New Components

Creating Accessible PowerPoint Decks

For each element: the accessible way to build it, the fastest route to that in PowerPoint, a step-by-step, how to customise it without breaking accessibility, and the pitfalls to avoid.

Two things distinguish decks from documents. Structure comes from layouts and placeholders rather than heading styles, and reading order is not implied by visual position — it has to be set. Almost everything else follows from those two.

On this page

Slide foundations

Slide titles

Accessible way: Every slide carries a real title placeholder with unique, meaningful wording. Screen reader users navigate a deck by its slide titles, and a slide with no title is effectively unlabelled.

Easiest way: Use a layout that already includes a title placeholder and simply type into it — never draw a text box for the title.

Step by step (default):

  1. Home > Layout, and pick a layout that includes a title placeholder.
  2. Click into the title placeholder and type the slide’s title.
  3. Keep it unique — “Results” repeated on six slides gives no way to tell them apart. Use “Results — Q1 revenue”, “Results — churn”, and so on.
  4. Check your work in View > Outline View: every slide should show a title. A blank entry means that slide has no real title.

Customizing it (while staying accessible):

A title is sometimes unwanted visually. Hide it rather than deleting it — the title must still exist for navigation.

  1. Type the title into the placeholder as normal.
  2. Open the Reading Order pane (Review > Check Accessibility > Reading Order, depending on version).
  3. Untick the title so it is removed from the visible slide but retained for assistive technology — or alternatively drag the title placeholder off the edge of the canvas.
  4. Confirm in Outline View that the title is still listed.

Avoid:

  • Slides with no title at all
  • A title typed into a drawn text box instead of the title placeholder
  • The same title repeated across many slides
  • Deleting the title placeholder to gain space

Slide layouts & placeholders

Accessible way: Build every slide from a built-in layout (Home > Layout) and type into its placeholders. Placeholders are what give a slide its structure and a predictable reading order — they are PowerPoint’s equivalent of Word’s heading styles.

Easiest way: Pick the closest built-in layout and use it as-is. It is almost always faster than drawing boxes, and it gets structure for free.

Step by step (default):

  1. Home > New Slide, and choose a layout that matches the content you have.
  2. Type into each placeholder rather than drawing anything new.
  3. If a layout has a placeholder you do not need, delete that placeholder — do not leave it empty with prompt text showing.
  4. Verify in Outline View: placeholder content appears there, content in drawn boxes does not.

Customizing it (while staying accessible):

If no built-in layout fits, create a custom layout in the slide master rather than improvising with text boxes on individual slides.

  1. View > Slide Master.
  2. Select the layout closest to what you need, right-click it and choose Duplicate Layout — or Insert Layout for a fresh one.
  3. Use Insert Placeholder (not Text Box) to add the regions you need, and position them.
  4. Rename the layout via Rename, then close the master. Your layout now appears in Home > Layout and behaves like a built-in one.

Avoid:

  • The Blank layout plus manually drawn text boxes
  • Copying an existing slide and overwriting it when the layout does not actually fit
  • Leaving unused placeholders on the slide showing prompt text

Reading order

Accessible way: Set the reading order explicitly on any slide with more than one content object. PowerPoint’s default order follows the sequence objects were added, which rarely matches how the slide reads visually.

Easiest way: Build slides from placeholders in the order they should be read — the default order then usually comes out right, needing only a check.

Step by step (default):

  1. Open Review > Check Accessibility, then the Reading Order pane (its exact location varies by version; older builds expose the order through Home > Arrange > Selection Pane).
  2. The pane lists the slide’s objects in the order they will be announced, top to bottom.
  3. Drag items into the correct sequence — title first, then content in reading order.
  4. Repeat for every slide with multiple objects, and confirm by running Read Aloud or a screen reader over the slide.

Customizing it (while staying accessible):

If you are working in an older build with only the Selection Pane, the order is inverted — the bottom item is announced first. Verify with a screen reader rather than trusting the visual list.

  1. Home > Arrange > Selection Pane.
  2. Treat the list as bottom-to-top for reading order.
  3. Use the arrow buttons to reorder, then confirm the result by listening to the slide rather than reading the pane.

Avoid:

  • Leaving the order as drawn on complex slides
  • Assuming visual position determines reading order — it does not
  • Grouping objects to tidy the pane, which can collapse them into a single unhelpful announcement

Body text & bulleted content

Accessible way: Use the content placeholder’s own bullet levels, demoting with Tab. This produces a real list structure that a screen reader announces as such.

Easiest way: Type in the placeholder and press Tab at the start of a line to demote, Shift+Tab to promote.

Step by step (default):

  1. Click into the content placeholder.
  2. Type the first point and press Enter for the next.
  3. Press Tab at the start of a line to demote it to a sub-point, Shift+Tab to promote it.
  4. Keep to a readable amount per slide — dense slides are a readability problem regardless of markup.

Customizing it (while staying accessible):

To change how bullets look across the whole deck, do it once in the slide master rather than per slide.

  1. View > Slide Master, and select the master (the top item) to affect all layouts.
  2. Click into the content placeholder’s bullet levels and use Home > Bullets to set the symbol per level.
  3. Set the font sizes per level in the same place, keeping body text large enough to read at distance.
  4. Close Master View — every slide using those layouts updates.

Avoid:

  • Manually typed dashes or symbols instead of the placeholder’s bullets
  • A separate text box per line
  • Reducing body text below roughly 18pt to fit more in

On this page

Content objects

Images, icons & screenshots

Accessible way: Give every informative image alt text describing its content or purpose, and mark purely decorative images as decorative so they are skipped.

Easiest way: Right-click the image > View Alt Text, then write one clear sentence.

Step by step (default):

  1. Insert > Pictures and place the image.
  2. Right-click it and choose View Alt Text (labelled Edit Alt Text in some versions).
  3. Write a concise description of what the image conveys, or tick “Mark as decorative” if it conveys nothing.
  4. For a screenshot carrying readable text, put that text on the slide or in the notes — alt text is not an adequate home for a paragraph.

Avoid:

  • Blank alt text on informative images
  • Filenames or unedited auto-suggestions as alt text
  • Screenshots of tables or quotes with no text equivalent anywhere
  • Text placed directly onto a photograph without a solid or darkened overlay behind it

Charts & SmartArt

Accessible way: Add one summary alt text to the whole object describing what it shows, and make sure the data is distinguishable without relying on colour.

Easiest way: Select the object as a whole — not an inner shape — then View Alt Text.

Step by step (default):

  1. Insert the chart or SmartArt and add your data or text.
  2. Click the object’s outer border so the whole object is selected.
  3. Right-click > View Alt Text and describe the trend or relationship, not each element.
  4. Turn on data labels (Chart Design > Add Chart Element > Data Labels) so values are readable without interpreting colour.
  5. For an important chart, state the key figures in the body text or notes as well.

Customizing it (while staying accessible):

Restyling is fine, but re-check the alt text afterwards if the change alters what the graphic communicates.

  1. Use Chart Design > Change Chart Type, or SmartArt Design > Change Layout, for a different presentation.
  2. Where series are distinguished only by colour, add patterns or markers as well (Format Data Series > Fill > Pattern Fill).
  3. Re-open View Alt Text and update the description if the message has changed.

Avoid:

  • No alt text on the overall object
  • Legends where colour is the only differentiator
  • Pie charts with many similar slices distinguished only by shade

Tables

Accessible way: Keep tables small and simple, with a header row, and use them only for genuinely tabular data. PowerPoint’s table accessibility is weaker than Word’s, so complex data is better summarised on the slide and supplied in full as a separate document.

Easiest way: Insert > Table, then confirm Header Row is ticked in Table Design.

Step by step (default):

  1. Insert > Table and set the size.
  2. With the table selected, go to Table Design and confirm “Header Row” is ticked in Table Style Options.
  3. Put real column labels in the first row.
  4. Keep it to what fits legibly on the slide — if it does not fit, it belongs in a handout.

Avoid:

  • Merged or split cells
  • A table used to position content on the slide
  • Pasting a large spreadsheet range onto a slide

Free-floating text boxes & shapes

Accessible way: Use placeholders instead wherever possible. Where a shape genuinely is needed, give it alt text if it carries meaning, and place it correctly in the reading order.

Easiest way: Reach for Home > Layout first — most cases where a text box seems necessary are covered by an existing layout.

Step by step (default):

  1. Before drawing anything, check whether a built-in layout provides the region you need.
  2. If a shape is genuinely required, insert it, then right-click > View Alt Text and describe it, or mark it decorative.
  3. Open the Reading Order pane and place the shape at the right point in the sequence.
  4. Confirm the slide reads correctly with Read Aloud.

Avoid:

  • Text boxes as the primary way of building slides — their content does not appear in Outline View and carries no structure
  • Decorative shapes left unmarked, so they interrupt the reading order

On this page

Media, motion & links

Embedded video & audio

Accessible way: Any video containing speech needs synchronised captions. Provide a transcript as well, and make sure playback is user-controlled rather than automatic.

Easiest way: Attach a .vtt caption file through Playback > Insert Captions — no re-encoding needed.

Step by step (default):

  1. Insert > Video and place the file on the slide.
  2. Select the video, go to the Playback tab, and choose Insert Captions.
  3. Select your .vtt caption file. It can be produced from a transcript with any caption tool.
  4. On the same tab, set Start to “When Clicked On” rather than automatically.
  5. Put the transcript in the speaker notes, or supply it alongside the deck.

Customizing it (while staying accessible):

Where the visuals carry information the audio does not describe, an audio description or a detailed text alternative is needed in addition to captions.

  1. Write a description of the essential visual content that is not spoken.
  2. Supply it as a separate audio-described version of the video, or as a full text alternative distributed with the deck.
  3. Reference its location in the speaker notes so whoever presents the deck knows it exists.

Avoid:

  • Uncaptioned video with spoken content
  • Auto-playing media with no way to pause it
  • Auto-generated captions used without review — accuracy is usually well below what is acceptable

Animations & transitions

Accessible way: Keep motion minimal and under the presenter’s control. Avoid auto-advancing slides, looping motion and anything that flashes.

Easiest way: Use a single subtle transition applied to the whole deck, and no entrance animations at all.

Step by step (default):

  1. Transitions tab > pick one subtle transition (Fade or Push), then Apply To All.
  2. In the Timing group, leave “On Mouse Click” ticked and “After” unticked so nothing advances on its own.
  3. Avoid entrance and emphasis animations on content. Where a build is genuinely needed to stage an explanation, keep it to a simple appear triggered on click.
  4. Check Slide Show > Set Up Slide Show and confirm the deck is not set to loop continuously.

Avoid:

  • Auto-advance timings, which remove the reader’s control over pace (WCAG 2.2.1)
  • Looping or continuous motion with no way to stop it (WCAG 2.2.2)
  • Flashing or strobing effects (WCAG 2.3.1)
  • Spin, bounce and zoom effects, which can trigger vestibular reactions

Accessible way: Select descriptive text first, then add the link, so the visible text names the destination.

Easiest way: Select the text and press Ctrl+K.

Step by step (default):

  1. Type and select text describing where the link goes.
  2. Press Ctrl+K, or Insert > Link.
  3. Paste the address and click OK.
  4. For a deck likely to be printed or presented rather than clicked, include the plain URL in the speaker notes rather than as the visible link text.

Avoid:

  • “Click here”, “read more”, or a bare URL as the visible text
  • The same link text pointing at different destinations

Speaker notes

Accessible way: Use the notes pane for extended descriptions of complex visuals, and for anything a presenter needs to say aloud. Notes are available to screen reader users reading the file.

Easiest way: Click into the notes pane below the slide and type.

Step by step (default):

  1. View > Notes, or click the notes pane beneath the slide.
  2. Add a fuller description of any chart or diagram whose alt text had to stay brief.
  3. Keep essential information on the slide as well — notes supplement the slide, they do not replace it.

Avoid:

  • Putting information that the audience needs only in the notes
  • Treating the notes pane as a substitute for alt text

On this page

Deck-wide settings

Colour, contrast & font size

Accessible way: Body text needs at least 4.5:1 contrast against its actual background. In decks this is usually a theme problem rather than a per-slide one, so fix it in the theme. Size text for the room, not the screen.

Easiest way: Set the theme colours once so every slide inherits compliant combinations.

Step by step (default):

  1. Identify the text and background colours your theme actually produces, and test each pairing against 4.5:1.
  2. Where a pairing fails, adjust it in Design > Variants > Colors > Customize Colors so the fix applies deck-wide.
  3. Set body text no smaller than roughly 18pt, and titles proportionally larger. This is a readability requirement for presentation, not a WCAG threshold.
  4. Add labels, symbols or patterns anywhere colour alone currently carries meaning.

Customizing it (while staying accessible):

Brand palettes frequently fail contrast. The workable compromise is usually to keep brand colours for large display text and decorative fills, and use a compliant near-black for body text.

  1. Test each brand colour as body text on each background it will appear on.
  2. Reserve any failing combination for large headline text or non-informative fills only.
  3. Define the compliant set as a custom theme (Design > Variants > Colors > Customize Colors, then Save) so the deck and future decks inherit it.
  4. Record the tested combinations somewhere the team can reuse them.

Avoid:

  • Applying the brand palette without testing any combination
  • Text placed on a photograph without a solid or heavily darkened overlay
  • Pale grey body text on white, a very common theme default
  • Shrinking text below 18pt to fit more content

Deck settings — language & title

Accessible way: Set the language so screen readers pronounce content correctly, and fill in the deck’s Title property so it is announced meaningfully instead of by filename.

Easiest way: Review > Language, and File > Info — one dialog each, done once.

Step by step (default):

  1. Select all content on a slide, then Review > Language > Set Proofing Language, and set the correct language.
  2. Repeat for any passage written in a different language so it is tagged individually.
  3. Go to File > Info and enter a meaningful Title in the Properties panel.

Avoid:

  • Leaving the language as whatever the template author’s system was set to
  • A blank Title property, which leaves assistive technology announcing the filename

The slide master

Accessible way: Make global decisions once in the slide master — fonts, sizes, bullet levels, placeholder positions, theme colours. This is the highest-leverage place to build accessibility into a deck, and into every deck made from the same template.

Easiest way: View > Slide Master, make the change on the master itself, then close Master View.

Step by step (default):

  1. View > Slide Master.
  2. Select the top item in the left pane to change every layout at once, or an individual layout to change just that one.
  3. Set fonts, sizes, bullet levels and placeholder positions.
  4. Confirm each layout includes a title placeholder.
  5. Close Master View — existing slides using those layouts update automatically.

Customizing it (while staying accessible):

If your team produces decks repeatedly, fixing the template is worth more than fixing any single deck.

  1. Build the master with compliant theme colours, adequate font sizes and a title placeholder on every layout.
  2. Remove layouts that encourage bad practice, such as blank layouts with no title.
  3. Save the file as a PowerPoint template (.potx) via File > Save As.
  4. Distribute it as the team’s starting point so accessibility is the default rather than a remediation task.

Avoid:

  • Making the same manual change on every slide instead of once in the master
  • Leaving layouts in the master that have no title placeholder