Resource guide
2.4.13 Focus Appearance
Focus indicators must be sufficiently large and have sufficient contrast to be clearly visible.
By Calling All Minds·Last updated April 2026
Success criterion
Conformance level
Enhanced accessibility — beyond the legal minimum.
Added in WCAG 2.2
What it means
While 2.4.7 (Level AA) requires focus to be visible, it does not define what 'visible' means. This Level AAA criterion sets specific thresholds for focus indicator size and contrast.
The focus indicator must have an area at least as large as a 2 CSS pixel perimeter around the unfocused component, and must have a contrast ratio of at least 3:1 between the focused and unfocused states.
In practice
Design custom focus indicators that are at least 2px wide on all sides and meet 3:1 contrast against the adjacent background.
A solid 3px outline in a high-contrast colour such as #005fcc or #ffdd00 on most backgrounds will typically meet this criterion.
Test focus indicators with a colour contrast checker, treating the focused indicator colour against the unfocused state background.
Common failures
- 1px dotted outline that does not meet the perimeter area requirement
- Focus indicator that changes colour but the change does not meet 3:1 contrast
- Focus indicator that is only visible as a subtle background colour change
AXS Audit
AXS Audit checks your site against 2.4.13 and flags issues your team can act on straight away. It covers criteria that automated scanners often miss.