How do I add alt text to images in a PDF using Acrobat?

Run the Accessibility Checker. It will flag images that need alt text. Right-click the flagged image. Choose 'Edit Alt Text' and type a description.

Create Accessible Summary in Adobe Acrobat — How-to & AI prompts

AI prompts

2 ways to ask · copy any one

AExecute — “help me do it”Produce an accessible PDF version of a [client]'s art-history summary so colleagues with screen…+

Produce an accessible PDF version of a [client]'s art-history summary so colleagues with screen readers can review it—add accessibility tags and readable alt text for each image, then verify accessibility compliance.

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

BImprove — “do it better”Before I share the art-history with colleagues who use screen readers, make it genuinely…+

Before I share the art-history with colleagues who use screen readers, make it genuinely usable—write concise alt text describing each artwork's content and mood, add text summaries of visual patterns, ensure heading structure and reading order are correct, and run an accessibility verification report attached to the file.

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 for accessibility.
2
Click the Tools tab at the top of the Acrobat window.
3
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.
4
In the Accessibility tools pane, click Full Check.
5
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.
6
Review the results displayed in the Accessibility Checker panel on the left side of the screen.

In the appWith the API

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.

Glossary

words on this page

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.

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.

The real tasks

the one, listed here

Produce an accessible version of a client's art-history summary so colleagues with screen readers can review the material.

FAQ

about this task

PDF/UA is a specific standard just for PDF files. WCAG is a more general set of rules for making all kinds of web content accessible, not just PDFs. Many regulated documents need to follow both sets of rules to be fully accessible.

It is much easier and faster to make a PDF accessible if the original document (like a Word file) is already set up correctly. If you fix the source, the PDF you create from it will often be accessible from the start. This saves a lot of time compared to fixing a PDF after it has been made, especially if it was not tagged correctly.

Run the Accessibility Checker.
It will flag images that need alt text.
Right-click the flagged image.
Choose 'Edit Alt Text' and type a description.

Reading order is the path a screen reader follows to read the content of your PDF aloud. It matters because if the reading order is wrong, a screen reader might jump around the page or read things in a confusing way. This makes it hard for people using assistive technology to understand your document.

Yes, even scanned PDFs can be made more accessible with Acrobat. The 'Automatically tag PDF' feature uses smart technology to add tags to both native and scanned PDFs. It can identify headings, tables, lists, and paragraphs. However, you will still need to manually check and fix things like reading order and alt text for images, as automation is not perfect.

Create Accessible Summary

When to use it

AI prompts

How to do it

Glossary

The real tasks

Who does this

FAQ

Sources

Adobe help

Other guides