Run the accessibility checker in Microsoft Word

Overview

Running the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word is an essential step in ensuring a document is fully accessible. Using the Accessibility Checker, you can see what elements of your document need attention to make them accessible to all users.

Run the Accessibility Checker

To run the Accessibility Checker:

1. On the ribbon, click the File tab.
2. Click Check for Issues, and then click Check Accessibility.
   Note:

   In the Microsoft 365 version of Word, you can also access the Accessibility Checker from the Review tab on the ribbon.
3. The Accessibility Checker pane will open and display any issues with the document. From here, you can resolve any issues that appeared during the process of checking for accessibility.

Following is an example of what the Accessibility Checker might report as issues when checking the accessibility of a document:

Resolve accessibility issues

To resolve issues in the Accessibility Checker pane:

1. Click the error listed in the Accessibility Checker pane to highlight it in the document.
2. Follow the instructions for fixing the error in the bottom of the pane.

Common issues that may appear include:

• Descriptive hyperlinks missing
• Images missing alternative text
• Tables missing alternative text or header row
• White space created by adding space with the Enter key, instead of by using styles/formatting/indenting
• Page breaks created by adding space with the Enter key, instead of inserting a proper page break

When all issues have been resolved, the Accessibility Checker pane will display a note indicating no accessibility issues have been found.