Many accessibility experts recommend avoiding PDFs unless absolutely necessary. Unlike web pages, PDFs are often designed for print and do not “reflow” or adapt to different screen sizes.
Better Alternatives
- HTML/Web Pages. Highly accessible, responsive across devices, and preferred by most organizations.
- Accessible Word/Google Docs. Easier to create and navigate with assistive technology than a flat PDF.
- Web-Based Forms. Using Microsoft Forms or Google Forms provides a much smoother experience than fillable PDF forms.
- EPUB. The best format for long-form reading, as it allows users to customize fonts and sizing.
PDF Quick Start Guide (If You Must Use a PDF)
To be accessible, PDFs require a hidden “tag” layer that tells assistive technologies (like screen readers) how to navigate the content logically.
- Start with Source. Use accessible styles in Word or InDesign before exporting.
- Export, Don鈥檛 Print. Use “Save As PDF” or “Export” to preserve tags. “Print to PDF” strips them away.
- Add Metadata. Set a clear document title and primary language in the file properties.
- Alt Text.听Provide descriptive alternative text for all informative images.
- Test It. Use the Adobe Acrobat Accessibility Checker or a screen reader to verify the reading order.
PDF Courses & Tutorials
- Adobe Acrobat
Learn all about how to make accessible PDF files. Tutorials in the series range from the basics of tagging to working with forms.
This is the Accessibility series in course format on Experience League. In this course, learn how to create, check, and remediate PDFs for accessibility using Acrobat Pro, Premium, and Studio.
Check and fix accessibility issues.
InDesign offers a direct and simple workflow that dramatically reduces the time and effort required to produce accessible PDF documents from an InDesign layout. Most of the tasks are executed within InDesign, with only a few final steps required in Adobe Acrobat. This allows hierarchical and structural information to reside in the InDesign file, making updates faster and easier when you need to generate a revised accessible PDF document.
- (GSA)
U.S. General Services Administration. Section508.gov website. The Accessible Electronic Document Community of Practice (AED CoP) created this series of videos to explain and demonstrate the minimum steps needed to ensure your PDF is Section 508 conformant.