Microsoft PowerPoint

Use the following tips to create a document that is accessible to readers with a variety of disabilities.

Use the built in Accessibility Checker

Before you start you should turn on the accessibility checker built into Microsoft PowerPoint. This will flag any issues that come up as you work so that you can resolve them immediately without making the same error more than once.

• To manually launch the Accessibility Checker, select Review > Check Accessibility. The Accessibility pane opens on the right, and the Accessibility tab appears at the top. You can now review and fix accessibility issues as you work.
• At the bottom of the Accessibility pane, you will find a link to the Help content about making documents accessible. Review the information and use it as a guide to ensure the content you add to this template follows accessibility best practices.
• How to improve accessibility with the Accessibility Checker

Give every slide a title

A person with a visual disability that uses a screen reader relies on the slide titles to know which slide is which.

• Select Review > Check Accessibility. On the Accessibility tab, expand the Slide Title menu by selecting the dropdown.
• The options that appear depend on whether a title placeholder exists or not, and what element is selected on your slide. If you do not want a title to appear in your presentation, delete the title placeholder, expand the Slide Title menu, and choose Add Hidden Slide Title. It will be positioned off-slide, be read by a screen reader, but will not appear in your presentation.
• How to title a slide in PowerPoint

Set the reading order of slide contents

When you create slides, putting the objects in a logical reading order is crucial for screen reader users to understand the slide.

• Select Accessibility > Reading Order Pane. When the screen reader reads the slide, it reads the objects in the order they are listed in the Reading Order pane.
• In the Reading Order Pane, you can change the order by selecting an item name in the list and using the up and down arrows to change the order, or you can click on an item name in the list and drag it to a different position in the list.
• How to create slides with an accessible reading order

Choose Colours and Contrast Carefully

Check for high color contrast and use simple backgrounds. Increasing color contrast makes viewing easier for those with vision impairments.

• Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.0 recommend a minimum ratio of 4.5:1 for large text and 7:1 for other text and images. For example, avoid light gray text on a white background, or text over top of a multicoloured photographic background.
• See Best Practices: Choose Colours and Contrast Carefully for more details.
• To check contrast, use the following tool: WebAIM contrast checker: This is a website that allows you to enter values to get a pass/fail rating based on WCAG compliance.

Use simple tables for data, not for layout

A table should read in a logical order so it can be read aloud by assistive technologies. The key to making an accessible table is to create concise descriptive headings and to add Alt Text that summarizes the table.

• Avoid blank cells, merged cells and nested tables as these approaches make the table difficult to navigate by keyboard, and illogical when read with a screen reader.
• The first row of the table should be designated as a header row.
• In Microsoft products you can also add Alt Text that will help users understand the structure. To access the alt text, select the table, right click, and choose Table Properties > Alt text.
• How to use table headers in PowerPoint

Add alternative text to visuals

Alternate text allows you to add textual descriptions to images or other visual elements so people using assistive technologies such as screen readers can hear an audio description of what is represented.

• After inserting an image, select the image and right click to choose View Alt Text. In the dialogue box that appears, add, or edit a description.
• If an image is decorative and not important to understanding the content, select the box next to “Mark as decorative” in the View Alt Text options (see Best Practices: Describe Images Using Text for more details).
• How to write effective alt text

Write Descriptions for Links

Hyperlinks to websites or online resources need to include a full description of the destination.

• Using the complete URL address as the hyperlink text (for example https://www.google.ca) can be confusing when read by a screen reader, especially if it is lengthy.
• A common error is to use phrases like “Click here” as the display texts for hyperlinks, which does not include a description of where the link goes or its function.
• If the title on the hyperlink's destination page gives an accurate summary of what’s on the page, use it for the hyperlink text.
• How to add a hyperlink to a slide in PowerPoint

Use text labels for charts and diagrams

Ensure the chart style you choose includes text labels, does not depend on only colour to comprehend, and that the colour contrast is appropriate.

• Select the chart, right click, and choose View Alt Text to add or edit a text description that will help screen reader users understand the content of the chart.
• Depending on the complexity of your chart, it may be advantageous to build it in Excel using the following tutorial and then import it into PowerPoint: How to Create more accessible charts in Excel

Use accessible font formatting

To make your document easy to read, consider font type, size, spacing and alignment. Fonts that are too small or too decorative may not be readable by some users.

• Use left-aligned text when possible. Justified text is more difficult to read because of the extra space between words.
• Use “sans serif” fonts with sufficient spacing between letters (e.g. Arial, Verdana, Helvetica, Century Gothic).
• Use fonts at least 24 points in size for body text.
• Avoid using italics as it can make text harder to read.
• Only use underline for hyperlink text to help users be certain when text is a link.
• Avoid or limit the use of capital letters for whole words and headings. Dyslexic readers may find lowercase letters easier to read, and excessive use of capital letters can cause crowding and make the text appear to run together.
• Increasing line spacing slightly helps avoid crowding the text, making it easier for dyslexic individuals to track lines.
• How to use accessible font format and colour in PowerPoint

Add captions to audio and video

Make your presentation more inclusive to people who are deaf or hard of hearing by adding captions and subtitles in videos and audio.

• How to add closed captions or subtitles to media in PowerPoint

Use subtitles when delivering a presentation

When delivering a presentation, enable the Always Use Subtitles checkbox on the Accessibility tab. PowerPoint will use the microphone to listen to you speak and use an AI-powered service to convert the speech into captions displayed on the screen as you present.

• How to Present with real-time, automatic captions or subtitles in PowerPoint