How to make Word documents accessible

Headings

Add page headings using the heading styles gallery in Word so people can scan text for what they need easily.

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Headings help people navigate text

According to the WebAIM Million report, headings are the top way screen readers navigate a content online.

Headings and good heading structure organise text into sections and subsections. They let people scan for and navigate to content they need faster.

Screen readers and text to speech software will announce headings to help users understand and navigate document text more easily. They can also be used in a document's table of contents, so all users can skip to the content they need quickly.

To make them accessible, content authors must tag headings correctly using Word's heading styles and give them good visual formatting.

Learn how to write and structure headings in content

Add headings using Word heading styles

Tagging different heading levels

Content authors must tag headings correctly using the following steps:

  1. Highlight your heading text.
  2. Go to 'Home' in the main menu.
  3. Navigate to the 'Styles' gallery sub-menu.
  4. Find and select the heading style that matches your heading level. For example, format your main document title using the 'Heading 1' style.
Screenshot of Home tab showing Heading Styles tool.
Headings must have a correct heading 'Style' applied to be accessible

When choosing headings for your content, we recommend you:

  • plan a clear, logical structure of sections and sub-sections
  • make the main title a heading level 1
  • start section headings at level 2, like chapters in a book
  • try not to use more than 3 heading levels (4 max) - if you use more, it's a sign the structure is too complex

Visually presenting headings

Good visual formatting helps people looking at your document easily tell the difference between a heading and normal text.

Make sure you use:

  • the same visual formatting for all headings at the same level
  • good colour contrast - change the light blue default heading to a darker colour
  • larger text and bolding to make headings stand out (we recommend at least size 14 or larger if normal text is size 12)

Do not:

  • use italics and BLOCK CAPITALS (they are harder to read)
  • underline headings (it can make it look like a link)
  • make headings at different levels, like h2s and h3s, look exactly the same

You can modify the visual formatting of headings in the Styles gallery.

If your headings:

Check your headings

Check your heading styles by putting your cursor within your heading text. The style you've applied will be highlighted in your 'Styles' menu.

You can view the heading structure of your document in the Microsoft Word's Navigation Pane.

To view the Navigation Pane:

  1. Go to 'View', then go to the 'Show' section.
  2. Tick the 'Navigation Pane' option.

Be sure to check for:

  • a logical heading structure
  • text mislabelled as a heading
  • empty headings (headings without text)

Related resources

Web Content Accessibility Guidelines