Intro to making documents accessible

To make your documents accessible to people with different physical and cognitive abilities, use the Accessibility Checker.

1. Go to Review > Check Accessibility.

2. In the Accessibility Checker pane, review the results and make any recommended changes.

   Tip: To review how the document will sound to someone experiencing it through a screen reader, go to Review > Read Aloud.

Best practices

In addition to using the Accessibility Checker, here are some best practices for creating accessible documents.

Supplement color with text

If your reader is blind, has low vision, or is color-blind, they might miss meaning that is conveyed by color alone. For example, instead of just a red icon to indicate items that are not allowed, include text label, "Not allowed."

Increase legibility

Readers with dyslexia or low vision might see text swim together on a page. To increase legibility:

• Use or allow larger font sizes

• Choose sans-serif fonts, like Arial or Calibri

• Avoid using all capital letters or excessive italics and underlining

• Include ample white space between sentences and paragraphs

Help screen readers navigate the document

The built-in headings and styles in Word make it easier for screen readers to read your documents. Use the Accessibility Checker to ensure your headings are in a logical order.

Add meaningful hyperlink text and ScreenTips

Because people who use a screen reader might scan for a list of links, it's best if link text conveys clear and accurate information about the destination. For example, instead of "Click here" as a link's display text, use the title of the destination page.

Explore more

For more information, see Make your Word documents accessible

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