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Home » Faculty Tutorials » Accessibility » Accessibility Series » Using the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word

December 12, 2023 By Sandra Childers

Using the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word

When it comes to accessibility, one of the best things about Microsoft Word is its internal Accessibility Checker. It’s never been easier to find and fix accessibility issues in your documents — especially if you have Microsoft 365!

Unfortunately, automatic checkers will never find every accessibility issue in your documents. You must also perform manual checks to ensure your documents are accessible for everyone. You can find problems your automatic checker cannot see. (See our How to Create an Accessible Word Document tutorial to see key elements that make up an accessible document.)

This tutorial introduces you to how Microsoft Word’s Accessibility Checker works.

Note: This content is based on Microsoft 365. For help with previous versions, please see Microsoft Support’s Improve Accessibility with the Accessibility Checker.

Page Contents

  • Finding the Accessibility Checker
    • Easiest: Add it to your Quick Access Toolbar
    • Other Ways to Find the Accessibility Checker
  • Using the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word
    • Fixing Accessibility Issues in Microsoft Word
    • Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker References
  • Conclusion

Finding the Accessibility Checker

Easiest: Add it to your Quick Access Toolbar

The simplest way to repeatedly use the Accessibility Checker is by adding it to your Quick Access Toolbar. If it’s always visible, you’ll remember to use it more often.

Microsoft Word's Quick Access toolbar. Includes a toggled-on auto-save, and buttons for Check Accessibility, Symbol insert, and Save As.
Figure 1. Word’s Quick Access Toolbar with the “Check Accessibility” button

Add the Accessibility Checker to your Quick Access Toolbar


Other Ways to Find the Accessibility Checker

There are 3 more ways to find the Accessibility Checker within Microsoft Word, each increasingly more difficult to find:

  1. At the bottom-left of Word, you’ll see text such as “Accessibility: Good to go” or “Accessibility: Investigate.” Click the text to bring up the Accessibility panel.
    Bottom-left of Microsoft Word text: Page 2 of 2. 277 words. Accessibility: Investigate link.
    Figure 2. Bottom-left text in Microsoft Word – Accessibility: Investigate

    (It’s good to review the checker regardless of what it states at the bottom-left of Word. Sometimes, issues appear in the checker that haven’t yet triggered “Investigate” to display.)

  2. In the Review tab, click the icon above the words “Check Accessibility.” Or click “Check Accessibility,” then “Check Accessibility” in the drop-down menu. (Clicking the icon is one less step, thus quicker.)
    Review tab, Check Accessibility icon. Keep it inclusive. Let us ensure your file follows accessibility best practices. We'll help you fix issues quickly with easy-to-follow directions or recommendations.
    Figure 3. Check Accessibility icon on the Review tab
  3. Go to File > Info > Check for Issues > Check Accessibility to open the Accessibility Checker panel.
    In File, Info, Check for Issues, then Check Accessibility. Check the document for content that people with disabilities might find difficult to read.
    Figure 4. Check for Issues button, then Check Accessibility

It’s best to add the Accessibility Checker to your Quick Access Toolbar to find it quickly and use it often.


Using the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft Word

Word Accessibility checker panel. Shows errors, warnings, and tips. Why and how to fix at bottom.
Figure 5. Accessibility panel showing accessibility errors and warnings. Why and how to fix info at bottom.

Now, let’s see how Word’s Accessibility Checker works!

Open an existing Word document and Word’s Accessibility Checker panel. Accessibility errors and warnings are displayed in the side panel, errors first. (They’re the most important to fix, so they’re prominent.)

This Word document has the following issues:

  • 3 images are missing alternative (or “alt”) text
  • Merged or split cells exist in a table
  • There is insufficient contrast between some text and its background.

Selecting the category (e.g., “Missing Object Description”) toggles the list from expanded to collapsed. All categories are expanded in this image. Collapsing a category allows lets you focus on whatever you’re attempting to fix.

When you click an item within a category, like “Picture 1,” additional information appears below, telling you:

  • Why it needs to be fixed
  • Steps to fix it

Fixing Accessibility Issues in Microsoft Word

As stated above, clicking an error or warning shows Additional Information to help you fix the problem. At the same time, Word selects the content and moves you to that location in your document. Therefore, you can immediately see the problematic content and start fixing it.

Additionally, Microsoft 365 has added an incredibly helpful feature. Now, when you click an error or warning, you’re also provided recommended actions to fix the problem. We’ll go through a quick example.

Click 'Picture 1' and provided 2 recommended actions: Add description or Mark decorative. Also, suggest description for me, and Learn More.
Figure 6. Microsoft 365 – Accessibility Checker’s Recommended Actions

After clicking “Picture 1,” we’re brought to the image; it is selected, and the Recommended Actions menu appears. Here, we can bypass any steps listed in the Additional Information section. Clicking “Add a description” or “Mark as decorative” takes us directly to the proper panel to fix the error. (In this case, the “Alt Text” panel appears.)

You don’t even need to read the instructions to see what you need to do! Microsoft Word takes you exactly where you need to go to fix the problem.

Continue working with the Accessibility Checker panel until you’ve fixed all errors and warnings in the checker.


Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker References

  • Improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker
  • Apply Recommended Actions (Microsoft 365)
  • Rules for the Accessibility Checker
  • Make your content accessible in the Microsoft 365 apps

Conclusion

Although Word’s Accessibility Checker cannot find every issue within your documents, it’s an excellent place to start. Using the Accessibility Checker and manually checking these key elements is the best way to consistently build accessible documents.

Use the Accessibility Checker early in your development process to learn how to fix various accessibility issues. Otherwise, you’ll waste significant time repeatedly fixing the same types of problems. Over time, you’ll start to build accessibility into your documents automatically and lean less on the Accessibility Checker.

This tutorial is part of the Accessibility Series. More tips on how to get and keep your documents and web pages accessible to come!

Filed Under: Accessibility Series

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