Published October 28, 2026

WCAG 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum), Level AA

Does WCAG allow a sticky header to cover keyboard focus?

No at WCAG 2.2 Level AA. Success criterion 2.4.11 Focus Not Obscured (Minimum) requires that when a user interface component receives keyboard focus, the component is not entirely hidden by author-created content. A sticky header, sticky footer, or cookie banner that covers the whole focused control fails. The text is in the W3C WCAG 2.2 Recommendation.

What does “not entirely hidden” mean?

At least part of the focused component stays visible. The W3C explanation is in Understanding Success Criterion 2.4.11. Author-created content includes sticky headers, sticky footers, cookie consent bars, and chat widgets that the page authors added. User-agent chrome is a different case. Reaching the control from the keyboard is covered on the keyboard access page. The sequence of those stops is 2.4.3, covered on the focus order page. Moving focus past a long menu is covered on the skip links page.

How is this different from focus visible?

Success criterion 2.4.7 Focus Visible requires a visible keyboard focus indicator. That is about whether you can see which control has focus. 2.4.11 is about whether author-created content covers that control. A page can pass 2.4.7 with a clear outline and still fail 2.4.11 if a sticky bar sits on top of the focused link. The visible-indicator rule is on the focus visible page.

Does the Title II web rule include 2.4.11?

No. The Department of Justice rule for state and local government websites names WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Criterion 2.4.11 was added in WCAG 2.2, so Title II does not include Focus Not Obscured. Who must meet 2.1 AA, and the April 2027 and April 2028 dates, are on the Title II web rule page. If a contract requires WCAG 2.2 AA, then 2.4.11 applies. The version gap is on the WCAG 2.1 vs 2.2 page.

How do you check for covered focus?

Tab through the page with sticky bars open. Watch whether the focused control scrolls into view, or stays under the header. A scanner often cannot tell that a sticky bar covers the focused item. A person has to watch the focus move, which is why a passing score is not conformance, as covered on the scanner page. The fix is padding, scroll-margin, or moving the sticky layer so focused items stay visible, which is remediation.