to the many amendments that were necessary, WCAG 2.0 was published again as a concept proposal on 17 May 2007, followed by a second "Last Call Working Draft" on 11 December 2007.[10][11] In April 2008 the guidelines became a "Candidate Recommendation".[12] On 3 November 2008 the guidelines became a "Proposed Recommendation". WCAG 2.0 was published as a W3C Recommendation on 11 December 2008.[13][14] In October 2012, WCAG 2.0 were accepted by theInternational Organization for Standardization as an ISO International Standard, ISO/IEC 40500:2012.[15][16][17][3] In early 2014, WCAG 2.0's Level A and Level AA success criteria were incorporated as references in clause 9.2 ("Web content requirements") of the European standardEN 301 549 published byETSI.[18] EN 301 549 was produced in response to a mandate that theEuropean Commission gave to the three officialEuropean Standardisation Organisations (CEN,CENELEC andETSI) and is the first European Standard for ICT products and services.[19][20]
WCAG 2.2 became a W3C Recommendation on 5 October 2023.[1] Nine new criteria make their definitive debut in this new version of the WCAG standard. New sections have also been introduced that detail aspects of the specification which may impact privacy and security.
In early 2021, the Accessibility Guidelines Working Group presented the first public working draft (FPWD) of the future WCAG 3.0, intended to provide a range of recommendations for making web content more accessible. As of November 2025[update], the WCAG 3.0 working draft was last updated in September 2025.[21] No part of WCAG 3.0 is an official recommendation at this time. WCAG 3.0 is a draft undergoing significant development efforts, and the expected release date as an official recommendation is not defined.
WCAG 1.0 consist of 14 guidelines—each of which describes a general principle of accessible design. Each guideline covers a basic theme of web accessibility and is associated with one or more checkpoints that describes how to apply that guideline to particular webpage features.
Each of the in total 65 WCAG 1.0 checkpoints has an assignedpriority level based on the checkpoint's impact on accessibility:
WCAG 2.0 consist of twelve guidelines organized under four principles (websites must beperceivable,operable,understandable, androbust). Each guideline has testable success criteria (61 in all).[22] The W3C's Techniques for WCAG 2.0[23] is a list of techniques that help authors meet the guidelines and success criteria. The techniques are periodically updated whereas the principles, guidelines and success criteria are stable and do not change.[24] WCAG 2.0 uses the same threelevels of conformance (A, AA, AAA) as WCAG 1.0, but has redefined them. The WCAG working group maintains an extensive list of web accessibility techniques and common failure cases for WCAG 2.0.[25]
WCAG 2.1 is backwards-compatible with WCAG 2.0, which it extends with a further 17 success criteria.
WCAG 2.2 is backwards-compatible with WCAG 2.1 extending it a further nine success criteria and with WCAG 2.0 extending it a further 26 success criteria (including the 17 success criteria introduced by WCAG 2.1). Additionally, WCAG 2.2 has deprecated and removed the 4.1.1 success criterion.[26]
| Principles | Guidelines | Success Criteria | Conformance Level | Revision |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1: Perceivable | 1.1 Text Alternatives | 1.1.1 Non-text Content | A | 2.0 |
| 1.2 Time-based Media | 1.2.1 Audio-only and Video-only (Prerecorded) | A | 2.0 | |
| 1.2.2 Captions (Prerecorded) | A | 2.0 | ||
| 1.2.3 Audio Description or Media Alternative (Prerecorded) | A | 2.0 | ||
| 1.2.4 Captions (Live) | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.2.5 Audio Description (Prerecorded) | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.2.6 Sign Language (Prerecorded) | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.2.7 Extended Audio Description (Prerecorded) | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.2.8 Media Alternative (Prerecorded) | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.2.9 Audio-only (Live) | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.3 Adaptable | 1.3.1 Info and Relationships | A | 2.0 | |
| 1.3.2 Meaningful Sequence | A | 2.0 | ||
| 1.3.3 Sensory Characteristics | A | 2.0 | ||
| 1.3.4 Orientation | AA | 2.1 | ||
| 1.3.5 Identify Input Purpose | AA | 2.1 | ||
| 1.3.6 Identify Purpose | AAA | 2.1 | ||
| 1.4 Distinguishable | 1.4.1 Use of Color | A | 2.0 | |
| 1.4.2 Audio Control | A | 2.0 | ||
| 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum) | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.4.4 Resize text | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.4.5 Images of Text | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.4.6 Contrast (Enhanced) | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.4.7 Low or No Background Audio | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.4.8 Visual Presentation | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.4.9 Images of Text (No Exception) | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 1.4.10 Reflow | AA | 2.1 | ||
| 1.4.11 Non-Text Contrast | AA | 2.1 | ||
| 1.4.12 Text Spacing | AA | 2.1 | ||
| 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus | AA | 2.1 | ||
| 2: Operable | 2.1 Keyboard Accessible | 2.1.1 Keyboard | A | 2.0 |
| 2.1.2 No Keyboard Trap | A | 2.0 | ||
| 2.1.3 Keyboard (No Exception) | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.1.4 Character Key Shortcuts | A | 2.1 | ||
| 2.2 Enough Time | 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable | A | 2.0 | |
| 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide | A | 2.0 | ||
| 2.2.3 No Timing | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.2.4 Interruptions | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.2.5 Re-authenticating | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.2.6 Timeouts | AAA | 2.1 | ||
| 2.3 Seizures | 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold | A | 2.0 | |
| 2.3.2 Three Flashes | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.3.3 Animation from Interactions | AAA | 2.1 | ||
| 2.4 Navigable | 2.4.1 Bypass Blocks | A | 2.0 | |
| 2.4.2 Page Titled | A | 2.0 | ||
| 2.4.3 Focus Order | A | 2.0 | ||
| 2.4.4 Link Purpose (In Context) | A | 2.0 | ||
| 2.4.5 Multiple Ways | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.4.6 Headings and Labels | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.4.7 Focus Visible | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.4.8 Location | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.4.9 Link Purpose (Link Only) | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.4.10 Section Headings | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) | AA | 2.2 | ||
| 2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced) | AAA | 2.2 | ||
| 2.4.13 Focus Appearance | AAA | 2.2 | ||
| 2.5 Input Modalities | 2.5.1 Pointer Gestures | A | 2.1 | |
| 2.5.2 Pointer Cancellation | A | 2.1 | ||
| 2.5.3 Label in Name | A | 2.1 | ||
| 2.5.4 Motion Actuation | A | 2.1 | ||
| 2.5.5 Target Size | AAA | 2.1 | ||
| 2.5.6 Concurrent Input Mechanisms | AAA | 2.1 | ||
| 2.5.7 Dragging Movements | AA | 2.2 | ||
| 2.5.8 Target Size (Minimum) | AA | 2.2 | ||
| 3: Understandable | 3.1 Readable | 3.1.1 Language of Page | A | 2.0 |
| 3.1.2 Language of Parts | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.1.3 Unusual Words | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.1.4 Abbreviations | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.1.5 Reading Level | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.1.6 Pronunciation | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.2 Predictable | 3.2.1 On Focus | A | 2.0 | |
| 3.2.2 On Input | A | 2.0 | ||
| 3.2.3 Consistent Navigation | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.2.4 Consistent Identification | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.2.5 Change on Request | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.2.6 Consistent Help | A | 2.2 | ||
| 3.3 Input Assistance | 3.3.1 Error Identification | A | 2.0 | |
| 3.3.2 Labels or Instructions | A | 2.0 | ||
| 3.3.3 Error Suggestion | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.3.4 Error Prevention (Legal, Financial, Data) | AA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.3.5 Help | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.3.6 Error Prevention (All) | AAA | 2.0 | ||
| 3.3.7 Redundant Entry | A | 2.2 | ||
| 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication (Minimum) | AA | 2.2 | ||
| 3.3.9 Accessible Authentication (Enhanced) | AAA | 2.2 | ||
| 4: Robust | 4.1 Compatible | |||
| 4.1.2 Name, Role, Value | A | 2.0 | ||
| 4.1.3 Status Messages | AA | 2.1 |
This section only refers to specific instances where WCAG, or a closely related derivative thereof, is specifically codified into law. There are many laws relating to accessibility in general and which may apply to websites, though they do not necessarily refer to WCAG. It is nevertheless considered prudent to follow WCAG guidelines to help protect against potential lawsuits relating to accessibility.[27]
Some jurisdictions are moving to build legislation around the latest recommended release of the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines by the World Wide Web Consortium's Web Accessibility Initiative. This ensures that the policies remain up to date.
The Australian government has also mandated via theDisability Discrimination Act 1992 that all Australian government websites meet the WCAG 2.0 level A accessibility requirements.[28]
Regulations under theAccessibility for Ontarians with Disabilities Act, 2005 require that public web content of certain Ontario organizations complies with WCAG 2.0 Level AA.
In 2010Donna Jodhan brought a case to theSupreme Court of Canada against theGovernment of Canada. In 2012 the Supreme Court arrived at what is now known as the Jodhan decision[29] caused the Canadian federal government to require all online web pages, documents and videos available externally and internally to meet the accessibility requirements of WCAG 2.0.[30]
In 2019, the Government of Canada implemented theAccessible Canada Act.
Directive 2016/2102[31] requires websites and mobile applications of public sector (i.e. government) bodies to conform to WCAG 2.1 Level AA.[32][33] As of June 2021, the directive covers websites and mobile apps.[34] TheEuropean Parliament approved the directive in October 2016,[31] theEuropean Commission updated the WCAG reference from 2.0 to 2.1 in December 2018.[33]
TheEuropean Accessibility Act (EAA) became legally applicable in EU member states on 28 June 2025. The EAA will require websites, apps, ebooks, ecommerce platforms, PDFs and others to conform to WCAG 2.1 AA criteria within the EU.
The Israeli Ministry of Justice published regulations in early 2014, requiring Internet websites to comply with Israeli Standard 5568, which is based on the W3C Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.0.
The main differences between the Israeli standard and the W3C standard concern the requirements to provide captions and texts for audio and video media. The Israeli standards are somewhat more lenient, reflecting the current technical difficulties in providing such captions and texts in Hebrew.[35][36]
In 2013, the Ministry of Public Administration and Church Affairs announcedRegulations on universal design of information and communication technology (ICT) solutions, under theEquality and Accessibility Act. The regulations obliges both private and public bodies to adhere to universal design and require that “web solutions shall at least be designed in accordance with the WCAG 2.0 standard, at levels A and AA, with the exception of success criteria 1.2.3, 1.2.4 and 1.2.5, or an equivalent standard.”
In September 2018, website and mobile app accessibility regulations for the public sector came into force, titled thePublic Sector Bodies (Websites and Mobile Applications) Accessibility Regulations 2018, which currently applies the WCAG 2.1 AA level to websites operated by the "public sector", which means government agencies or organizations funded by the government, with some exclusions. The UK government publishedUnderstanding accessibility requirements for public sector bodies[37] to guide compliance.
The UK government is yet to announce if it will confirm the European Accessibility Act (EAA) into local law, but companies in the UK and outside of the EU will need to comply with EAA if they sell products or services in any EU member state.[38]
In 2013, theUS Department of Transportation amended its regulations implementing theAir Carrier Access Act (ACAA) to require Airlines make their websites accessible, requiring conformance to WCAG 2.0, meeting Level AA Success Criteria.[39]
In January 2017, theUS Access Board approved a final rule to updateSection 508 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The new rule adopts seventeen WCAG 2.0 success criteria, but 22 of the 38 existing A-level and AA-level criteria were already covered by existing Section 508 guidelines. The rule requires adherence to the new standards twelve months from its date of publication in the federal register.[40][41]
In December, 2021 the 11th circuit court vacated a sometimes-cited case from 2017, which had referred to the WCAG guidelines as "industry standard". The 11th circuit court's ruling rendered the 2017 case moot.[42] As such, the case is no longer citable as caselaw. On March 2, 2022, the 11th circuit court refused to rehear the case.
On April 24, 2024, the Federal Register published the Department of Justice’s (DOJ) final rule updating its regulations for Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The final rule states that the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) Version 2.1, Level AA is the technical standard for state and local governments’ web content and mobile apps.[43]
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