Create an accessible PDF from Word

Open Word’s navigation pane and read the headings as an outline. Does the document’s organisation make sense? Are visible headings missing? Bold text alone may not appear in the outline. Apply the appropriate heading style and adjust the style’s appearance instead of formatting each heading individually.

Next, examine content whose meaning can be lost. Use actual lists for lists and tables for data. Tabs and spaces can align columns visually without creating cell relationships. Avoid unnecessary merged cells and identify units. Readers should be able to interpret a value without reconstructing the entire page.

Assess each image’s purpose. Informative images need descriptions; purely decorative images do not need lengthy accounts of their appearance. Where chart data is available in a table, the image alternative can explain the main pattern and identify that table. Check that the reference still works in the PDF.

Run Word’s accessibility checker while the source is easy to repair. Read errors and warnings, but supplement them with editorial judgement. The checker may detect missing alternative text. It cannot independently establish whether “chart” adequately explains a significant budget decision.

• Use heading styles for headings and list functions for lists.
• Keep tables as simple as the content allows and identify header rows.
• Write clear link text and review image descriptions.
• Set the language and document title.
• Run Word’s accessibility checker and address its manual review questions.

In Microsoft’s current Windows instructions, choose Save As or Save a Copy, select PDF and open Options. Ensure “Document structure tags for accessibility” is selected. Labels vary by language and version. Do not substitute a print workflow without verifying that it preserves the required structure.

On Mac, Microsoft describes “Best for electronic distribution and accessibility”, which uses an online service. The document is sent to Microsoft for conversion, so restricted material needs an export route permitted by your organisation. The option’s name does not establish that the resulting file has passed review.

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Long tables may repeat headers across page breaks. That helps visually, but inspect the exported structure and header associations on the continuation page. Test a cell immediately after the break, rather than only the first row of the table.

Floating images and text boxes can appear at unexpected points in the reading sequence. Follow the introductory paragraph, image and caption in the PDF. If the order is wrong, investigate placement and anchoring in the source. A visual move in the PDF does not automatically repair logical structure.

Content pasted from Excel or another application can become an image, embedded object or actual text and table content depending on the workflow. Establish which you received. A table screenshot may be convenient to position but does not offer cell exploration. If used as an image, provide its information appropriately, for example through a real table.

Links and cross-references also deserve review after substantial editing. A contents entry can display the correct heading while pointing elsewhere after merging or processing. Activate links into different parts and inspect their destinations. Update source fields before final export where the workflow requires it.

Apply the correct heading style in the source. Export again and inspect whether the text received the correct H tag. Changing its font size alone does not repair the problem.

Inspect headings, tables, language, descriptions and links in the exported file. Complete a practical reading task too. Record export settings and application version with the checked file. The next export may need fresh assessment even when the template is unchanged.

Run a small recipient test: find a section using headings, read a table value with its headers and open a link. If headings are missing in the PDF despite a correct Word outline, investigate export. If the outline was already wrong in Word, the cause is earlier in the workflow. That distinction determines where a durable fix belongs.

Keep the working export settings with a short checklist for this document type. In the next edition, pay particular attention to new content types, such as a table or inserted appendix. A previously successful export is a useful starting point, but changed content needs another assessment.

Build recurring content into a template with deliberate heading levels, lists and common table formats. Give editors short instructions. A template helps only if the person updating it understands the difference between a heading style and manually enlarged text.

Keep a small sample containing your usual content types. After an Office upgrade or export-route change, export it again and compare results. This can reveal changes before they affect a large delivery.

Record known limitations too. If a table type requires post-export repair, the next editor should know before choosing it. Improve the source and method to reduce exceptions. Documentation should make the working approach repeatable without dependence on the previous exporter.