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Accessibility:

5.Converting Word to PDF

On this page:

    Introduction

    When you save or export a Word document as a PDF, it is important to keep all your accessibility work in place. If done incorrectly, you can lose:

    • alt text
    • heading structure
    • reading order

    This makes the PDF harder to use for screen reader users.

    An accessible PDF helps everyone read, navigate, and understand the content.

    How to save or export a PDF file

    1. First, make sure you've followed all the document accessibility steps.
    2. Go to 'File > Save As' or 'File > Export'.
    3. Choose PDF or Create a PDF/XPS Document.
    4. Select Options (before saving) and make sure 'Document structure tags for accessibility' is ticked.
    5. Save your PDF.

    After saving:

    • Open the PDF and check the layout, tables, and heading structure look the same.
    • You can also open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro (if available) to run a more detailed accessibility check, including alt text and reading order.
    Find out more about exporting and saving documents as PDFs on the Microsoft website

    Headings

    Why?

    Headings break content into clear sections. They help people scan and find what they need without reading everything.

    For screen reader users, headings are essential. Screen readers read them out first, so users can jump to the part they need.

    Use Word’s built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3, etc). This adds code that screen readers can understand, just using bold or big text doesn’t do this.

    Our heading structure standard is as follows:

    • Heading 1 – document title
    • Heading 2 – main sections
    • Heading 3 – sub-sections

    How

    1. Click on the text you want to make into a heading (like a title or section name).
    2. Go to the Home tab at the top of Word.
    3. In the toolbar, find the Styles section.
    4. Click on Heading 1 for your main title, Heading 2 for main sections, and Heading 3 for sub-sections.

    Summary

    Use the Word ‘heading styles’ feature on the ‘home’ tab in the ‘styles’ area to create your headings and subheadings.

    Don’t use bold text or increase the size of text to make a heading.

    Read more about using headings on the Microsoft website

    Images

    Why?

    Alt text (short for “alternative text”) is a brief description of an image. It helps people who can’t see the image understand what it shows. If an image has ‘alt text’, you will see it when you hover your cursor over an image.

    Screen readers use alt text to describe images to people who are blind or have visual impairments. Without it, the image has no meaning to them. It also helps people who turn off images to save data or load pages faster.

    Alt text should clearly describe the image’s content or purpose, for example:

    “Council logo” or “A dog catching a ball”.

    How

    1. Right-click the image.
    2. Select ‘Edit Alt Text…’ from the menu.
    3. In the Alt Text pane, type a short description of the image.

    Summary

    Add ‘alt text’ to every image in your word document.

    Don’t leave images with no alt text – screen reader users will only hear ‘Image 1’.

    Read more about using alternative text on the Microsoft website

    Colour contrast

    Why?

    Colour contrast is about making sure there’s enough difference between text and its background. If the contrast is too low (for example, light grey text on a white background) it can be hard to read, especially for people with visual impairments.

    Poor contrast can stop people from accessing the information completely — especially in documents, posters, and online content.

    How

    1. Select the text you want to change.
    2. Go to the Home tab.
    3. Click the Font Colour button (it looks like an “A” with a coloured line underneath).
    4. Choose a dark colour (like black, navy, or dark green) for text on a light background.
    5. If you're using a dark background, choose a light text colour (like white or pale yellow).

    Summary

    Use high contrast colour (such as black text on a white background) and easy read fonts (such as Arial and Helvetica).

    Don’t use light coloured text on light backgrounds (such as grey or yellow text on a white background).

    Don’t use red and green combinations (for example red text with a green background/highlight) this can be very hard to read especially for those with colour blindness.

    Read more about using colour and contrast for accessibility on the Microsoft website

    Tables

    Why?

    Tables help organise data clearly, but only when they’re set up properly. If a table isn’t structured with headers, or is just used to line up content visually, screen readers can’t understand it.

    Screen readers expect tables to contain data, with clear headings and structure. Without this, the information becomes confusing or meaningless to people who rely on assistive technology.

    A header row tells the screen reader what each column means, it’s read out before the rest of the table, so the user understands the context of the information.

    Accessible tables help people:

    • who use screen readers or keyboard navigation.
    • with cognitive impairments who benefit from clear layout.
    • using mobile devices or smaller screens where a table might be squashed to fit the screen.

    How

    1. Go to the Insert tab and click Table to add a new table.
    2. Go to the Table Design tab (it appears when you click on your table).
    3. Tick the box for Header Row (this is usually already selected).
    4. Add clear, short headings to each column by typing directly into your header rows.

    Summary

    Only use tables to display data.

    Make sure all tables have ‘header rows’ and are labelled correctly and in the correct order.

    Don’t leave table cells empty or unlabelled.

    Don’t use a table to organise information (for example using a table just to line up a list of photos and text.

    Read more about creating tables on the Microsoft website

    Document language

    Why?

    Screen readers pronounce words based on the language set in the document. If the wrong language is set, it can confuse users who rely on screen readers.

    Setting the correct language also helps Word’s spell checker find mistakes and suggest the right corrections.

    For all users, having the right language set improves reading flow and understanding. It supports people with learning difficulties and helps voice recognition tools work better.

    How

    1. Select the text or press 'Ctrl’ + ‘A’ on your keyboard to select the whole document.
    2. Go to the Review tab.
    3. Click Language, then select Set Proofing Language.
    4. Choose the ‘English (United Kingdom)’ option.
    5. Click OK to apply.

    Summary

    Make sure the document language is set to ‘English (United Kingdom)’.

    Don’t skip setting the language.

    Don’t use American spelling.

    Read more about setting up or changing language settings on the Microsoft website

    Link text

    Why?

    Clear link text helps everyone read and understand your document more easily. It makes it faster to skim and builds trust in the content.

    Screen readers often read links as a list. If every link says “click here,” it’s confusing and not helpful. Also, full web addresses (URLs) can be long and hard to follow when read aloud.

    Using descriptive link text tells users exactly where the link will take them, making the document easier to use for everyone.

    How

    1. Highlight the text you want to turn into a link.
    2. Right-click and select Link (or press ‘Ctrl’ + ‘K’ on your keyboard).
    3. In the address box, paste or type the URL.
    4. Make sure the link text describes the destination or action — for example, “View the council’s homepage” instead of “click here.”

    Summary

    If you are adding links to a document, clearly state where that link will lead the user to.

    Use language such as ‘Find out more on the NHS website’.

    Make sure you are inserting the links through the Word feature and not just typing out the URL.

    Don’t just use ‘Click here’.

    Don’t use the full URL link.

    Read more about adding links into documents on the Microsoft website

    Bulleted and numbered lists

    Why?

    Using Word’s built-in list tools helps screen readers recognise lists easily. This means users who rely on assistive technology can understand the structure and follow the content better.

    Lists also improve readability and make documents easier to scan for everyone.

    How

    1. Highlight the text you want to turn into a list.
    2. Go to the Home tab.
    3. Click the Bullets button for a bulleted list, or the Numbering button for a numbered list.

    Summary

    Use Word’s in-built bullet pointed list feature.

    Don’t manually create lists or bullet points using full stops or numbers.

    Read more about creating bulleted and numbered lists on the Microsoft website

    Filenames

    Why?

    A clear filename helps users know what the document is about before opening it. It also makes finding the document later much easier.

    Giving your document a good filename saves time and reduces confusion for everyone.

    How

    1. When saving your document for the first time, type a clear, descriptive name in the File name box.
    2. Use words that describe the content, like ‘Monthly Budget Report 2025’ instead of just ‘Report’.
    3. If you need to rename a saved document, right-click the file in your folders and select Rename.

    Summary

    Make sure your document has a clear and accurate filename.

    Don’t leave the document with a default title such as ‘Document1’ or ‘New document’.

    Don’t leave staff names or version history in the filename.

    Read more about adding details such as title, date and author to your document on the Microsoft website

    Word’s ‘Accessibility Checker’

    Why?

    Word’s built-in Accessibility Checker helps you spot issues that could make your document hard to use for someone with a disability.

    It highlights problems like missing alt text, unclear link wording, or poor colour contrast — so you can fix them before sharing your document.

    You can also use Word’s Read Aloud tool to hear how the content sounds. This gives you a better sense of what a screen reader user might experience.

    How

    1. Go to the Review tab in Word.
    2. Click Check Accessibility — Word will scan your document for any issues.
    3. A panel will appear on the right showing a list of things to fix. Click each one for tips on how to fix it.
    4. To hear your document read aloud, click Read Aloud in the Review tab.
    5. Listen for anything that might sound confusing or unclear — then make changes if needed.

    Summary

    Use the Word ‘Accessibility Assistant’ to double check your work.

    Don’t assume your document is accessible just because it looks good.

    Read more about how to use the accessibility checker on the Microsoft website

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