WCAG 2.1 · Level A · Perceivable
WCAG 1.2.2 — Captions (Prerecorded), explained with examples
Captions must be provided for all prerecorded audio in synchronized media. Deaf and hard-of-hearing users (1 in 6) cannot access audio content without captions; auto-translated captions also benefit non-native speakers.
- Number
- 1.2.2
- Level
- A
- Principle
- Perceivable
- Guideline
- 1.2 Time-based Media
Why this criterion exists
Deaf and hard-of-hearing users (1 in 6) cannot access audio content without captions; auto-translated captions also benefit non-native speakers.
If you only remember one thing: captions must be provided for all prerecorded audio in synchronized media. Everything else on this page is detail.
Who feels it when this fails
Accessibility criteria sometimes feel abstract until you see who pays the cost when a site ignores them. Captions (Prerecorded) affects:
Deaf and hard-of-hearing users
Non-native speakers
Users in sound-off environments
How sites typically fail it
These are the patterns we see week after week. None are intentional — they are accidents of how teams build interfaces under deadline. Knowing the failure modes is the fastest path to writing them out of your component library.
Marketing videos without captions
YouTube auto-captions left as the only option
How to test for it
Watch every video with sound off; meaning must be preserved.
Automated scanners catch this criterion most of the time, but never all of the time. Manual testing with the keyboard and a screen reader closes the gap.
A code fix you can copy
Author and ship a real WebVTT caption file. Auto-captions are not WCAG-compliant.
The problem
<video src="/promo.mp4" controls></video>The fix
<video src="/promo.mp4" controls>
<track kind="captions" src="/promo.en.vtt" srclang="en" label="English" default>
</video>Author and ship a real WebVTT caption file. Auto-captions are not WCAG-compliant.
Frequently asked questions
Do auto-generated captions on YouTube satisfy 1.2.2?
No. WCAG requires captions that are "accurate" — and auto-generated captions have a measured word-error rate of 12–17% on average for general speech, higher for technical content or accented speakers. You must review and correct auto-captions before claiming WCAG 1.2.2 conformance. YouTube's subtitle editor and tools like Otter.ai make this workflow faster.
Are captions required for silent videos?
A video with no meaningful audio track (no dialogue, no meaningful sound effects) does not need captions under 1.2.2 — but it may need an audio description or text alternative under 1.2.1 or 1.2.3 if the visual content carries meaning. A promotional video that is entirely music-backed with no spoken content needs captions for the music identification but no dialogue captions.
Has missing captions caused legal action?
Yes. National Association of the Deaf v. Netflix (D. Mass. 2012) resulted in a settlement requiring accurate captions on all streaming content. The DOJ has issued settlement agreements requiring captions in numerous ADA web accessibility cases. The EAA explicitly covers video captioning for e-commerce and media services, with enforcement starting from 28 June 2025.
Other Perceivable criteria
1.1.1 Non-text Content
Perceivable · Level A
1.3.1 Info and Relationships
Perceivable · Level A
1.4.3 Contrast (Minimum)
Perceivable · Level AA
1.4.11 Non-text Contrast
Perceivable · Level AA
All WCAG 2.1 criteria
Browse the full index by principle
Complete WCAG 2.1 guide
POUR principles, conformance levels, legal requirements
How to fix: video without captions
Fix recipe · 1.2.2
Find every accessibility issue on your site in 60 seconds.
Free public scan. No card. AI-generated fixes for every issue we find.