Definition: Target size is the area you have to hit with a mouse, finger or stylus to activate a control. Under WCAG 2.5.8 (Level AA, new in WCAG 2.2), it must be at least 24 × 24 CSS pixels – or the target needs enough space around it [1].
German: Zielgröße · Also: touch target, tap target · Last reviewed: 27 September 2026
Who it helps
Small targets are hard to hit for many people: people with a tremor or limited fine motor control, people using a mouth stick or head pointer, older people, and anyone using a phone one-handed on a bus. A missed tap can trigger the wrong control – "Delete" instead of "Edit".
What WCAG 2.5.8 requires
A target passes if it is at least 24 × 24 CSS pixels. If it is smaller, spacing is enough: draw a 24-pixel circle centred on each undersized target, and those circles must not overlap another target or another undersized target's circle [1][2].
Exceptions:
- Equivalent: the same function is available on the page through a target that is large enough.
- Inline links in a sentence, whose size is set by the line height.
- User-agent controls whose appearance the page has not changed.
- Essential: the size is legally required or essential to the information, such as pins on a map.
The stricter Level AAA criterion (2.5.5) asks for 44 × 44 CSS pixels, and many design systems use 44 pixels as their baseline anyway.
Common mistakes
- Icon buttons with a 16-pixel icon and no padding, so the clickable area is only as large as the icon.
- Tightly packed pagination ("1 2 3 … 10") or star ratings.
- Close buttons on banners and dialogs.
- Forgetting the mobile view: big enough on desktop, squeezed together at 360 pixels wide.
In code
/* Clickable area = icon: 16 × 16 px */
.icon-button { padding: 0; }/* The target grows, the icon stays small */
.icon-button {
min-width: 44px;
min-height: 44px;
display: inline-grid;
place-items: center;
}How Reviseberg handles it
Reviseberg checks target size with the axe-core rule target-size on every page – at 1280 pixels wide and again at 360 pixels, because targets often crowd together on narrow screens. The rule cannot always judge the exceptions, the equivalent-target one in particular, so 2.5.8 shows as "partially" testable by automation in the overview.
Related terms
Voice control · Reflow · Screen magnifier · Assistive technology