How to make Word documents accessible

You must do manual and automatic checks to make sure your document is accessible.

On this page

• Before you begin
• Manual checks
• Automated checks
• Test using a screen reader
• Documents designed only for print
• Related resources
• Still need help

Before you begin

Most people who read and interact with digital documents will do so online, so they must be digitally accessible. 

Learn which documents need to be made accessible

Before you add a document to our website, make sure it:

• is not better suited as web page content
• is written using this guidance
• has a logical document title and file name
• has a suitable alternative if you cannot make it accessible

No document will be 100% accessible to all users in all situations.

Be sure to give details on how people can request a version of your content that meets their specific access needs. For example, an easy read document, BSL version or contact details if they would like to speak with a person.  

Manual checks

Before you publish your document, check it has:

• a unique and descriptive file name and document title
• a clear and intuitive layout and visual reading order
• clear, descriptive and formatted headings 
• easy to read and understand written content
• link text that describes where it takes the user 
• decorative images marked 'decorative'
• informative images that are easy to see with text alternatives added
• colour combinations with good colour contrast
• correctly used and formatted tables
• been converted to PDF correctly
• followed best advice if the documents designed for print

Check your content with real users, including those with disabilities to make sure it works for them.

You can even ask someone who doesn’t know your topic, like a colleague, if it makes sense to them. 

Automated checks

Microsoft Office has built-in checkers for each of its applications, including Word, Excel and PowerPoint. It can help you check and fix things you may have missed.

Passing an automated checker does not guarantee of an accessible document since it will not find all issues.

Do a manual check too using the checklist on this page.

Find out more about improving accessibility with the Accessibility Checker (Microsoft Support).

Test using a screen reader

We recommend you learn how to use a screen reader to test your document. The most popular free ones are:

• NVDA for Microsoft devices
• TalkBack (built into Android phones)
• VoiceOver (built into Mac and iPhone devices) 

Microsoft has a built-in screen reader called Narrator, but we recommend you install NVDA screen reader for testing instead.

NVDA is a full screen reader and the most used screen reader for Microsoft devices (WebAIM).  

If you work for the council, download NVDA for free through the Software Centre on your Microsoft device.

Documents designed only for print

Documents designed to be printed or folded can be hard to read and use online. They do not usually have an accessible layout and visual reading order.

For example:

• Leaflets can have some upside-down text and pages are usually out of order.
• Booklets usually have two pages side by side, causing some people to try to read left to right across both pages instead of top to bottom on one page.

If you want to publish an inaccessible document on our websites, you must:

• be able to prove there's a demand for a printable version and that publishing it online will benefit people
• make it available alongside a web-optimised accessible version of the information
• make it clear that the print version is designed to be printed and is a copy of the accessible version, for example, by providing link text that reads 'Download a printable leaflet of 'name' [PDF]'

The web-optimised version could be as:

• web page content (the preferred format)
• an accessible Word document
• a tagged PDF converted from an accessibly created Word document

Example: Calendar PDF on the School holiday and term dates information web page

The Education Service requests that their 'School holiday and term dates' web page have a printable calendar on it for download.

The service has evidenced through surveys that schools want a printable version for their outdoor notice boards and parents want one to print out at home.

The link text for the printable version on our website reads 'Download a printable version of the school holiday calendar 2024 to 2025 [PDF].'.

This is placed underneath a bulleted list of the holidays dates on the same web page. 

Related resources

Making Word documents accessible

• How to make your Word documents more accessible (Scope for business)
• Make your Word documents accessible to people with disabilities (Microsoft Support)
• Microsoft Word - Creating Accessible Documents (WebAIM) 
• Publishing accessible documents guidance (GOV.UK)

Still need help 

If you have a question about your document content that's not covered in this checklist, contact the communications team

ICT training for Microsoft Word

If you work for the council, ICT offers additional support for Microsoft applications, including Word. 

To learn more, go to 365 HUB (Microsoft SharePoint) [council staff only].