Before you send an Outlook email message or share a Word document, Excelspreadsheet, PowerPoint presentation, or OneNote notebook, run the Accessibility Checker to make your content easier for people to read and edit.
There is a new version of Accessibility Checker available for the Word desktop app and it will be soon available for other Office desktop apps including Outlook, Excel, and PowerPoint.
:
-
To learn more about the new Accessibility Assistant, go to Improve accessibility in your documents with the Accessibility Assistant.
-
To learn more about the real-time on-canvas notification of accessibility issues, go to Get real-time notification of accessibility issues while working on Microsoft 365 apps.
In this topic
Use the Accessibility Checker
-
Select the Review tab.
: In Outlook, you'll only see the Review tab when writing or replying to messages.
-
Select
: For Word, Excel, and PowerPoint desktops, select the lower half of the Check Accessibility button for more options.
-
In the Accessibility pane, review and address the findings under Inspection Results.
Apply recommended actions
In the Accessibility pane, you'll see a list of errors and warnings, with how-to-fix recommendations for each.
To quickly correct the issues, apply one of the recommended actions. For more information on how the findings are categorized, see Rules for the Accessibility Checker.
-
In the Accessibility pane, select an issue under Warnings or Errors. The list will expand and show the items and objects affected by the issue.
: Select the item or object to view the exact location of the affected item or object.
-
To address the issue, select the down arrow button next to it and open the Recommended Actions list.
-
To apply a fix, select an action from the Recommended Actions list. To view more options, select the right arrowbutton next to the action (if available).
-
Go through and resolve each issue under Warnings and Errors.
Don't see the Accessibility Checker?
If you don't see
-
Select the File tab and choose Info.
-
Select Check for Issues.
-
In the Check for Issues drop-down menu, select
-
The Accessibility Checker task pane will appear next to your content and show the inspection results.
-
Select an issue under Inspection Results to see why and how to fix an issue. This info appears under Additional Information.
See also
Check accessibility while you work in Office apps
Everything you need to know to write effective alt text
Use a screen reader with the Accessibility Checker
Make your content accessible to everyone
Make your content accessible to everyone with the Accessibility Checker
Use the Accessibility Checker
-
To launch the Accessibility Checker, do one of the following depending on the app you are using:
-
In Word, Excel, and PowerPoint, select Review and choose Check Accessibility.
-
In OneNote, select View and choose Check Accessibility.
-
In Outlook, while writing or replying to an email message, select Edit on the toolbar and choose Check Accessibility. If you don't see the button on the toolbar, you need to add it there manually. Select (See more items) and choose Customize toolbar. Then drag and drop the Check Accessibility button to the toolbar.
-
-
The Accessibility pane opens and issues are organized into Warnings, Errors, and Tips under Inspection Results.
For more information on the categorization, go to Rules for the Accessibility Checker.
-
Review and select an issue to see all affected items and objects.
-
Select an item or object to see why you should fix the issue and the steps to take to correct it.
See also
Everything you need to know to write effective alt text
Use a screen reader with the Accessibility Checker
Make your content accessible to everyone
Make your content accessible to everyone with the Accessibility Checker
Use the Accessibility Checker
To check your content for accessibility issues, do one of the following depending on the app you're using:
Microsoft 365 for the web apps except Outlook on the web
-
Select the Review tab and choose Check Accessibility.
-
The Accessibility pane will open to the right of the screen. Choose an option to view
For more information on how the findings are categorized, see Rules for the Accessibility Checker.
-
In the chosen category, select the to expand an accessibility issue to see all items and objects affected by the issue.
-
Select an item or object in the list to highlight the corresponding element, and then fix the issue. Address all issues in the errors and warnings categories.
-
When you're done, select Recheck to make sure you didn't miss anything.
Outlook on the web
-
When writing or replying to a message, select Options on the toolbar and choose Check accessibility. The Accessibility Checker pane will open.
-
Select Fix this to address an issue. For example, if the Accessibility Checker reported missing alt text, select Fix this to open the Add alternative text dialog box where you can type the alt text.
-
Address all issues and when you're done, select Check again to ensure you didn't miss anything.
See also
Everything you need to know to write effective alt text
Use a screen reader with the Accessibility Checker
Make your content accessible to everyone
Make your content accessible to everyone with the Accessibility Checker
Technical support for customers with disabilities
Microsoft wants to provide the best possible experience for all our customers. If you have a disability or questions related to accessibility, please contact the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk for technical assistance. The Disability Answer Desk support team is trained in using many popular assistive technologies and can offer assistance in English, Spanish, French, and American Sign Language. Please go to the Microsoft Disability Answer Desk site to find out the contact details for your region.
If you are a government, commercial, or enterprise user, please contact the enterprise Disability Answer Desk.
