Use the Accessibility Checker in Office Apps

You want to make sure a document, workbook, or presentation can be read by people using screen readers and other assistive tools — and fix the problems Office finds.

Why: The Accessibility Checker scans your file against a set of rules (missing alt text, low colour contrast, tables without headers, and so on), explains why each one is a barrier, and offers a fix you can apply in a couple of clicks. It groups findings into Errors, Warnings, and Tips so you know what to tackle first.

Step 1: Run the checker

The command lives on the Review tab in most apps.

1. In Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, go to Review > Check Accessibility.
2. In OneNote, go to View > Check Accessibility.

The Accessibility pane opens on the right and lists everything it found, grouped by severity.

Step 2: Work through the results

1. In the Inspection Results list, expand a category — start with Errors (the most serious), then Warnings, then Tips.
2. Click an issue to select the object it refers to (Office jumps to it in the document).
3. Click the down arrow next to the issue to open Recommended Actions.
4. Choose an action from the list — for example, Add a description for a missing image alt text — and Office applies the fix or opens the right dialog.

Work down the list until the pane shows no remaining errors and warnings.

Step 3: Keep the checker running as you work

So you catch problems while you write instead of all at once at the end:

1. In the Accessibility pane (or via Review > Check Accessibility), turn on Keep accessibility checker running while I work.
2. An Accessibility indicator appears in the status bar at the bottom of the window and updates live.
3. Click that status-bar indicator any time to reopen the pane.

FAQ

What’s the difference between an Error, a Warning, and a Tip? An Error makes content very hard or impossible to use (e.g. an image with no alt text). A Warning makes it difficult in many cases. A Tip is content that’s usable but could be organised better. Fix errors first.

Do I have to write alt text myself? For images, the recommended action lets you add a description, or you can mark a purely decorative image as decorative so screen readers skip it.

Does it work in Outlook? Yes — while writing an email you can run Check Accessibility from the message’s editing tools (on Mac it’s Edit > Check Accessibility).

Sources: Microsoft Support — Improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker