The Accessibility Checker

The Accessibility CheckerThe Accessibility Checker

The Accessibility Checker scans your entire document for common accessibility violations and provides a dedicated task pane with one-click fixes, ensuring your publications are fully readable by screen readers and comply with WCAG 2.1 guidelines.

Running the Accessibility CheckerAccessibility Checker Button

  1. Go to the Review ribbon tab.

  2. Click Accessibility Checker.

  3. The Accessibility task pane slides out on the right and scans across all pages.

What It ChecksWhat It Checks

The checker flags three types of issue:

  • Missing Alt Text (High severity) — Images without a descriptive alt attribute. Screen readers will be unable to describe these to visually impaired users.

  • Low Colour Contrast (High severity) — Text and background colour combinations that do not meet WCAG 2.1 minimum contrast ratios.

  • Illogical Heading Structure (Medium severity) — Detects missing H1 headings, skipped heading levels (for example, jumping from H1 directly to H3), and pages with no headings at all.

Fixing IssuesFixing Issues

For each flagged issue, the task pane shows a colour-coded severity indicator (red for high, orange for medium), a description of the problem, and a Fix Issue button that instantly navigates to the offending element and triggers the appropriate repair workflow — for example, opening the Alt Text dialog for a missing alt attribute, or applying a high-contrast theme for a contrast failure.

Auto-Fix Missing TitlesAuto-Fix Missing Titles

The scanner can automatically generate and insert an H1 page title on any page that is missing one, directly from the Fix Issue button — no manual editing required.