Success Criteria

WCAG 3.3.7 Redundant Entry

Success Criterion 3.3.7 requires that information previously entered by the user in the same process is either auto-populated or available for the user to select, rather than requiring it to be re-entered — except where re-entry is essential, required for security, or the previously-entered information is no longer valid. It's a Level A criterion under Guideline 3.3 (Input Assistance), new in WCAG 2.2.

Why re-typing the same information is a real barrier

Re-entering identical information across multiple steps of a multi-page process — a shipping address entered once and then required again on a later confirmation page — is a minor annoyance for most users but a genuine, disproportionate burden for people with cognitive disabilities affecting memory, people with motor disabilities for whom typing is effortful, and people using assistive technology where re-entry takes meaningfully longer than for a typical user.

What "the same process" means

This criterion applies within a single multi-step process or session — a multi-page checkout, a multi-step signup form — not across entirely separate, unrelated visits to a site. Information entered on step 1 of a form shouldn't need to be manually re-typed on step 3 of the same form submission flow.

The accepted implementations

• Auto-populate the field with the previously-entered value automatically
• Make it selectable — offer the previously-entered value as an easy option (a checkbox: "Same as billing address") rather than requiring it be retyped from scratch

The exceptions

• Re-entry is essential to the function (confirming a password a second time as a typo-check is a commonly cited essential case)
• Re-entry is required for security (re-entering a password before a sensitive account change, even though it was entered at login)
• The previous information is no longer valid (a session that's expired, or data that's genuinely changed since first entry)

A common pattern that already satisfies this

"Same as shipping address" checkboxes on checkout forms, and browser/site-level autofill of previously-entered form data, are both common existing patterns that already satisfy the spirit of this criterion — the work is often about making sure a multi-step flow explicitly wires this up rather than forcing manual re-entry by default.

Common questions

What is WCAG 3.3.7 Redundant Entry?

A Level A criterion new in WCAG 2.2: within a single process, don't make users re-enter information they already provided; auto-fill it or let them pick it.

What is a typical example?

A checkout offering a 'billing address same as shipping' option instead of forcing the user to retype the same address.

Are there exceptions?

Re-entry is allowed when it is essential (like confirming a password), when the earlier information is no longer valid, or for security reasons.