To check the accessibility of your PDF document, we recommend using the following tools that
your readers will use. Even if you do not have access to those tools, Adobe Acrobat provides an
automated way to check the accessibility of a PDF file. The Full Check/Accessibility Check
feature in Acrobat checks a PDF for many of the characteristics of accessible PDFs. You can
choose which accessibility problems to look for and how you want the results reported.
1. Choose Tools > Accessibility.
The Accessibility toolset is displayed in the secondary toolbar.
2. In the secondary toolbar, click Full Check/Accessibility Check.
The Accessibility Checker Options dialog box is displayed.
3. In the Report Options section, select options for how you want to view the results. You
can save the results as an HTML file on your system, or attach the results file to the
document itself.
4. Select a page range if you prefer to check individual page
5. Select one or more of the Checking Options.
6. Click Start Checking. The results are displayed in the Accessibility Checker panel on the
left, which also has helpful links and hints for repairing issues. If you created a report in
step 2, the results are available in the selected folder.
Because the Full Check/Accessibility Check feature cannot distinguish between essential
and nonessential content types, some issues it reports don’t affect readability. It’s a good
idea to review all issues to determine which ones require correction.
The report displays one of the following statuses for each rule check:
● Passed: The item is accessible.
● Skipped By User: Rule was not checked because it wasn't selected in the Accessibility
Checker Options dialog box.
● Needs Manual Check: The Full Check/Accessibility Check feature couldn't check the item
automatically. Verify the item manually.
● Failed: The item didn't pass the accessibility check.
Note: These steps pertain to features found in Adobe Acrobat DC, not Adobe Reader.
1. Run the Make Accessible Action Wizard
2. Add text to your document
3. Use a document title
4. Set the document language
5. Add alternative text for images
6. Add a tag structure
7. Recognize form fields, add tooltips to form fields, and add tags to form fields
8. Use table headers
9. Check the reading order
10. Check for appropriate color contrast
1. Run the Make Accessible Action Wizard
The Make Accessible Action Wizard in Adobe Acrobat DC will guide you through the steps of
making your PDF accessible. Each step will prompt you to add accessibility information that may
have been missing from your PDF. At the end of the process, Acrobat DC will run a full