How do I make PDFs and documents accessible?

The short version

• Ask first: could this be a web page? Menus, hours, prices and forms usually should be.
• Build the document in Word (or similar) with real headings, alt text, simple tables and descriptive links.
• Run Word’s Check Accessibility and fix what it finds.
• Save as PDF with Document structure tags for accessibility ticked.
• Check the PDF in Acrobat Pro. Rebuild scanned PDFs instead of patching them.

Should this be a PDF at all?

Often not. A web page works on every phone, can be enlarged cleanly, and is read by screen readers and search engines without extra work. A PDF is a fixed print layout squeezed onto a screen.

Use a web page for anything people read online: menus, price lists, hours, event details, service descriptions and forms people fill in. Keep a PDF for things people genuinely need as a file: a printable form, a signed policy, a brochure for print, or an official report.

If you do post a PDF, put the key facts on the page beside it too. Our help article on uploading a PDF or document to your site shows how to add one in WordPress. This guide is about making the file itself usable.

How do I make an accessible PDF from Word?

Most accessible PDFs start as an accessible Word file. Fixing it in Word is far easier than fixing the PDF later.

Step 1: Build the document properly

• Headings. Use Word’s built-in Heading 1, Heading 2 and so on, not bold or bigger text. Screen readers use them to jump around.
• Alt text. Right-click each meaningful image and add alt text. Mark purely decorative images as decorative. See how to write alt text.
• Tables. Use real tables for data, with a header row, and no merged or split cells where you can avoid them. Don’t use tables for layout.
• Links. Make the link text say where it goes, such as “2026 price list,” not a long web address or “click here.”
• Lists. Use Word’s bullet and numbering buttons, not typed dashes.
• Color and contrast. Dark text on a light background, and never color alone to show meaning. See how to check color contrast.
• Document title. Set it in File, Info, Properties.

Step 2: Run Word’s Accessibility Checker

Microsoft’s Accessibility Checker guide gives these steps for Word on Windows:

1. Select the Review tab.
2. Select Check Accessibility. The Accessibility pane opens on the right.
3. Look under Inspection Results for Errors and Warnings.
4. Open the arrow next to each issue to see Recommended Actions, and pick a fix.

Step 3: Save as a tagged PDF

Microsoft’s accessible PDF guide gives these steps for Word on Windows:

1. Go to File, then Save As or Save a Copy.
2. Choose a location, then choose PDF (*.pdf) as the file type. Select More options… if you see it, or use Browse.
3. Select Options.
4. Make sure Document structure tags for accessibility is ticked, then select OK.
5. Save.

Tags are the hidden structure that tells a screen reader what’s a heading, a list, a table or an image. A PDF printed to file without tags loses all of that.

How do I check a PDF I already have?

You need Acrobat Pro for a full check. Adobe’s guide to creating accessible PDFs gives this sequence:

1. Open the PDF.
2. Select All tools, then View more, then Prepare for accessibility.
3. If the PDF has no tags, select Automatically tag PDF.
4. Select Check for accessibility, choose your options, and select Start Checking.
5. Review the issues in the panel, then select Open accessibility report for the full results.

Adobe’s verification guide notes the check can’t tell essential content from non-essential content, and some items, like reading order, need a person to judge. Adobe’s menus change between versions, so if a label differs, search Acrobat’s tool list for “accessibility.”

For a quick real-world test, open the PDF with a screen reader. Our guide to testing with a keyboard and a screen reader explains the basics. If the headings list is empty, or the reader says nothing, the PDF isn’t tagged.

Why do documents matter?

A menu, a price list or an application form locked in an inaccessible PDF is a closed door for someone using a screen reader. DOJ’s Title II fact sheet shows how seriously the federal rules treat documents: for state and local governments, only old documents nobody uses to reach a service are exempt. The Access Board’s Section 508 standards apply WCAG 2.0 Level AA to federal agencies’ electronic documents, including word processing files, spreadsheets and presentations.

What are the common mistakes and edge cases?

• Scanned documents. A scan is a picture of text. A screen reader hears nothing. Text recognition helps, but rebuild important documents from the source file.
• “Print to PDF.” It usually drops the tags. Use Save As with the accessibility option.
• Fill-in forms made in a design program without labeled fields. Better yet, make it a web form. See how to make website forms accessible.
• Several versions online. Old copies stay in Google for years. Replace the file in place instead of uploading a new one.
• Fixing the PDF but not the Word file. The next edit brings every problem back.

What if this didn’t work?

• Word’s checker shows no errors, but the PDF still fails. Make sure you used Save As with the tags option, not print.
• Acrobat’s auto-tagging gets the reading order wrong. Complex layouts with columns and text boxes confuse it. Simplify the source document, or have the PDF fixed by someone with Acrobat Pro experience.
• You don’t have the source file. Recreate the content as a web page, which is usually faster than repairing the PDF.
• Someone can’t read a document now. Offer the content another way right away, by phone or as plain text in an email. List the gap in your accessibility statement.

How much does it cost, and how long does it take?

Word’s checker is included with Microsoft 365. A full PDF check needs Acrobat Pro, which is a paid subscription. A short, well-built Word document takes 15 to 30 minutes to check and save properly. Long or complex PDFs can take hours to fix, which is why turning them into web pages often wins.

How does E-3 handle this?

“How do I upload a PDF or document to my site?” is one of the common requests in E-3’s support records, with about 90 since 2019. On the sites we look after, we can turn key documents into web pages or fix the files themselves, as part of website care.

Related questions

• How do I upload a PDF or document to my site?
• What does the ADA Title II web rule say about documents?
• What is alt text, and how do I write it?
• Which WCAG level should I aim for?
• Back to the complete website accessibility guide

Sources

1. Improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker (Microsoft Support)
2. Create accessible PDFs (Microsoft Support)
3. Create and verify PDF accessibility, Acrobat Pro (Adobe Help)
4. Creating accessible PDFs in Adobe Acrobat (Adobe Help)
5. Revised Section 508 standards (U.S. Access Board)
6. Fact sheet: new rule on the accessibility of web content and mobile apps (ada.gov)