I’m constantly asked to turn accession files into outreach material and I keep losing time rewording for education sta…
Open the PDF document you want to check for accessibility.
Click the Tools tab at the top of the Acrobat window.
Scroll through the list and select Accessibility to add the Accessibility tools to your workspace if they are not already visible.
Best practiceIf you do not see the Accessibility tools, you may need to add them from the Tools pane as they are not shown by default.
In the Accessibility tools pane, click Full Check.
In the Accessibility Checker Options dialog, review the settings and click Start Checking.
Best practiceFor a thorough check, ensure all checkboxes are selected before starting the check.
Review the results displayed in the Accessibility Checker panel on the left side of the screen.
You can right-click in the Navigation Pane to show the Accessibility tags panel for more detailed tag inspection.
This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.
PDF accessibility means making sure your PDF files can be used by everyone, including people who use screen readers or other assistive technologies. It matters because it helps people with disabilities access information, and often it's required by law. An accessible PDF has a clear structure that assistive technologies can understand.
Yes, you can still make a scanned PDF accessible, but it takes more work. Scanned PDFs often lack any structure or text that assistive technologies can read. You will need to use Acrobat's auto-tagging feature, which uses smart technology to identify text and elements. After auto-tagging, you must carefully check and fix the reading order, add alt text, and ensure all content is correctly tagged. Fixing the original source document before scanning is always easier.
| Feature | PDF/UA | WCAG |
|---|---|---|
| Focus | Specific to PDF documents. It defines how a PDF must be structured for accessibility. | General guidelines for web content, applicable to many technologies, including PDFs. |
| Standard Type | A technical standard for PDF file format. | A set of guidelines for web content accessibility. |
| Use Case | Ensures the technical accessibility of the PDF itself. | Ensures the content within the PDF (and other web content) is accessible. |
Fixing the source document, like a Word file, before you make it a PDF is much better and saves time. When you create an accessible source document, the accessibility features (like headings, lists, and alt text) are often carried over automatically when you export it to PDF. This means less work fixing the PDF later, which can be very time-consuming, especially for complex documents. It's about preventing problems instead of just fixing them.