How to Perform an Accessibility Check in Adobe Acrobat

Ensure your PDF documents are inclusive and compliant by running a full accessibility check. This guide walks you through identifying issues, adding alternate text for images, and manually verifying reading orders to meet accessibility standards.

Phillip Esparza
24 steps
8 minutes

Scribe for Windows

Adobe Acrobat

Open PDF. Click "Show Navigation Tab Strip" to check if file is tagged.

Run Accessibility Check

Click Run Accessibility Full Check.

Confirm that all radio button and boxes are check besides the "Attach report to document". Click Start Checking in the Accessibility Checker Options dialog.

Tag the Document

Click Autotag Document.

Click "Run Accessibility Full Check"

Click Start Checking in the Accessibility Checker Options dialog.

Fix Alternate Text

Expand Alternate Text (1 issue).

Expand Figures alternate text - Failed.

Add alt text to all figures (graphics). Right-click Figure 1 and select "Fix".

Enter alternate text for each Figure and click Save & Close.

Click Save & Close.

Review Accessibility Results

Expand Logical Reading Order - Needs manual check.

Click "Order"

Click and drag each element to place in order.

Expand Color contrast - Needs manual check. Right click for options.

Click "Pass" after manual review (if corrected).

Update Document Properties

Click on "File" menu. Click Properties to add file title.

Select the document title field. Title document here.

Click OK.

Optimize and Save

Click Optimize PDF.

Click Reduce File Size.

Select the file name field.

Click Save.

Click Close to exit Optimize PDF and close file. Now you can upload into the CMS, link and publish out page.