Level AAWCAG 2.1

1.4.13 Content on Hover or Focus

Additional content that appears on hover or keyboard focus, and is triggered by that hover or focus, must be dismissible without moving the pointer, hoverable so the pointer can reach it, and persistent until the trigger is dismissed, no longer relevant, or the information becomes invalid.

Last reviewed: September 9, 2026

Understanding 1.4.13

This criterion targets tooltips, custom validation messages, and similar hover/focus-triggered popups that can obscure other content or disappear before a screen magnifier or low-vision user has finished reading them. It gives users control to dismiss unwanted overlays, move their pointer onto the new content without it vanishing, and keep it visible until they're done with it.

How to Meet It

Ensure hover/focus-triggered content can be dismissed with the Escape key without also removing focus from the trigger element, does not disappear when the user moves the mouse pointer from the trigger onto the extra content itself, and remains visible until the user dismisses it, moves focus or hover away, or the underlying information is no longer valid. There is an exception if the additional content merely duplicates information the user agent already displays and the author cannot control, such as a native title-attribute tooltip.

Code Examples

INCORRECT

<span class="has-tooltip" onmouseover="showTip()" onmouseout="hideTip()">Info</span>
<!-- Tooltip disappears the instant the mouse leaves the trigger, before it can be reached, and there's no Escape handler -->

CORRECT

<span class="has-tooltip" tabindex="0" aria-describedby="tip1" onmouseenter="showTip()" onfocus="showTip()">Info</span>
<div id="tip1" role="tooltip">Additional detail text</div>

Frequently Asked Questions

Does this apply to the native browser tooltip shown by the HTML title attribute?

No. WCAG exempts content whose presentation is controlled entirely by the user agent, like the native title tooltip, and that the author cannot otherwise change, since the browser already provides consistent dismiss/hover behavior for it.

Does the extra content have to stay open indefinitely?

No. It needs to remain visible until one of three things happens: the user dismisses it (for example, by pressing Escape), the hover/focus trigger is no longer hovered or focused, or the information it conveys becomes stale or invalid. It doesn't need to persist regardless of user action.

Related Success Criteria

1.4.1 Use of Color 1.4.2 Audio Control 1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)1.4.4 Resize Text

Quick Facts

Criterion1.4.13
LevelAA
IntroducedWCAG 2.1

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