Creating accessible documents isn’t just good practice—it’s essential for reaching every reader. Microsoft Word’s built-in Accessibility Checker makes this easier by identifying barriers that could prevent individuals with disabilities from fully engaging with your content. Much like the Editor tool flags grammar and spelling issues, the Accessibility Checker highlights structural and formatting concerns, explains why they matter, and offers guidance for fixing them. By running this tool before sharing your document, you help ensure that your message is clear, inclusive, and usable for all.
Step-by-step instructions
- In the menu, select the Review tab.
- Within the Review ribbon, select the Check Accessibility link within the Check Accessibility dropdown menu.
- An Accessibility Checker panel will open to the right of the document. This panel provides you with a list of errors and warnings. When you click on an error or warning, instructions on how to fix it appear below the Additional Information section.
- To easily address accessibility errors and warnings, select an issue to open the Recommended Actions list. You can apply a one-click fix by selecting an action or select the arrow button next to an action for more options.
Common errors
- Missing alt text - Adding alternative text to graphics benefits people who are blind or have low vision. Those individuals can use screen readers to hear text that describes the graphics read aloud.
- Missing table header – People who are blind, have low vision, or have cognitive disabilities may use screen readers to navigate tables for a better understanding of data. Table header rows inform users about associated data cells within the table to make the data more meaningful.