Level AA · WCAG 2.2
2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum)
When an element has focus, it is not completely hidden by other content the page put there.
Partly automated Some failures are detectable, others need judgement.
How it fails in practice
A sticky header that covers the field you just tabbed to, so the caret is typing somewhere off-screen.
How to fix it
Add scroll-margin-top matching the header height, and check the bottom of the viewport too — sticky cookie bars cause the same failure.
At a glance
- Level
- Level AA — the level EN 301 549 requires, and therefore the level the BFSG and the EAA are measured against.
- Principle
- Operable
- Guideline
- 2.4 Navigable
- Added in
- WCAG 2.2
- EN 301 549
- Not referenced in EN 301 549 v3.2.1
- Automated check
- Partly automated
Partly automated
How far an automated check gets
A tool finds some failures here and cannot see the rest. A clean automated result means the checks that exist found nothing — not that the criterion is met. This is the gap that makes a green scan look like an accessible site, and it is where the keyboard agent, the agents still in development and a human reviewer do the remaining work.
Where it matters most
The guides that list it among the criteria to check first.
Related criteria
Other criteria under the same guideline.
Further reading
-
Focus indicator
The visible marker on the element that has keyboard focus, usually an outline; it must be visible (WCAG 2.4.7, Level AA).
Find out which criteria your site fails
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