Document accessibility
Make documents easier to read, navigate, and use
Learn what US accessibility rules mean for electronic documents, check an existing PDF or Word file, and follow practical authoring guidance for Word and LaTeX.
Why accessible documents matter
A scan may look readable while exposing little or no structure to a screen reader. An accessible document needs machine-readable text, meaningful headings, a logical reading order, usable tables and equations, image descriptions, and accurate language and title metadata.
The US Department of Justice’s Title II web-accessibility rule covers documents that state and local governments publish through websites or mobile apps. It generally requires WCAG 2.1 Level AA. Following the 2026 interim update, larger public entities have until April 26, 2027; smaller entities and special district governments have until April 26, 2028. Read the DOJ’s current Title II fact sheet.
Federal agencies have related obligations under Section 508. Section 504 prohibits disability discrimination in federally funded programs. Applicable rules and exceptions depend on the institution and document; this is general information, not legal advice.
Free automated review
Check an existing document
The checker finds machine-detectable problems in PDF and DOCX files. It is a useful starting point, but cannot judge the quality of alt text, intended reading order, or every assistive-technology experience.
Pass
No machine-detectable failures or review warnings were found. Human review is still required.
Needs review
At least one uncertain condition needs a person to inspect and possibly correct it.
Fail
At least one machine-detectable accessibility requirement is missing or failed.
Check a PDF or Word document
Get automated findings, plain-language explanations, and suggested fixes. No account is required.
Drop one document here
PDF or DOCX, up to 50 MB
The public allowance is 10 successful checks per browser per UTC day. Files are analyzed only for the request, are not saved to your library, and do not use conversion credits.
Word and DOCX
How to make a Word document accessible
- Use Word’s built-in Title and Heading styles in a logical order; do not imitate headings with large or bold text.
- Use native lists and equations, descriptive link text, and simple tables with identified header rows.
- Give meaningful images concise, purpose-based alt text and mark decorative images as decorative.
- Set the document title and proofing language. Do not use color alone to convey meaning, and check contrast.
- Prefer inline objects and review reading order around figures, text boxes, columns, and floating content.
- Run Review → Check Accessibility, fix its findings, and test important documents with a screen reader and keyboard.
Write2Notes accessible mode adds metadata, style-based headings, figure descriptions, native Word equations, and a simple linear structure where supported. Review the result rather than treating generation as certification. See Section508.gov’s document authoring guides.
LaTeX and tagged PDF
How to make a LaTeX document accessible
- Use semantic section commands, lists, tables, and real LaTeX math instead of visual formatting or images of equations.
- Place
\DocumentMetadatabefore\documentclassand declare the language and intended PDF standard. - Give every meaningful graphic useful alternative text; mark decorative graphics as artifacts.
- Identify data-table header rows with the appropriate tagging setup, such as
\tagpdfsetup. - Check every class and package against the LaTeX Tagged PDF Project’s compatibility information.
- Validate the PDF with a PDF/UA-2-capable validator and manually review reading order, alt text, math, and assistive-technology behavior.
What Write2Notes generates
Accessible LaTeX uses the current kernel tagging pipeline: PDF 2.0 with PDF/UA-2 and PDF/A-4f through \DocumentMetadata, MathML associations, Unicode/OpenType math through unicode-math, tagged headings and tables, metadata, bookmarks, and figure alt text. Successful standalone TikZ and PGFPlots figures are rasterized into tagged images; redraw source remains in comments.
Compiler requirement
Compile accessible output with LuaLaTeX using a fully updated TeX Live 2025 or newer release. In Overleaf, select LuaLaTeX and the newest TeX Live setting. Other engines are not supported for this workflow.
The tagging stack continues to evolve. Check the LaTeX Tagged PDF guidance and validate PDF/UA-2 rules with veraPDF or another capable validator. Automated validation still requires human review.
Turn an inaccessible scan into structured output
Try a small file without an account, or choose accessible output in the dashboard for full conversions.