Creating Accessible PowerPoint Documents

Make your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities. An accessible PowerPoint presentation provides better clarity for everyone.

PowerPoint Accessibility Checklist

Slide Layout

Start with an accessible or approved template from your organization or agency.

  • Themes provide built-in layouts and a logical reading order for screen reader users.
  • Go to Home → Layout and choose a structured layout.
  • Adding custom text boxes can break the reading order.

Slide Titles

When each slide has a unique title, screen reader users can quickly differentiate the slides.

  • Give every slide a title.
  • Use the Title placeholder.
  • It's okay if you want to hide the title visually.
    • To hide a title, set the title placeholder as "Hidden from View" or position it off the slide canvas.
    • To hide all the slide titles, adjust the master slide of your theme.

Reading Order

A person using a screen reader wants to understand the content in an order that preserves meaning.

  • To check the reading order, go to Home → Arrange → Selection Pane
  • Reorder the objects to match the visual, logical flow.
  • The title should be first.

Images & Alt Text

All meaningful images must include descriptive alternative text (alt text) so that a person who uses a screen reader can understand the meaning.

  • Right-click (Shift + F10) the image → Edit Alt Text
  • Describe the purpose of the image, not just what it looks like. Keep descriptions concise. Don't start with "image of" or "photo of".
  • Good alt text example: "Line chart showing a 20% increase in WCAG compliance over three months"
  • If the image doesn't add meaning, mark it decorative.

Color & Contrast

  • Text needs sufficient contrast against the background color. Aim for a text contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1.
  • Parts of graphics required to understand the content need a contrast of at least 3:1 with adjacent colors.
  • Don't use color alone to convey meaning since not everyone can distinguish all colors. (e.g., "items in red are overdue")
  • Pair color with text or symbols (e.g., "overdue items are marked in red with an asterisk") 

Lists

  • Create lists using list formatting.
  • Don't type dashes, asterisks, or numbers yourself. This doesn't create a "real" list.

Tables

  • Use tables for data (not layout)
  • Include header rows
  • Avoid merged or split cells
  • Keep structure simple

Links

Animation

  • Keep Animations simple and short
    • Appear and Fade are simple.
    • Avoid complex effects like Bounce and Spin
    • No Flashing
  • Avoid Automatic Timing
    • Set animations to On Click
    • No automatic or timed transitions since some users need more time to understand content.
  • Some users won't see the animation
    • If animation provides meaning, provide the meaning in text for users who are blind or have low vision. 

Embedded Media

  • If the slides have embedded videos, the videos must have closed captions
  • If the slides have audio content, provide transcripts

Accessibility Checker

Microsoft PowerPoint has a built-in tool to help find accessibility issues.

  • Go to Review → Check Accessibility
  • Fix identified issues

Note: The Accessibility Checker can catch many issues, but a final manual review is essential.

Export PowerPoint To PDF (optional)

  • We recommend sharing the original PowerPoint file when possible instead of a PDF.
  • If you export to PDF, you must make the PDF accessible.

Thank you for making your PowerPoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities.

For additional guidance, visit Microsoft's official PowerPoint accessibility support page.

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