Alt Text in Word Documents

Alternative text (alt text) provides text descriptions of visual content for people who cannot see images. Screen readers announce this text, making visual content accessible to blind and low-vision users.

What This Means

Every image, shape, SmartArt graphic, and diagram in your Word document must have alternative text that describes its content or purpose. Without alt text, screen reader users have no way to understand what the visual content conveys.

Why It Matters

• 15% of the global population has some form of disability
• Screen reader users rely entirely on alt text to understand images
• Legal requirements (ADA, Section 508, AODA) mandate accessible documents
• Good alt text improves document usability for everyone

Common Violations

DOCX-01-001: Image Missing Alt Text {#DOCX-01-001}

What's Wrong: An image in the document has no alternative text. Screen readers will either skip the image entirely or announce only "image," providing no useful information.

Impact: Critical - Blind users cannot perceive the image content at all.

How to Fix:

1. Right-click the image
2. Select Edit Alt Text (or View Alt Text in newer versions)
3. In the Alt Text pane, enter a description in the text box
4. The description should convey the same information the image provides visually

Good Alt Text Examples:

• "Bar chart showing Q3 sales increased 25% compared to Q2"
• "Company logo: Beacon Accessibility"
• "Screenshot of the Settings dialog with Privacy tab selected"

Poor Alt Text Examples:

• "image" or "picture"
• "IMG_2847.jpg"
• "Chart"

DOCX-01-002: Image Has Empty Alt Text {#DOCX-01-002}

What's Wrong: The image has an alt text field, but it's empty or contains only spaces. This is functionally the same as having no alt text.

Impact: Critical - Empty alt text provides no information to screen reader users.

How to Fix:

1. Right-click the image
2. Select Edit Alt Text
3. If the alt text box is empty, add a meaningful description
4. If the image is purely decorative, check the Mark as decorative checkbox instead

When to Mark as Decorative:

• Decorative borders or dividers
• Background images that don't convey information
• Repeated logos (describe only the first occurrence)
• Images that duplicate adjacent text content

DOCX-01-003: Alt Text Does Not Adequately Describe the Image {#DOCX-01-003}

What's Wrong: The image has alt text, but it doesn't adequately convey the same information that sighted users receive from the image. Generic descriptions like "chart" or "photo" are not sufficient.

Impact: Serious - Users receive some information but miss the actual content.

How to Identify:

• Alt text is generic (e.g., "image," "photo," "chart")
• Alt text describes appearance rather than meaning
• Alt text is the filename
• Alt text doesn't include key data from charts or infographics

How to Fix:

1. Right-click the image and select Edit Alt Text
2. Replace generic text with a specific description
3. For charts and graphs, include the key data points or trends
4. For photos, describe the relevant content and context

Writing Effective Alt Text:

• Be specific and concise (usually 1-2 sentences)
• Describe the content and function, not just appearance
• Include relevant data from charts and graphs
• Don't start with "Image of..." or "Picture of..." - screen readers already announce it's an image

DOCX-01-004: Shape, SmartArt, or Diagram Missing Alt Text {#DOCX-01-004}

What's Wrong: A shape, SmartArt graphic, or diagram conveys information but has no alternative text.

Impact: Serious - Complex visual content is inaccessible to screen reader users.

How to Fix for Shapes:

1. Right-click the shape
2. Select Edit Alt Text
3. Enter a description of what the shape represents

How to Fix for SmartArt:

1. Click on the SmartArt graphic to select it
2. Right-click and select Edit Alt Text
3. Describe the overall concept and relationships shown
4. Include the text content from each element

How to Fix for Diagrams:

1. Select the diagram
2. Right-click and choose Edit Alt Text
3. Describe the diagram's purpose and key information
4. Consider providing a text alternative in the document body for complex diagrams

Example - SmartArt Alt Text: "Organization chart showing CEO at top, with three VPs (Sales, Engineering, Marketing) reporting to CEO, and two managers under each VP."

Using Microsoft's Accessibility Checker

Word's built-in Accessibility Checker can find most alt text issues automatically:

1. Go to Review tab
2. Click Check Accessibility
3. Look for "Missing alternative text" errors
4. Click each error to navigate directly to the issue
5. Use the Recommended Actions to fix issues quickly

Testing Your Fix

After adding alt text, verify it works correctly:

1. Use the Accessibility Checker to confirm no alt text errors remain
2. Read the alt text aloud - does it make sense without seeing the image?
3. Test with a screen reader (NVDA is free) to hear how it sounds
4. Have someone else review - alt text should make sense to someone who hasn't seen the image

Best Practices

• Be concise - aim for 125 characters or less when possible
• Be specific - "Sales increased 25% in Q3" not "chart showing data"
• Describe function - for buttons or linked images, describe what happens when clicked
• Use context - the same image might need different alt text in different contexts
• Don't be redundant - don't repeat text that's already in the document
• Mark decorative images - use the "Mark as decorative" option for images that don't convey information

Additional Resources

• Microsoft: Make your Word documents accessible
• WebAIM: Alternative Text
• W3C WCAG 1.1.1 Non-text Content