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2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide (A)

What WCAG says:

For moving, blinking, scrolling, or auto-updating information, all of the following are true:

Moving, blinking, scrolling

For any moving, blinking or scrolling information that (1) starts automatically, (2) lasts more than five seconds, and (3) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it unless the movement, blinking, or scrolling is part of an activity where it is essential; and

Auto-updating

For any auto-updating information that (1) starts automatically and (2) is presented in parallel with other content, there is a mechanism for the user to pause, stop, or hide it or to control the frequency of the update unless the auto-updating is part of an activity where it is essential.

Check the official guidance for Understanding 2.2.2 Pause, Stop, Hide

What this means

When any content on the same page as other content starts moving or updating automatically, such as autoplaying videos or animations, there must be a way to either:

  • pause and resume it
  • stop it
  • hide it

except when either:

  • the movement lasts no longer than 5 seconds
  • the movement is “essential” - for example, a loading bar
  • the frequency of automatically updating content can be changed

Why it matters

Automatic movement can be distracting, particularly for some neurodivergent people.

How to check

Check that moving content can be paused, stopped or hidden in an accessible way – unless it meets any of the exceptions described earlier.

It must still be possible to read or interact with other content on the page without the content moving again.

How to test in detail for 2.2.2 Pause Stop Hide

Common mistakes

Autoplaying video without a pause button

A tourist website has a video at the top of the Home page. This plays automatically when the page loads and has no means to pause it.

Video still of someone surfing but no pause button

Animation which pauses on hover

The following video has a pause mechanism, but it only works by hovering over it. This fails Pause, Stop, Hide because the user is unable to scroll to and read the rest of the page without being distracted by the video. It is also not keyboard accessible.

Video still with a “Hover to pause” button. Video shows a starry sky over the sea and caption "Look at the stars"

Good example

Video with accessible pause button

While the best practice would be not to include autoplaying video at all, this example from a tourism website passes the success criterion.

Like the previous examples, this video plays when the homepage loads. However, it includes a pause button which is accessible, for example:

  • it works with a keyboard
  • it has an accessible name
  • the button presents its name, role and value to assistive technology
  • the pause icon has sufficient contrast
  • the text contrast is sufficient

Video still with a clearly marked “Pause Video” button. The video shows a castle by a river.

Non-interference

This is one of four special criteria which all content on a page needs to meet, even if it is normally out of scope of an audit (such as adverts or other third party content). These are referred to as “non-interference” criteria because content must not interfere with the rest of the page. The official standard has more detail about non-interference.

  • 1.4.2 Audio Control (A) is another non-interference criterion which requires that autoplaying audio can be controlled or stopped.
  • 2.3.1 Three Flashes or Below Threshold (A) is another non-interference criterion which requires that videos do not flash more than 3 times per second, unless it is below a particular threshold.
  • 2.2.1 Timing Adjustable (A) relates to content with time limits – it requires that non-essential time limits can be turned off or adjusted.

Last updated

This page was last updated in October 2026.