Accessible PDFs allow screen readers and other assistive devices to interpret scanned images, navigate through properly tagged structures, and read alt text that provides context.
Without the focus on accessibility, millions of users are excluded from digital spaces, and organizations are at risk of failing to meet compliance standards such as the ADA and Section 508. Therefore, accessible PDFs are important because they ensure inclusivity and help individuals and organizations comply with legal standards.
In this guide, we’ll define PDF accessibility, what it should include, provide an accessible PDF example and the tools to create one, as well as simple fixes for common issues.
Key Takeaways
- Accessible PDFs ensure that all users, including those with visual, motor, or cognitive disabilities, can navigate and understand digital documents with assistive technologies like screen readers.
- Creating accessible PDFs supports legal compliance with standards such as the ADA, Section 508, and the WCAG 2.1. Also, it improves inclusivity, professionalism, and user experience for everyone.
- Key elements of accessibility include real text (not scanned images), alt text for images, proper tagging and reading order, well-structured tables and lists, high contrast visual elements, and document metadata.
- You can create or fix accessible PDFs using Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, or online PDF editing tools.
- To fix inaccessible PDFs, use OCR to convert scanned text, add missing tags and alt text, and reorder content for natural reading.
What Is an Accessible PDF?
An accessible PDF is a digital document designed so that all users—including those with visual, motor, or cognitive disabilities—can understand its content. This means the PDF works well with assistive technologies, like screen readers, magnification tools, and keyboard navigation options.
Now, let’s take a closer look at how accessible PDFs differ from a regular PDF.
Regular PDF vs. Accessible PDF
Here are some of the main differences between accessible and regular PDFs:
Feature | Regular PDF | Accessible PDF |
|---|---|---|
Structure | No logical document structure | Properly tagged with headings, paragraphs, lists, and semantic elements |
Textual accessibility | May contain scanned images or unselectable content | All text is selectable, searchable, and readable by screen readers |
Navigation | Limited to visual scrolling or basic bookmarks | Includes headings, tab orders, and a logical reading sequence |
Color and contrast | May rely solely on color to convey information or has poor contrast | Sufficient contrast ratios and alternative methods to convey meaning |
Forms and interactive elements | Form fields may lack labels or proper associations | All form fields have descriptive labels and clear instructions |
Metadata and language | Basic file properties only | Document language specified and complete metadata |
Why Are Accessible PDFs Important
Accessible PDFs are important because they create an inclusive digital environment that complies with legal requirements and demonstrates ethical responsibility.
Legal Compliance
When speaking of legal compliance in the United States, we must mention three acts that regulate the accessibility of electronic content to individuals with disabilities:
- Section 508 of the Rehabilitation Act. This section instructs agencies to make their Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) accessible to individuals with disabilities as much as they are accessible to everyone else. This includes electronic forms and web content, too.
- Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA). The ADA protects individuals with disabilities from discrimination and ensures equal opportunities and access in all spheres of public life. Online and digital content is no exception; according to the ADA, the Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) serve as a standard reference to state and local governments, as well as all businesses open to the public.
- Web Content Accessibility Guidelines 2.1 (WCAG). Both Section 508 and the ADA mention the WCAG as the main point of reference for making digital content more accessible to people with disabilities. The 2.1 version, published in 2018, further expands on the original guidelines, outlining how to make content more perceivable, operable, understandable, and robust.
Ethical Responsibility
Beyond legal compliance, there is an ethical responsibility of ensuring equal access to information because accessible PDFs serve a diverse range of users.
- People with vision impairments rely on screen readers that convert text, which only function correctly with well-structured, tagged PDFs.
- People with cognitive disabilities benefit from clear headings, consistent layouts, and descriptive links that make content easier to understand.
- People with motor disabilities use keyboard navigation instead of a mouse, which relies on PDFs with proper tab orders and focus indicators.
Benefits of Accessible PDFs
One of the main benefits of PDF accessibility is the improved experience for all users.
For example, clear headings and a high color contrast make documents easier to scan. This leads to better engagement, which is a common key performance indicator (KPI) for digital documents, as it increases the chances of conversions and supports search engine optimization (SEO) efforts.
Furthermore, ensuring PDF accessibility allows you to reach more people. With over 70 million people living with disabilities in the United States alone, accessibility represents a substantial audience. It also demonstrates professional credibility by reflecting your commitment to inclusion, equity, and quality.
To understand the benefits of accessible PDFs better, consider these scenarios.
In healthcare:
When a person who is blind receives a scanned PDF of their prescription instructions from a pharmacy, their screen reader cannot interpret the image-based text, potentially leading to medication errors or missed dosages. |
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In banking:
Bank statements, loan applications, and investment documents are commonly distributed as inaccessible PDFs. A customer with visual impairments may struggle to review their monthly statement for fraudulent charges or track their spending patterns. |
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In education:
Research papers and academic journals that are inaccessible because they lack proper tagging prevent students from navigating between sections or accessing citations effectively, hindering their academic progress. |
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Accessible PDF Requirements: 6 Key Elements You Must Include
The key elements of an accessible PDF include text accessibility, alternative text for images, tags and reading order, tables and lists, color contrast and visual clarity, as well as document language and metadata.
Let’s take a closer look at each one:
#1. Text Accessibility
PDFs must use real text instead of scanned images to ensure screen readers can interpret content. This means converting any image-based text through optical character recognition (OCR) or recreating the document from its source.
Proper headings and structure are just as important, using semantic heading levels (H1, H2, H3) to create a logical hierarchy that allows users to navigate between sections and understand the document's organization.
#2. Alternative Text for Images
All non-decorative images require descriptive alternative text that conveys their meaning and context. If charts and graphs are included in the PDF, they need detailed descriptions that explain the data being presented.
Similarly, photos and pictures should describe relevant visual elements that support the document's purpose. At the same time, decorative images, like background patterns, should be marked appropriately so screen readers skip them.
#3. Tags and Reading Order
Tags are predefined elements with specific attributes that organize page content, like text, graphics, and images, so they can be easily accessed, extracted, and repurposed. Proper tagging creates the underlying structure that assistive technologies rely on to present content logically.
Also, the reading order must follow a natural sequence. This means when processed linearly, users do not encounter confusing jumps between unrelated content sections.
#4. Tables and Lists
Table headers must be properly identified and associated with their corresponding data cells, allowing screen readers to provide context as users navigate through complex information.
List structures need appropriate tagging to indicate whether items are ordered, unordered, or part of a definition list, to help users understand the relationships between content elements.
#5. Color Contrast and Visual Clarity
Color contrast and visual clarity are especially important for users with low vision or color blindness, as they may struggle to read content that incorporates certain color combinations. For instance, red/green or yellow/blue should be avoided in general, as should low contrast options, like white letters on a gray background.
As a rule, it’s best to avoid relying exclusively on color to convey information and include patterns, shapes, or symbols instead. Also, the WCAG Level AA requires a high contrast ratio: at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text or bold text.
#6. Document Language, Title, and Metadata
Document metadata should be included and optimized, too, as it improves searchability and accessibility on screen readers and similar text-to-speech tools. The key elements each document needs are language, title, keywords, and author.
Specifying the language is important because it tells the screen reader which accent and pronunciation to use when reading the text. However, the other three elements are vital for locating and identifying the document. As a result, they must be very specific and descriptive, but also concise.
What Is PDF/UA and Why Does It Matter?
PDF/UA stands for Portable Document Format/Universal Accessibility; essentially, it is a PDF standard design to make all documents universally accessible. Formally, it’s known as ISO 14289-1, and it’s aimed at everyone creating PDFs.
When PDF format came to be in 1993, it didn’t follow any accessibility guidelines, which made it virtually unusable for a large portion of the population. However, it wasn’t until a decade later that a group organized by the Association for Information and Image Management set out to rectify this. Even then, the first standard was published in 2012, while the current one was released in 2024.
PDF/UA is as relevant today as it was back when it was first published; it defines requirements that ensure PDFs are compatible with assistive technology. Tagging is a pretty big part of that, for instance; without it, screen readers can’t determine the functions of certain elements or what to include and what to omit.
How to Create an Accessible PDF?
You can use Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, or an online PDF editor to create an accessible PDF.
#1. Using Microsoft Word
Microsoft Word allows you to create documents that can be exported as accessible PDFs.
To do this, click File > Save As, then choose PDF under File Format and ensure Best for electronic distribution and accessibility is ticked.
To maximize accessibility:
- Use proper heading styles (Heading 1, 2, 3, 4) rather than manual formatting
- Do not skip heading levels (e.g. using a Heading 4 after a Heading 2)
It is also important to create lists using the built-in list tools instead of manual hyphens or numbers, and format links with descriptive text rather than displaying raw URLs. For the latter, remember that your description should not depend on the context of the surrounding text.
To add alternative text in Microsoft Word, use the Alt Text functionality; it works for Pictures, Shapes, Charts, and SmartArt. The alternative text should be succinct, excluding phrases like “image of…” or “graphic of…”.
Microsoft Word has an Accessibility Checker that can help you identify issues and take the appropriate steps to address them.
Issues are classified into three categories:
- Errors. For example, an image with no alternative text.
- Warnings. For instance, a link with text that does not describe its function.
- Tips. For example, skipping from a Heading 1 to a Heading 3.
Remember that when you are creating accessible PDF forms, all fields must have descriptive labels. Also, it is best to use the built-in form controls rather than manual text boxes to guarantee they are properly tagged.
#2. Using Adobe Acrobat
Adobe Acrobat provides a comprehensive tool set for creating accessible PDFs. First, you can use the Prepare For Accessibility functionality to quickly find and fix problematic aspects, such as missing alternative text. You can run this on all PDF formats except for dynamic forms.
Here are some of the common PDF accessibility aspects Adobe Acrobat can help you with:
- Security settings interfering with screen readers. Go to All Tools > Prepare for accessibility > Check for accessibility and tick the Accessibility permission flag is set option. Click Open accessibility report > Accessibility permission flag > Fix.
- Unreadable image-only content. Go to All Tools > Prepare for accessibility > Check for accessibility and check that the Document is not-image only PDF option is unticked. If it is, select All Tools > Scan & OCR > In this file > Recognize text.
- Untagged document. Go to All Tools > Prepare for accessibility > Check for accessibility and check that the Document is tagged PDF is ticked. If it is not, click All tools > Prepare for Accessibility > Fix reading order to manually add tags.
- Unsupported document language. Open the Accessibility Checker, click Primary language > Options > Fix > Set reading language to choose your language.
- Low color contrast. Go to Preferences > Accessibility > Replace document colors and click Use high-contrast colors.
- Untagged and undescribed PDF form fields. Go to All Tools > Prepare for accessibility > Automatically tag PDF. To add a description, click Form > Properties > General and enter the description in Tooltip.
#3. Using pdf.net
There are also online tools that can ensure your documents have the necessary accessible PDF features. pdf.net is a good example, as you can use it to improve your document’s accessibility in various ways. For instance:
- Change fonts for readability. If your PDF document is written in a small, illegible font, you can quickly improve accessibility by choosing a better, more readable one. Simply open our editor, select the text you want to edit, and pick a font like Arial, Calibri, or Verdana. Then, resize it if necessary and finalize your changes.
- Rearrange pages for reading order. Our online PDF editor allows you to quickly rearrange the page order by clicking on a page and dragging it to its new position. This can help screen readers accurately convey information to users with disabilities, thus improving their experience.
- Add page numbers for navigation. Help individuals with disabilities navigate PDF documents by adding page numbers with pdf.net. Our editor lets you pick the position, format, and font of the numbers.
- Include fillable form fields with proper tags. Use the Field option in our PDF editor to add a text field, a checkbox, a drop-down menu, or any other type of interactive element. These fields will be properly tagged in your document, allowing the screen reader to correctly identify them.
How to Test If Your PDF Is Accessible
You can use built-in accessibility checkers to test if your PDF is accessible in tools like Adobe Acrobat or Microsoft Word. However, it’s always a good idea to actually open the document in a screen reader and ensure it works as intended.
Now, let’s explore these two methods in more detail:
#1. Using Built-In Accessibility Checkers
Built-in accessibility checkers in Adobe Acrobat and Microsoft Word should definitely be your first stop when testing your PDF document. Both of these features were described above: Prepare for Accessibility for Adobe and Check Accessibility for Word.
There is another option, though, especially for those who want to ensure their document complies with the PDF/UA standard and WCAG requirements. That’s the PAC 3 tool, a free software you can download without installation and immediately begin testing. Once it’s done, it gives you a list of errors and offers a detailed report with tips for improvement.
#2. Testing with a Screen Reader
Even if the aforementioned checkers are excellent at what they do, they can’t simulate the experience with a screen reader entirely. That’s why it’s important to test your PDFs on actual tools that individuals with disabilities will use and see how they hold up.
The most commonly used ones are:
- NVDA, a free, open-source Windows screen reader and an excellent starting point for most users due to its simple installation and straightforward interface
- JAWS, another popular Windows screen reader that can be integrated with various platforms, but isn’t free to use
- VoiceOver, a built-in iOS app that allows users to operate their devices using speech, and also reads on-screen text out loud
Once you’ve chosen the screen reader to test your document with, open your PDF, turn on the reader, and navigate only using arrow keys and Tab. If everything is read aloud correctly and in a logical order, you’ve created an accessible document.
An Accessible PDF Example
Here is an accessible PDF example:
Source: The University of Arizona
How to Fix an Inaccessible PDF
Below are three ways to fix an inaccessible PDF:
- Convert scanned PDFs using OCR. Scanned PDFs containing image-based text must be converted using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology to make text searchable, selectable, and readable by screen readers.
- Add missing tags, alt text, and bookmarks. Untagged PDFs require proper semantic markup to create a logical document structure. You need to add descriptive alternative text for all images, charts, and graphics that convey meaningful information, as well as create bookmarks from headings to provide navigation shortcuts for users with disabilities
- Reorder content for logical reading. Many PDFs have incorrect reading order due to complex layouts or multi-column designs. To ensure content flows logically when processed by assistive technology, adjust your tag structure and use proper headings. If possible, you can also add a table of contents.
Final Thoughts
Creating accessible PDFs is more than just meeting compliance standards—it’s about ensuring inclusivity, professionalism, and usability for everyone. By adding clear headings, tags, alt text, and proper reading order, you make your documents compatible with assistive technologies and compliant with legal requirements.
Whether you’re in business, education, healthcare, or government, accessible PDFs strengthen credibility and expand your audience reach. With Microsoft Word, Adobe Acrobat, and online tools, such as pdf.net, you can build or fix accessible PDFs in no time.
Accessible PDF FAQs
#1. How do I check if my PDF is accessible?
To check if your PDF is accessible, see if it has all the key elements outlined above. You can also use Adobe Acrobat’s Accessibility Checker, Microsoft Word’s Accessibility Checker, or the free PAC 3 tool to identify problems and address them accordingly.
#2. Can I make an existing PDF accessible after it is created?
Yes, you can make an existing PDF accessible after it is created by manually fixing its headings, adding tags and alternative text, and ensuring it has a logical reading order. If your PDF is scanned, run it through an online PDF OCR tool first to make the text searchable, selectable, and readable.
#3. Why is PDF accessibility important for businesses and compliance?
PDF accessibility is important for businesses and compliance because it ensures all users, including those with disabilities, can access information. As a business, you can also reach more people with an accessible PDF and comply with standards like the ADA and Section 508.
#4. What WCAG level should an accessible PDF meet?
An accessible PDF should meet WCAG Level AA for compliance with the ADA and other disability acts. Level A is the bare minimum, but Level AA covers a broader range of disabilities and is, therefore, the recommended one.