How do I use the Accessibility Checker in Adobe Acrobat to find problems in my PDF?

Open your PDF in Acrobat Pro. Go to All tools > Prepare for accessibility. Click Full Check (Accessibility Checker). Read the report to see what needs fixing.

What is the difference between PDF/UA and WCAG for PDF accessibility?

PDF/UA WCAG. PDF-specific standard Works for all web content Focuses on tagging and structure in PDFs Focuses on general accessibility rules Needed for official PDF accessibility Often required for websites and digital documents

Why should I fix accessibility in the original Word file instead of the PDF?

It is faster to add headings, alt text, and structure in Word. PDFs are harder and slower to fix after saving. Exporting an accessible Word file gives you a better PDF.

Verify PDF Accessibility in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

3 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Our staff [handbook] PDF must be accessible for the intranet by [deadline=Friday]. Run an…+

Our staff [handbook] PDF must be accessible for the intranet by [deadline=Friday]. Run an accessibility check, add missing tags, ensure headings are properly marked, add alt text to images, and produce a report of remaining issues for [team=IT].

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

BImprove — “do it better”HR will push back if the [handbook] isn’t usable by screen readers. Run a full accessibility…+

HR will push back if the [handbook] isn’t usable by screen readers. Run a full accessibility fix on the [handbook] PDF: add structural tags for headings and lists, supply meaningful alt text for all images, ensure reading order is correct, and produce a short report listing any complex tables or forms that still need manual review.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

CDecide — “help me choose”We need to publish the employee handbook to the intranet and must comply with accessibility…+

We need to publish the employee handbook to the intranet and must comply with accessibility standards, but the current PDF is a messy export from desktop publishing. Tell me how to assess the severity of accessibility failures, recommend whether to fix the PDF or recreate the document in Word/HTML, outline the steps and estimated effort for each option, and advise which approach best reduces legal risk while staying on our [deadline=two-week] publication timeline.

when the reply comes backPush once: ask it to sharpen the weakest part, and to say what it assumed.

How to do it

the tool · the steps · what to avoid

1
Open the PDF document you want to check in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2
Go to the Tools tab at the top of the window.
3
Scroll through the available tools and select Accessibility to add it to your Tools pane if it is not already present.
Best practiceIf you do not see the Accessibility tool, you can add it from the Tools tab for easier future access.
4
In the right-hand pane, click Check Accessibility.
5
In the Accessibility Checker Options dialog, select the desired checking options or leave the defaults.
6
Click Start Checking to begin the accessibility check.
7
Review the results in the left-hand Accessibility Checker panel, which will display any detected accessibility issues.
Best practiceRight-clicking on an issue in the results panel provides options for fixing or learning more about the problem.

In the appWith the API

You can double-click any issue in the Accessibility Checker panel to jump directly to the problem area in your PDF.

This runs in the Acrobat app - there is no separate API for this task.

Glossary

words on this page

TaggingAdding labels to parts of a document so screen readers can understand it.ExampleTagging a document helps visually impaired users navigate its content with a screen reader.

Alt textA short description for images so people who cannot see them know what they show.ExampleA person using a screen reader hears 'a red bicycle leaning against a brick wall' when they encounter the image.

Reading orderThe order in which a screen reader reads the content on a page, which should follow a logical flow.ExampleA screen reader follows the specified reading order to present the document's content logically.

FAQ

about this task

Open your PDF in Acrobat Pro.
Go to All tools > Prepare for accessibility.
Click Full Check (Accessibility Checker).
Read the report to see what needs fixing.

PDF accessibility means making sure everyone, including people with disabilities, can read and use a PDF. This is important because it lets people using screen readers or other assistive technology understand the document, and it is often required by law or company policy.

If your PDF is only a scanned image, the Accessibility Checker will not find real text or structure. You first need to use OCR (Optical Character Recognition) to turn the image into readable text. After that, you can run the Accessibility Checker, but you should check if the text is correct and add tags and alt text as needed.

PDF/UA	WCAG
PDF-specific standard	Works for all web content
Focuses on tagging and structure in PDFs	Focuses on general accessibility rules
Needed for official PDF accessibility	Often required for websites and digital documents

It is faster to add headings, alt text, and structure in Word.
PDFs are harder and slower to fix after saving.
Exporting an accessible Word file gives you a better PDF.

Verify PDF Accessibility

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

Other guides