Free tool

Is this PDF accessible?

An annual report, a form, a menu: if the PDF has no structure, a screen reader reads it as a jumble or not at all. Drop it here and see what is missing, and how to fix it in the software you used.

The PDF is read by your browser and never leaves your computer: nothing is uploaded, nothing is kept. Confidential documents are fine.

What makes a PDF accessible

A PDF is accessible when a screen reader, a magnifier or a phone can find its real text, in the right order, with the role of each piece: this is a heading, this is a list, this image means that.

Tags

The hidden structure

Tags (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, figures) are what screen readers follow. Without them, the text is read in whatever order it was drawn.

This is the most important check.

Real text

Not a photo of text

A scanned page is an image: nobody can search it, copy it or have it read aloud.

Fix: OCR (text recognition), or export again from the original file.

Title and language

Two properties

The title is announced when the file opens (instead of “rapport_final_v3.pdf”); the language gives the right pronunciation.

Both take a minute to set.

How to fix it, by software

Microsoft Word

  • Use the Heading 1, Heading 2 styles, real lists and simple tables with a header row.
  • Images: right-click › View Alt Text.
  • File › Info › Properties: fill in the Title. Review › Language for the language.
  • Review › Check Accessibility.
  • Windows: File › Save As › PDF › Options… › tick Document structure tags for accessibility. Mac: choose Best for electronic distribution and accessibility. Avoid “Print to PDF”: it removes the tags.

Google Docs

  • Use the Heading styles in order, real lists, and alt text on images (right-click › Alt text).
  • File › Download › PDF document. Since 2025 Google Docs adds tags for headings, lists, links and alt text.
  • Set the title and language afterwards if they are missing (Acrobat), or go through Word: File › Download › Microsoft Word, then save as PDF from Word.

Adobe InDesign

  • Map your paragraph styles to tags (Edit All Export Tags: H1, H2, P).
  • Alt text: Object › Object Export Options › Alt Text. Reading order: the Articles panel.
  • File › File Info: title. Export › Adobe PDF: tick Create Tagged PDF, and in Advanced, Display Title: Document Title and the language.

Canva

  • File › Accessibility › Edit text semantics to mark headings and paragraphs; add alt text to each image.
  • Download as PDF Standard with Flatten PDF unticked (flattening removes everything).
  • Canva PDFs are rarely complete: for a long document, check the result here and finish in Acrobat, or build the text in Word.

Adobe Acrobat Pro

  • Scanned: Scan & OCR › Recognize text.
  • No tags: Accessibility › Automatically tag PDF, then correct with the Reading Order tool.
  • File › Properties › Description: title; Initial View: Show: Document Title; Advanced: language.
  • Accessibility › Accessibility Check for the full report.

What a machine cannot check

This tool reads the structure of the file. It cannot tell whether the reading order makes sense, whether an alt text actually describes the image (“image1.png” counts as present), or whether a colour alone carries meaning. After the fixes, listen to the document once with a screen reader (NVDA is free on Windows, VoiceOver is built into Mac and iPhone), or ask someone who uses one.

For the colours of your document, try our colour contrast checker. For a web page, our page accessibility check.