WCAG 2.1 or 2.2.
WCAG 2.2 adds nine new success criteria on top of 2.1 and removes one; a site conforming to 2.2 also conforms to 2.1.
The relationship between the two versions is addition, not replacement. WCAG’s numbering preserves backward compatibility: every criterion in 2.1 stands in 2.2 with the same number and the same text, and new numbers are added on top. That is why a site conforming to 2.2 automatically satisfies a claim of 2.1 as well.
What the new criteria address
Most of the nine new criteria fall into two groups. The first is motor ability: a single-pointer alternative to dragging movements and a target size of at least 24×24 pixels, for users with tremor or difficulty using a pointer. The second is cognitive load: not asking for redundant entry, not requiring recall during authentication, and keeping help in the same place on every page.
The two focus criteria form a group of their own. 2.1 asked for focus to be visible; 2.2 also asks that focus NOT BE OBSCURED by a sticky header or a cookie banner. That is the precise name of the problem a keyboard user meets most often. How the focus indicator is built is written separately.
Which to choose in practice
For a new project there is no question: aim for 2.2. On an existing site the gap may be small — several of the nine criteria are probably met already. Measuring costs little: target size, the dragging alternative and focus obscuring can be audited by hand in a few hours.
On this site the AA baseline was taken as 2.2 and the touch target set at 44 pixels — above 2.2’s AA threshold of 24 pixels, at the level of 2.1’s AAA target. The measured contrast values are above the AAA threshold too. The levels are explained in a separate guide.
Criterion
- Publication date — WCAG 2.1: 5 June 2018 · WCAG 2.2: 5 October 2023
- Total success criteria — WCAG 2.1: 78 · WCAG 2.2: 86 — nine added, 4.1.1 Parsing removed
- Backward compatibility — WCAG 2.1: A site conforming to 2.2 also conforms to 2.1 · WCAG 2.2: A site conforming to 2.1 may NOT conform to 2.2
- Focus visibility — WCAG 2.1: 2.4.7 Focus Visible (AA) · WCAG 2.2: 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (AA) and 2.4.13 Focus Appearance (AAA) added
- Target size — WCAG 2.1: Only 2.5.5 (AAA, 44×44) · WCAG 2.2: 2.5.8 Target Size (AA, 24×24) added
- Dragging — WCAG 2.1: No separate criterion · WCAG 2.2: 2.5.7 Dragging Movements (AA) — a single-pointer alternative to dragging
- Form conveniences — WCAG 2.1: No separate criterion · WCAG 2.2: 3.3.7 Redundant Entry and 3.3.8 Accessible Authentication added
- Consistency of help — WCAG 2.1: No separate criterion · WCAG 2.2: 3.2.6 Consistent Help (A)
- Reference in Türkiye — WCAG 2.1: Cited in earlier regulation · WCAG 2.2: The Presidential Circular of 24 June 2025 takes level A by reference to 2.2
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS
If I conform to 2.1, do I conform to 2.2?
No, not automatically. Because 2.2 introduces nine new criteria, a site conforming to 2.1 may not meet them; the reverse does hold — a site conforming to 2.2 also conforms to 2.1.
What does the removed criterion mean?
Criterion 4.1.1 Parsing was removed in 2.2 because modern browsers repair invalid markup consistently and the criterion made no practical difference for assistive technology. Removing it is not a relaxation but the deletion of an item not worth measuring.
Which one should I aim for?
2.2. It is the current version, it is the public-sector reference in Türkiye, and most of the new criteria — target size, focus not being obscured, consistent help — are design decisions that are expensive to add later.