WCAG 2.2 · Level AAA · Operable
2.4.12 Focus Not Obscured (Enhanced)
Manual verification
How to validate 2.4.12 by hand
At Level AAA, check that no part of the focused component is hidden by author-created content.
Start with the extension result
Reopen the reported URL and reproduce the same state (for example, after expanding a menu or submitting a form). Use the result’s Highlight action when available, or its affected-element details and CSS selector, to find the reported content. Apply the checks below to that content and its context. If the element or state has changed, rescan and record that difference before deciding whether the finding still applies.
- Keyboard-focus every control while sticky elements, banners, dialogs, and popovers are present.
- Repeat at different scroll positions, viewport sizes, and orientations where overlays reposition.
- Inspect the entire focused component and its focus indication; determine whether any portion is covered.
Evidence to record
Record the control, viewport and scroll state, covering element, and obscured portion.
Scope and exceptions
This Level AAA criterion is stricter than 2.4.11: partial obscuring can fail. Evaluate author-created content that overlays the focus target.
Record the review outcome
- Confirmed: the recorded evidence shows the requirement is not met in the tested page state, and no applicable exception explains it.
- Not reproduced: the reported issue is absent in the current state. Record the URL, state, and affected element you checked; this does not prove other pages or states conform.
- Needs more review: evidence is incomplete, the content requires human judgment, or an exception is uncertain. Record what remains to be checked instead of treating it as a pass.