WCAG 3.0 is an active W3C Working Draft in development by the AGWG. Requirements, assertions, the conformance model and reporting tiers are still being developed and may change. The latest published draft is the 10 September 2026 Working Draft; this site follows the editors’ draft, which also includes exploratory provisions.
Keyboard focus moves only because the user did something. The draft allows narrow exceptions, such as advancing between the boxes of a one-time code and security or emergency situations like an imminent session timeout.
Why It Matters
Focus that moves on its own takes control away mid-task: a screen reader starts reading somewhere else, and typed input can land in a field the user never chose.
The keyboard focus automatically moves to the next interactive elements in keyboard navigation order on completion of some user action, such when the focus moves between the fields for a time-based one-time password (TOTP) code.
The keyboard focus results from security or emergency situations, such as warning about an imminent session timeout that would cause the user to lose their work.
The user is informed of the potential keyboard focus move before it happens and given the chance to avoid the move.
A new page / view such as a dialog is introduced and the focus is moved to it
The user is informed of the potential move and given the chance to avoid the move
The keyboard focus moves to the next item in keyboard navigation order
Expected results
#1 is true.
W3C Working Group Status
W3C Maturity Status:developing
Track / Group:input-operation
The draft records no open editors' notes on this provision.
W3C Threads on This Provision
No GitHub issue in w3c/wcag3 carries this provision's label, so there
is no recorded discussion to show. Cross-cutting threads that name no
provision are listed on the
Discussions page.
WCAG 2.2 Criteria That Map Here
From this site's reviewed WCAG 2.2 → WCAG 3 map. The map is
an interpretation, not a W3C mapping: W3C has not published one yet.
No mapping recorded. No WCAG 2.2 criterion in
this site's map is recorded as a predecessor of this provision.
Related WCAG 2.2 criteria
On a neighbouring subject, but this provision doesn't replace them.
The keyboard focus only moves as a result of user interaction.
:::except-when
- The keyboard focus automatically moves to the next interactive elements in keyboard navigation order on completion of some user action, such when the focus moves between the fields for a time-based one-time password (TOTP) code.
- The keyboard focus results from security or emergency situations, such as warning about an imminent session timeout that would cause the user to lose their work.
- The user is informed of the potential keyboard focus move before it happens and given the chance to avoid the move.
:::