How to Create an Accessible Document Using Microsoft Word
In order to create an accessible Word document, you will need to follow the principles for creating accessible documents regardless of platform. Many of these principles are about how you structure and write your content, but some are about how you format that text.
Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) requires that all university websites, mobile applications, documents made available online and digital course materials be fully compliant with Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1 Level AA accessibility standards by April 24, 2026.
Full Video Tutorials
For a full tutorial on how to create accessible PDFs from Microsoft Word, we highly recommend the LinkedIn Learning course “Creating Accessible PDFs” by Chad Chelius.
About Accessibility in Word Documents
These are a few of the most important tools built into Word for creating accessible documents.
Formatting Headings Using Heading Styles
For people using assistive technology, headings must be indicated through tags, not just by how text looks. In Word, heading tags are applied by using the Heading styles tab — they are not applied when you change the way text is formatted by using Word’s Font styles.
You can define the way heading styles look by defining heading styles. Learn how to create and customize headings in Microsoft Word in this YouTube tutorial.
Setting Alternative Text for Images
Use the “Alt text” functionality in Word to add alt text to pictures, shapes, charts, SmartArt and more.
To set the alt text, select an object, right-click and choose Edit Alt Text. This will open the Alt Text pane. You can also open the Alt Text pane by selecting Alt Text in the Format menu for an object.
Instructions for adding alternative text in Microsoft Word by VersionReview Your Document Using the Built-In Accessibility Checker
The built-in Accessibility Checker can help you identify accessibility issues in your document. There are generally recommendations on how to fix each issue.
Instructions for using the Accessibility Checker in Microsoft WordConverting a Word Document to a PDF
After creating your document following accessibility best practices and running the built-in Accessibility Checker to look for and resolve any issues, you can export your Word document as an accessible PDF.
The process is slightly different depending on which version of Word you are using (Windows, macOS, web).
Instructions for exporting a Word document to an accessible PDF