Accessibility for Microsoft Office
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This is not meant to be a complete or exhaustive explanation of Microsoft Office Accessibility.
Microsoft Word
Best Practices for Word A11y
- When available, use a11y Microsoft Office (MSO) templates. If a11y templates are unavailable, create one.
- Tag the language. This is especially valuable when writing the document in a language other than English. It allows screen reading software to pronounce the text correctly. In Word: go to the FILE tab > select the Options option > Select the Language option > Select the language > Click the OK button.
- Use the styles provided by Microsoft Office to ensure the headings are recognized by screen readers. Apply semantic markup rather than decorative markup for the document data structure (e.g., title, headings, lists, blockquotes.)
- Use Alternative Text for Images. See the Alternative (ALT) Text section elsewhere on this page for more information.
- Use Meaningful Hyperlink Text. When adding hyperlinks, use descriptive and meaningful text that describes the link destination. Avoid using phrases like "click here" or "read more."
- Use Consistent Formatting. Use consistent formatting throughout the document to make it easier to read and understand. For example, use the same font type, size, and color throughout the document.
- Use of Color. When using more colors than the simple "black text on white background" format. Use high color contrast between text and background colors to make it easier for people with visual impairments to read the document. See the Clarification on Colors page.
- Use tables properly.
- Use tables only to display tabular data. Do not use tables for layout. Regardless of intent, screen reader software will try to interpret and describe tables assuming they contain tabular data. This unnecessary information can confuse and frustrate users of screen reading software.
- Use Accessible Tables that are Simple and Easy to Read
- Use the built-in table formatting features to create accessible tables.
- Include header rows when inserting tables in Word.
- Avoid complex tables (e.g., merging table cells.)
- Use Descriptive File Names. When saving the document, use descriptive file names that accurately describe the content of the document.
- Check for Accessibility
- Use the accessibility checker provided by Microsoft Office to check for any accessibility issues in the document. The accessibility checker will identify any issues and provide suggestions on how to fix them.
- Alternately, set the Accessibility Check to run by default whenever working in Word.
- But automated testing alone will not be adequate. Manual testing is necessary.
- See the Testing section elsewhere on Random Notes on Accessibility page.
Semantic vs Presentational Markup in Word
- Semantic Markup (or "Structural Markup")
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- (In Technical and Business Writing) naming sections of text according to the structural role they play in the document. (CITE: Highlighting and Emphasis in Online Technical Writing by David McMurrey)
- (In Information Technology) the use of a markup language such as HTML to convey information about the meaning of each element in a document through proper selection of markup elements, and to maintain complete separation between the markup and the visual presentation of the elements contained in the document.
Semantic markup conveys important information to screen reader users and allows them to navigate the document. Presentational markup doesn't.
| Presentational Markup | Semantic Markup |
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| Presentational Markup | Semantic Markup |
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Title in Word
For Microsoft Word, the term Title applies to two concepts:
- Title
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- the text displayed prominently at the beginning of the document as a heading
- the metadata property within the document itself which describes the document's overall topic, accessed through the "File" menu and usually not visible directly within the document content itself.
The two titles are separate and do not have any practical relationship. They must be addressed separately.
To add a title (metadata) to the document properties:
- Open the document
- Select File
- Select Properties
- Select the Summary tab
- Enter a title in the Title field
- Click OK and save the changes
When you open the document in a browser, the browser's title bar will display the metatag title instead of the filename.
Headings in Word
Applying a designated heading style will make it easier for screen readers to identify and navigate the document. Using a consistent heading style creates a clear visual hierarchy that makes your document easier to read and follow. It also allows you to quickly generate a table of contents and navigate to different sections with ease.
Headings created using decorative elements (i.e., typeface size, typeface face, and typeface styling) may be visually recognizable as headings, but assistive technology like screen readers will not recognize them.
In HTML the H1 tag pair is used for the title of the document. In Word, the Title style can be used instead.
In Word documents -- unlike HTML -- you can use more than one "Level 1" heading. This style is typically reserved for top-level headings, so it works well for multiple primary sections of your document.
| Title on Top | Heading 1 on Top |
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To View Headings (and the Title) in the Navigation Pane:
- Go to the View tab
- Click the Navigation Pane box
The headings will display to the the left of the document
NOTE: The text marked up as Title will not be included in the document structure and will not display in the navigation panel.
Language Tagging
In Word: FILE tab > Options option > Language option > Select language > Click OK button
Microsoft Excel
Resources for Microsoft Excel A11y
- Accessible Excel Spreadsheets
- Accessible Excel 2016/365 by Richard Steinberg
Microsoft PowerPoint
Best Practices for PowerPoint A11y
- Use concise, descriptive file names for your Office documents. Between 20 - 30 characters. Do not include spaces. (E.G., a11y_color_2025.pptx)
- Use language appropriate for your target audience. (See Writing section earlier on this page.)
- Slides
- Limit the number of slides. Try to make your points succinctly.
- Use simple slide transition. Do not use automatic slide transitions.
- Limit your use of animations. Ensure the animations you use are brief and do not distract from your content.
- Semantic vs Presentational Markup. Just as in HTML and Word, use markup appropriately. (See the Semantic Markup section earlier on this page.
- Use the slide layout offered by Microsoft. These templates ensure you have correctly structured headings and lists, proper reading order, etc. The correct use of slide layouts is probably the most significant thing you can do to ensure that your content is accessible. This is easy to do because Microsoft encourages using the default layout over creating your own custom slide layout.
- Use PowerPoint's list style for bulleted or numbered lists instead of adding manually typed characters (e.g., Hyphens, numbers) or graphics.
- Tables (See the Tables section earlier in this document.)
- Use table option in the office ribbon. It provided clear table structure and table headers to help guide a screen reader user. Do not use manual tabs or spaces to create tables.
- Avoid blank cells in tables in PowerPoint.
- In table properties, uncheck the "Allow row to break across pages" option.
- Make sure the color contrast ratio is sufficient to make your presentation accessible. (See the Color earlier on this page for specifics.)
- Typefaces and Fonts. (See the Typefaces and Fonts section earlier on this page.)
Ensure that font size is sufficient. If your presentation will be viewed on a projector, font size may need to be even larger.
Depending on the size of the screen and the room.While there is no ideal font size for PowerPoint presentations, it should not be smaller than 18 points, regardless of other factors.
Adding too much text to your slides can affect readability. Ideally, you should follow the 6x7 rule – no more than six words per line and no more than seven lines of text per slide. And leave sufficient space between each line of text to keep content readable.
- Audio and Video
- If you embed audio, provide a transcript.
- If you embed video, make sure the video is captioned, and the player controls are accessible.
- Testing (See the Testing section earlier on this webpage.)
- Use PowerPoint's built-in Accessibility Checker. (Each program in Microsoft's Office suite has a built-in Accessibility Checker.)
- Review the document in Print Preview for a visual check.
My Personal Suggestions for PowerPoint Presentations
I don't follow all of the accepted best practices and conventional wisdom regarding PowerPoint presentations. Here's how I do things differently.
- I provide my slides and my speaker notes in handouts that are available for download at the start of my presentation. This makes it unnecessary for people to photograph the slides or take notes. They can focus entirely on my presentation without worrying that they'll miss something.
- Instead of limiting myself to a small number of slides, I use about the same number of slides how many minutes long the presentation is. But I limit most of my slide to a single thought. If I find myself over explaining a slide or repeating myself, I move on quickly to the next slide. The large number of slides have not slowed me down.
- I prefer to use images rather than bullet lists. When I use bullet lists, I use the least amount to text possible. I want to avoid the audience reading the bullet points instead of listening.
- I use the slides to support what I'm saying rather than explain the slides. Remember, the audience came to see you, not your slides.
- When appropriate, I include audio files for playing back screen reader results or videos for playing demos. It's because mistakes seem to happen more often in computer demos than in real life. And it's painfully boring to watch a presenter misspelling CSS or command lines.
Additional Resources for PowerPoint A11y
- PowerPoint Accessibility from WebAIM
- Accessible PowerPoint Presentations from Minnesota IT Services