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Important Notice: Starting April 24, 2026, all digital web content and mobile apps must meet the new digital accessibility criteria outlined in the ADA Title II Web Accessibility Requirements.

PDF Accessibility
Guide

Why PDF Accessibility Matters

PDF files are commonly used for official documents, forms, reports, and course materials. An accessible PDF ensures that everyone, including those using screen readers, can read and interact with your document.

The Best Approach: Start with an Accessible Source Document

The easiest way to create an accessible PDF is to start with an accessible source document in Word, PowerPoint, or InDesign.

Why This Matters When you create a PDF from an already accessible Word or PowerPoint document, most accessibility features carry over automatically. This is much easier than trying to fix accessibility issues in a PDF after it's created.
Before converting to PDF:
  1. Run the Accessibility Checker in your source application
  2. Fix all accessibility issues
  3. Add alt text to images
  4. Use proper heading structure
  5. Create meaningful hyperlinks

Creating an Accessible PDF from Word

Microsoft Word can export accessible PDFs directly.

To export an accessible PDF from Word:
  1. Click File → Save As
  2. Choose PDF as the file type
  3. Click Options
  4. Check Document structure tags for accessibility
  5. Click OK
  6. Click Save
Important Always check the "Document structure tags for accessibility" option. Without this, your PDF will not be accessible even if your Word document was.

Creating an Accessible PDF from PowerPoint

PowerPoint presentations can also be exported as accessible PDFs.

To export an accessible PDF from PowerPoint:
  1. Click File → Export
  2. Choose Create PDF/XPS Document
  3. Click Options
  4. Check Document structure tags for accessibility
  5. Click OK
  6. Click Publish

Checking PDF Accessibility in Adobe Acrobat

Adobe Acrobat Pro includes an accessibility checker to identify and fix issues.

Use Adobe Acrobat Checker
To run the Accessibility Checker:
  1. Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro
  2. Go to Tools → Accessibility
  3. Click Full Check
  4. Review the report that appears
  5. Address each issue listed
Note Adobe Acrobat Pro is required for most PDF accessibility features. The free Adobe Reader cannot make PDFs accessible.

Common PDF Accessibility Issues

Missing Document Tags

Tags provide the structure that screen readers need to navigate the document.

To add tags to an untagged PDF:
  1. Open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro
  2. Go to Tools → Accessibility
  3. Click Autotag Document
  4. Review and fix the tag structure as needed

Missing Alternative Text

Images in PDFs need alternative text descriptions.

To add alt text in Acrobat:
  1. Open the Tags panel
  2. Find the figure tag
  3. Right-click and select Properties
  4. Add alternative text in the dialog box
  5. Click Close

Incorrect Reading Order

The reading order must be logical for screen readers.

To fix reading order:
  1. Go to Tools → Accessibility
  2. Click Reading Order
  3. Review the reading order overlay
  4. Drag items to reorder if needed
  5. Click OK when done

Setting Document Properties

Document properties help screen readers provide context to users.

To set document properties:
  1. Go to File → Properties
  2. Fill in the Title field (required)
  3. Add Author information
  4. Add a Subject if appropriate
  5. Set the document Language
  6. Click OK

Creating Accessible PDF Forms

PDF forms require additional accessibility considerations.

Form Accessibility Requirements
  • All form fields must have descriptive labels
  • Use proper field types (text field, checkbox, radio button)
  • Provide clear instructions
  • Set a logical tab order
  • Include tooltips for complex fields
  • Test the form with keyboard-only navigation
Important Creating accessible PDF forms is complex. Consider using an online form tool (like Microsoft Forms or Google Forms) instead, which are typically more accessible.

Scanned Documents and OCR

Scanned documents are images and cannot be read by screen readers without OCR (Optical Character Recognition).

To make a scanned PDF accessible:
  1. Open the scanned PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro
  2. Go to Tools → Scan & OCR
  3. Click Recognize Text → In This File
  4. Review and correct any OCR errors
  5. Add tags to the document
  6. Run the Accessibility Checker
Best Practice Whenever possible, create PDFs from digital source documents rather than scanning paper documents. The quality and accessibility will be much better.

PDF Accessibility Quick Checklist

  • Start with an accessible source document (Word, PowerPoint)
  • Enable "Document structure tags for accessibility" when exporting
  • Run the Accessibility Checker in Acrobat Pro
  • Ensure document has proper tags
  • Add alt text to all images
  • Check and fix reading order
  • Set document properties (title, language)
  • For scanned documents, use OCR
  • Test with a screen reader if possible