DOCUMENT ACCESSIBILITY

Make your next document
easier to use.

A useful document is more than a tidy page. People need to find their way through it, understand its images and use its links. Here’s how to build that into Word documents, PDFs, PowerPoint slides and Excel workbooks.

Choose your formatCheck a document you already have

Keep the editable file.

  1. Build the structure.Give headings, lists and tables a clear role.
  2. Make the meaning available.Explain images and don’t leave information to colour alone.
  3. Check what you share.Open the exported file and try the reader’s task.

ONE FORMAT AT A TIME

What are you working on?

Start with the guide that matches your file. If you export to another format, use that guide too.

DOCX

Word

Build structure with styles, describe visual information, check tables and reading order, and preserve those improvements when sharing.

Read the Word guide
PDF

PDF

Create a tagged PDF from a good source, repair existing files carefully, and check the finished document before sharing.

Read the PDF guide
PPTX

PowerPoint

Build useful slide titles, put content in a sensible reading order, explain visuals, and check the deck you actually share.

Read the PowerPoint guide
XLSX

Excel

Organize worksheets, build clear data tables, explain charts, and test navigation, input instructions, and the workbook you share.

Read the Excel guide

Create it, review it, then evaluate the requirements

These are different kinds of work. A completed checklist records useful observations; it does not certify a document.

1 / AUTHORING

Build accessibility into the source

Use real structure, meaningful links, useful image descriptions, clear tables and appropriate text-language settings. The format guides show you how.

2 / ACCESSIBILITY REVIEW

Try the reader’s tasks

Combine the app’s checker with visual inspection, keyboard use and screen-reader testing. Check the final file and record the scope, results and unresolved barriers.

Keep a manual review record

3 / FORMAL EVALUATION

Assess the applicable requirements

Agree the file versions, tasks, environments and requirements, then gather evidence against them. Depending on the context, these may include WCAG, PDF/UA, EN 301 549, Section 508 or an organisation’s policy.

WCAG sets requirements for web content. WCAG2ICT gives informative guidance for applying WCAG to non-web documents and software; it is not a separate conformance standard. Check which requirements and versions apply to your publication or procurement. See the PDF standards explanation for PDF/UA.

BEFORE YOU START

Choose a format that fits the task

Will people read, edit or present it?

Use Word when people need an editable document. Use Excel when they need to explore data or work with calculations. Use PowerPoint to support a presentation, with a usable copy for the audience. A PDF can preserve a finished layout, but it still needs structure and a reading check.

For information people mainly need to read online, a well-built HTML page may be easier to use on a phone or at a larger text size. When you offer more than one version, keep the content in step.

Already have a difficult file?

If you have the editable source, fix it there first. If you only have a PDF, find out whether it contains real text or scanned images. That decision changes where the repair starts.

Work through the PDF repair guide →

Further guidance: Section508.gov PDF publishing guidance and Section508.gov document authoring guides.

Small changes that help people read

These are writing examples. Use the details that fit your own document.

Headings

Before

A large, bold line looks like a heading, but behaves like ordinary text.

Try this

Apply a heading style and give the section a useful name.

Readers can use the document’s structure to move between sections.

Links

Before

“Click here” leaves the destination unclear.

Try this

“Download the workshop checklist (Word)” tells people what opens.

Use a label that matches the actual file and check the destination.

Charts

Before

“Sales chart” tells someone very little about the point you are making.

Try this

“Quarterly sales rose from 120 to 180 orders.” Add the values nearby if readers need them.

Give the conclusion in words and make detailed information available too.

Content that may need additional review

These checks cover common issues. Specialist content, interactive elements and unusual layouts can need more testing and repair. Take extra care with:

  • Equations, footnotes and endnotes; tracked changes and comments.
  • Forms, content controls, signatures and embedded Office objects.
  • SmartArt, complex diagrams and tables, columns and watermarks.
  • Mixed-language text and unusual writing directions.
  • Animations, flashing or moving content, and linked or embedded audio and video.

Try the actual task in the software people will use. Record what you could not test and involve someone with the relevant document and assistive-technology experience when needed.

Manual document review

KEEP TRACK AS YOU GO

Check a file. Keep useful notes.

Open the file in Word, your PDF reader, PowerPoint or Excel, then work through the checks below. This worksheet records what you find; it does not upload or automatically scan your file.

Each format has its own notes, including its shared checks. Switching format keeps your other reviews.

Your review notes stay in this browser. Download a report to keep a separate copy.

Read the Word guide

Keep notes specific: the page, slide or sheet, what you tried, what happened and what needs changing. Use “Not checked” when you are unsure, and give a reason for “Not applicable”. Avoid adding personal or confidential information.

Record ten checks for each format.

Start with these six checks

These apply to each version you share. Record them separately for Word, PDF, PowerPoint and Excel.

01. Choose a usable publishing format

Try this: Try the reader’s main task: find a rule, compare options or complete instructions. Record why a download is useful and whether an HTML version would make this task easier.

Look for: A reader can reach the needed information in a usable format. Keep equivalent versions current and easy to find; choosing HTML does not automatically make content accessible.

Read: Section508.gov PDF publishing guidance

02. Give images their purpose in words

Try this: Compare each image with the surrounding explanation. Inspect its alternative in the authoring tool or PDF tags. For a chart, follow the route to its explanation and data.

Look for: Meaningful information or an image’s action is conveyed. Mark purely decorative content appropriately. Complex graphics may need an adjacent description or data table beyond a short alternative.

Read: W3C image purpose decision tree

Try this: Read each link in its sentence, then use a screen reader’s link list where available. Follow a sample to confirm the destination and check that its label is still accurate.

Look for: Link text and its associated context explain the destination. Replace vague wording when readers would otherwise have to open the link to discover its purpose.

Read: W3C writing guidance

04. Check text contrast and color meaning

Try this: Measure text against its actual background, including charts and shaded cells. Review a chart or status message without relying on color: is its meaning also available in words, patterns or another visible cue?

Look for: For WCAG AA text contrast, ordinary text needs 4.5:1 and large text 3:1, subject to exceptions. Large means at least 18 pt or 14 pt bold. Add text or another cue when color alone carries meaning.

Read: W3C contrast guidance · W3C use of color guidance · W3C WCAG2ICT guidance

05. Identify the language of the text

Try this: Inspect the main text’s language and a passage in another language where the format and app provide these settings. Record an unsupported check as not applicable with an explanation, rather than assuming that every file has a document-language control. Read those passages using the intended application and screen reader. Record the settings and pronunciation you observed.

Look for: The language settings describe the content, including language changes where supported and relevant. Verify the exported file again; do not assume a proofing setting survived conversion.

Read: Section508.gov document language training · Adobe PDF accessibility verification

06. Read the actual file people will receive

Try this: Open the final published version in the recorded reader application. Navigate headings, slides or sheets, read a table, follow a link, and use a screen reader for meaningful sequence. Run the application’s checker, then investigate its manual-review items.

Look for: Record what was tested and remaining gaps. A clean checker result is not a complete accessibility evaluation; include manual checks and people with disabilities in broader review.

Read: Section508.gov PDF testing training · Microsoft PowerPoint accessibility guidance

Then check the format

Word document

07. Build a navigable structure

Try this: Inspect the navigation pane and paragraph styles. Use built-in heading and list features, then navigate through the hierarchy with a screen reader.

Look for: Sections have useful names and a logical heading hierarchy. A bold paragraph is not a substitute for a heading style; typed bullet characters are not a structured list.

Read: Microsoft Word accessibility guidance

08. Simplify and test data tables

Try this: For each table, read across and down using a screen reader’s table commands. Inspect header settings. Split a difficult merged-cell layout into smaller tables when that preserves the relationships.

Look for: Headers make data relationships understandable. Use tables for data, with a simple structure; layout, merged cells and nested tables need special attention.

Read: Microsoft Word accessibility guidance

09. Keep the main reading sequence intact

Try this: Read a page with text boxes, columns, headers or footers. Check where objects are announced and whether essential instructions are available in the main body.

Look for: The reading sequence preserves meaning. Do not leave information needed for the task only in a header, footer or visually positioned object that readers may miss.

Read: Microsoft Word accessibility guidance · Section508.gov document authoring guides

10. Export structure, then verify the PDF

Try this: Fix the source, run its checker and use a PDF export option that preserves document structure tags. Open the PDF to inspect tags, reading order, links and alternatives; record the export option and reader.

Look for: Structure survives conversion and the exported PDF is manually checked. A generic print-to-PDF path may omit tags. Keep the corrected source so future versions do not recreate the same barriers.

Read: Microsoft accessible PDF export · Section508.gov PDF remediation training

PDF

07. Check real text and OCR accuracy

Try this: Try selecting and searching a distinctive sentence on scanned pages. Compare copied or extracted text with the image, including names, numbers and reading sequence. Review OCR errors rather than only its confidence flags.

Look for: Text is available and accurate. OCR can create searchable text, but does not guarantee correct text, document tags or an accessible PDF. Continue with structural and manual reading checks.

Read: Section508.gov scanned document training

08. Inspect tags and meaningful order

Try this: Inspect the tag tree and compare it with a screen reader reading the page. Check headings, lists, table header relationships and the sequence of multi-column content.

Look for: Tags represent the content’s structure and reading order. Decorative artifacts do not interrupt reading; meaningful text is not accidentally hidden as decoration. Auto-tagging needs review.

Read: Section508.gov PDF remediation training

09. Check the title and navigation

Try this: Inspect document properties and the displayed title. Follow bookmarks in a long document, and use keyboard navigation to activate a link and return to reading.

Look for: The title identifies the document. Available navigation reaches the correct sections and links; the keyboard order remains understandable.

Read: Adobe PDF accessibility verification · Section508.gov PDF testing training

10. Operate interactive form fields

Try this: Using test data, move through every field by keyboard and with a screen reader. Check names, instructions, required states, choice groups and any error recovery. Record submission behavior without sending real data.

Look for: Fields expose useful names and instructions; the reading and tab order work together. If there are no interactive form fields, record Not applicable with that reason.

Read: Adobe PDF accessibility verification

PowerPoint presentation

07. Name each slide and use real structure

Try this: Review the slide outline for useful, distinguishable titles. Inspect text placeholders, lists and any data table; read table cells with assistive technology when supported.

Look for: Slides can be identified by title. Use built-in layouts and list features; table headers explain the data. A picture of text or a table loses this structure.

Read: Microsoft PowerPoint accessibility guidance · Section508.gov slide layout training

08. Follow the slide’s intended reading order

Try this: Open the Reading Order pane where available. Compare its sequence with the intended explanation, then check with a screen reader. Move items with the pane’s controls; do not rely only on their visual position.

Look for: A title, explanation, graphic and conclusion are encountered in a sensible order. Exclude purely decorative objects without hiding meaningful information.

Read: Microsoft slide reading order guidance

09. Review embedded audio and video

Try this: Play media with and without sound. Check caption accuracy and timing, alternatives for meaningful visual information and keyboard access to playback. Determine the appropriate alternatives for the actual media type.

Look for: Captions include meaningful sound as well as speech. Provide needed visual description and transcripts as appropriate. A transcript is not a universal replacement for synchronized captions or required audio description.

Read: W3C audio and video guidance

10. Test the delivered deck and handout

Try this: Review the final deck in the audience’s application. If sharing a PDF or video, open that export and recheck structure or media alternatives. Record whether captions and other tracks survived.

Look for: Every distributed version receives its own review. Some PowerPoint export paths omit media tracks or captions; PDF tags and reading order also need checking after conversion.

Read: Microsoft PowerPoint accessibility guidance · Microsoft accessible PDF export

Excel workbook

07. Find your way around the workbook

Try this: Start from the saved opening position and cell A1 on each sheet. Find the purpose, instructions and data. Check meaningful sheet names and a predictable sheet order, then try keyboard navigation between sheets and regions.

Look for: Readers can understand where to begin and reach the information they need. A1 can hold orientation text; the useful starting location still needs testing in the reader application.

Read: Microsoft Excel accessibility guidance · Section508.gov accessible spreadsheets

08. Keep data regions and headers clear

Try this: Inspect each data region and its column headers. Navigate a real Excel table with the keyboard and a screen reader. Review merged cells and unexplained blank rows or columns. Try the view with Freeze Panes on and off.

Look for: Table structure and clear headers explain the data. Freeze Panes only keeps cells visible; it does not create header relationships or prove accessible navigation. Simplify regions when their structure makes the task difficult.

Read: Microsoft Excel accessibility guidance · Section508.gov accessible spreadsheets

09. Test inputs, formulas and instructions

Try this: Use test values to try validation rules, dropdowns and error recovery with a keyboard. Check input labels, instructions, formula results and error values. Read any comments and notes and verify that essential instructions are also available in worksheet cells.

Look for: People can find editable cells, understand what to enter and recover from mistakes. Formula errors are investigated for their effect on the task; the presence of an error alone is not a conformance verdict.

Read: Microsoft Excel data validation · Microsoft Excel formula errors · Section508.gov accessible spreadsheets

10. Review hidden content and the shared copy

Try this: Inspect hidden or filtered rows, columns and sheets, then check the final saved workbook with the permissions readers will have. Confirm necessary content is reachable. If sharing a PDF or another export, review that file separately.

Look for: The distributed version includes the information needed for the task and preserves usable navigation. Explain intentional exclusions. Hiding data is not a substitute for controlling access to confidential information.

Read: Microsoft Excel accessibility guidance · Section508.gov accessible spreadsheets · Microsoft accessible PDF export

Clear this review?

Document accessibility review

Keep learning

Try the alt-text lab, explain a chart with the description builder, or measure a colour pair with the contrast checker. Bring a real document to a team training session.

About this guidance and the review worksheet

These guides help you create and check documents. The worksheet records selected manual observations; it does not certify accessibility. W3C WCAG2ICT guidance explains how WCAG applies to non-web documents and software and is informative guidance. Section508.gov describes U.S. federal practice. Use the standards and scope that apply to your work.

Product features vary by app, version and platform. Each guide links to the relevant product instructions. Scope guidance reviewed 23 September 2026.