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.
In a multi-step process the user can step backwards and return to where they were without losing data - unless it is essential that they cannot go back.
Why It Matters
Correcting an earlier answer should not cost the whole form. Losing data on going back punishes exactly the users who most often need to check their work.
Check that the user is prompted to review and confirm data.
Check that the user is allowed to return to previous steps to review and change the data.
Check that if a summary of all data input by the user is provided before the transaction is committed, and that a method is provided to correct errors, if necessary.
Expected results
#1, #2, or #3 is true.
W3C Working Group Status
W3C Maturity Status:developing
Track / Group:process-and-task-completion
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.
In a multi-step process, the interface supports stepping backwards in a process and returning to the current point without data loss.
:::except-when
- It is essential that the user cannot step back in a process.
:::
:::example
Certain tests in education may require that the student cannot go back through previously-submitted responses and change them.
:::