1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (Level AA) — WCAG 2.1
WCAG 2.1 Success Criterion 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (Level AA): what it requires, a common e-commerce accessibility failure, and how to fix it.
This is educational technical reference content, not legal advice. It explains what WCAG 2.1 requires and how to meet it — not whether a specific site carries legal risk. Compliance with WCAG, the ADA, or any other accessibility law or standard is a legal determination; consult qualified counsel for legal risk assessment.
WCAG 2.1 guidelines hub → Perceivable → 1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus
1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus (Level AA)
What it requires: When hovering or focusing an element reveals extra content (a tooltip, a mega-menu), that content must be dismissible without moving the pointer, stay visible while the pointer moves onto it, and persist until the user dismisses it or the trigger is removed.
Common failure: A product-spec tooltip appears on hover but vanishes the instant the mouse moves even slightly toward it, making the tooltip’s own content unreadable for a user who needs to move the pointer to read small text.
Fix it: Give hover-triggered content a small buffer/delay before hiding, keep it visible when the pointer moves onto it, and support dismissing it with the Escape key without requiring the pointer to move at all.
In 1.4 Distinguishable: ← 1.4.12 Text Spacing
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This is educational technical reference content, not legal advice. It explains what WCAG 2.1 requires and how to meet it — not whether a specific site carries legal risk. Compliance with WCAG, the ADA, or any other accessibility law or standard is a legal determination; consult qualified counsel for legal risk assessment.
This page was drafted with AI assistance and reviewed by a person for accuracy before publication.