New Components
Checking the accessibility of a Word Document
Checking the accessibility of a Microsoft Word document goes beyond a simple validation click. Due to the inherent limitations of automated tools, a rigorous audit requires a methodical approach combining software verification, structural inspection, and assistive technology testing
This guide presents a three-pass method designed to identify all defects, ranging from invisible mechanical errors to issues with reading order and visual rendering. It is then supported by a thematic audit checklist (ranging from document structure to general settings) classified by severity levels. Finally, the overall accessibility level of the document is determined by the most critical failure rule, ensuring that no major barrier penalizes users of assistive technologies.
On this page
When to Use
- For any Word document intended for internal or external distribution, to ensure compliance with accessibility standards (such as WCAG 2.2).
- Systematically before publishing or distributing a file, by strictly applying the three-pass method (automated check, structural inspection, and assistive technology testing).
- Whenever it is necessary to objectively determine a document's accessibility level (from Non-Accessible Level 0 to Accessible Level 3) using the audit checklist.
When not to use
- Never rely solely on Word's automated checker to validate a document's overall accessibility: a positive result from the built-in tool is a necessary starting point, but by no means sufficient proof.
- Complex data entry: do not use a text field for complex data requiring more structured input methods, such as dates or color pickers.
- Do not publish a document if a single 'blocking' item fails (Level 0), as the document would be unusable with assistive technologies, regardless of its score or visual appearance.
- Complex data entry: do not use a text field for complex data requiring more structured input methods, such as dates or color pickers. (Note: Repeated in the original text)
Modes of action
- Pass 1 — Automated Check: Use Word's built-in checker (Review > Check Accessibility) to first correct mechanical errors (missing alternative text, tables without headers, etc.).
- Pass 2 — Structural Inspection: Examine the hidden structure of the document using four key tools: the Navigation Pane, the Selection Pane (for floating objects), the display of paragraph marks (Ctrl+Shift+8), and the Styles Pane.
- Pass 3 — Rendering and Assistive Technologies: Test the user's actual reading experience using the Read Aloud feature, a real screen reader (such as NVDA), as well as by checking 200% zoom, color contrast, and the use of color to convey information.
- Severity Evaluation: Apply the thematic audit checklist and determine the final level of the document based on the most critical failure (Blocking, Major, or Minor) rather than a success percentage.
Part 1 — The three-pass method
Run the passes in order. Each one catches a different class of defect, and no single pass is sufficient on its own.
Pass 1 — Automated check
Word's built-in checker is the fastest way to clear the mechanical failures, and should always be run first so the manual passes aren't spent on things a tool can find.
How to run it:
- Open Review > Check Accessibility.
- Work through the Inspection Results pane; select each item to jump straight to it in the document.
- Use the "Additional Information" section at the bottom of the pane for the recommended fix.
- Re-run until the Errors and Warnings categories are clear.
What it reliably catches:
- Missing alt text on images and objects
- Tables with no designated header row
- Merged or split table cells
- Blank table rows or columns
- Non-descriptive hyperlink text (in recent versions)
- Missing document title
What it does not catch — and why the manual passes exist:
- Alt text that exists but is meaningless ("image1.jpg", or an unedited auto-suggestion)
- Headings faked with bold and a larger font instead of Heading styles
- Heading levels applied out of order
- Content trapped in text boxes, and floating objects that break the reading order
- Insufficient color contrast in most versions, and information conveyed by color alone
- Fully justified text, empty paragraphs used as spacing, and manually typed lists or page numbers
This is the central point to communicate to a client: a clean Accessibility Checker result is a necessary starting point, not evidence that the document is accessible.
Pass 2 — Structural inspection
This pass examines how the document is built, using four panes that expose structure the page itself hides.
The four views to open:
- Navigation Pane (View > Navigation Pane) shows the heading outline. If it is empty or missing sections, the document has no usable structure, regardless of how it looks.
- Selection Pane (Home > Find > Selection Pane) lists every floating object, including text boxes hidden behind other content. Every entry here needs inspecting.
- Paragraph marks (Ctrl+Shift+8) reveals empty paragraphs, manual line breaks, and tabs used for layout.
- Styles pane (Home > Styles, expand arrow) click through the document and watch which style is highlighted; body text showing "Normal" with manual bold where a heading should be is the most common structural failure.
Pass 3 — Rendering & assistive technology
The final pass tests what a reader actually experiences, and is the only way to confirm reading order and visual accessibility.
What to do:
- Run Review > Read Aloud from the very start and follow along on screen. Note anything read out of order, read twice, or skipped entirely.
- Where the stakes justify it, repeat with a real screen reader (NVDA is free) rather than Read Aloud, which is more forgiving than assistive technology in practice.
- Set zoom to 200% and check that nothing is clipped, overlapped, or pushed off the page.
- Test the contrast of body text, headings, and any text sitting on shaded table cells or colored backgrounds.
- Scan for anything distinguished only by color — status indicators, chart series, required form fields.
On this page
Part 2 — Audit checklist
Tick each item that passes. Severity is fixed per item and does not depend on how many instances fail: a single image missing alt text fails that Blocker item for the whole document.
Severity meanings:
- Blocker — the document cannot be used reliably with assistive technology. Publication should not proceed.
- Major — the document is usable but significantly degraded for some readers.
- Minor — a readability or good-practice issue that should be corrected in the next revision.
| Check | Severity | WCAG 2.2 |
|---|---|---|
| A. Structure & reading order | ||
| Every section title uses a built-in Heading style How: Open View > Navigation Pane. Every section should be listed. An empty or near-empty pane means the document has no real structure. |
Blocker | 1.3.1 |
| Heading levels run in order, with no skipped levels How: In the Navigation Pane, check the indent hierarchy - a jump from Heading 1 straight to Heading 3 shows as a gap. |
Major | 1.3.1, 2.4.6 |
| Reading order matches the visual order How: Use Review > Read Aloud from the top of the document and follow along. Anything read out of sequence, or skipped, is a finding. |
Blocker | 1.3.2 |
| No meaningful content sits inside a text box How: Home > Find > Selection Pane lists every floating object. Inspect each one; anything containing real content fails. |
Blocker | 1.3.2 |
| All images use "In Line with Text" wrapping How: Click each image and check Layout Options (the icon beside it) or review the Selection Pane. Square/Tight/Behind/In Front all fail. |
Major | 1.3.2 |
| Lists use real list formatting How: Click inside each list. The Bullets or Numbering button on the Home tab should appear highlighted. If not, the list is typed characters. |
Major | 1.3.1 |
| No empty paragraphs used to create spacing How: Press Ctrl+Shift+8 to show paragraph marks. Look for consecutive ¶ symbols with no text between them. |
Minor | 1.3.1 |
| B. Images & graphical objects | ||
| Every informative image has meaningful alt text How: Right-click each image > Edit Alt Text. Check the text actually describes content or purpose, not a filename or a vague auto-suggestion. |
Blocker | 1.1.1 |
| Decorative images are marked as decorative How: In the same Alt Text pane, confirm "Mark as decorative" is ticked for images that carry no information. |
Minor | 1.1.1 |
| No meaningful text is embedded inside an image How: Look for screenshots of tables, quotes, or diagrams containing readable text. Select the image and try to select the text - if you can't, it fails. |
Blocker | 1.4.5 |
| SmartArt and charts carry a summary alt text How: Select the whole graphic (not an inner shape) > Edit Alt Text. It should describe the relationship shown, not just list the shapes. |
Major | 1.1.1 |
| C. Tables | ||
| Every table has a designated header row How: Click in the table > Table Design tab > confirm "Header Row" is ticked in Table Style Options. |
Blocker | 1.3.1 |
| No merged or split cells How: Visually scan each table for cells spanning multiple columns or rows. |
Major | 1.3.1 |
| Header row repeats on tables spanning several pages How: Select the header row > Layout tab > check whether "Repeat Header Rows" is active. |
Minor | 1.3.1 |
| No table is used purely for page layout How: Ask whether the content is genuinely tabular. Side-by-side blocks of prose or image grids in a table fail. |
Major | 1.3.1 |
| D. Text & links | ||
| Link text describes its destination How: Scan every link. "Click here", "read more", and bare URLs all fail. |
Major | 2.4.4 |
| Body text contrast is at least 4.5:1 against its background How: Note the text and background hex values, then test them in a contrast checker. Pay attention to light grey body text and colored text on shaded table cells. |
Blocker | 1.4.3 |
| No information is conveyed by color alone How: Look for red/green status text, color-coded table cells, or chart series distinguished only by color, with no label, symbol, or pattern. |
Blocker | 1.4.1 |
| Text remains usable when zoomed to 200% How: Set the zoom slider to 200% and check nothing is clipped, overlapped, or pushed off the page. |
Major | 1.4.4 |
| Body text is left-aligned rather than fully justified How: Select body paragraphs and check the alignment buttons on the Home tab. (WCAG 1.4.8 is a AAA criterion - treat as a readability recommendation, not an AA failure.) |
Minor | 1.4.8 (AAA) |
| E. Document settings | ||
| The document language is set correctly How: Select all (Ctrl+A) > Review > Language > Set Proofing Language. Confirm it matches the actual language of the document. |
Blocker | 3.1.1 |
| Passages in another language are tagged individually How: Select each foreign-language passage and check its proofing language separately. |
Major | 3.1.2 |
| The document Title property is filled in How: File > Info > Properties. A blank Title means assistive technology announces the filename instead. |
Major | 2.4.2 |
| Page numbers, footnotes and the TOC use real fields How: Click on each. A real field highlights in grey when selected; typed text does not. |
Minor | 1.3.1 |
Part 3 — Determining the accessibility level
The level is set by the most severe category that fails — not by how many items pass. This is deliberate: counting items and expressing the result as a percentage would let a document with a broken reading order score above 90%, which misrepresents its actual usability.
| Level | Condition | What it means |
|---|---|---|
| Level 0 - Not accessible | One or more Blocker items fail. | Do not publish. The document is unusable in part or in whole with assistive technology. |
| Level 1 - Partially accessible | No Blocker fails, but one or more Major items fail. | Usable but degraded. Remediate before external distribution. |
| Level 2 - Substantially accessible | All Blocker and Major items pass; some Minor items fail. | Acceptable for distribution. Fix Minor items in the next revision. |
| Level 3 - Accessible | Every item passes. | Meets the checklist in full, equivalent to WCAG 2.2 AA applied to the document. |