Make your presentation work with a screen reader

Some people who are blind or have very low vision use a screen reader on their computer. Rather than reading text visually and seeing the graphics, they navigate through the content to have it read aloud or presented in braille. To make your presentation work with a screen reader, do the following:

1. Check the spelling so that the screen reader can pronounce all the content properly. The Spelling button on the Accessibility ribbon tab will step through all spelling errors in the presentation, except in alt text and captions. Make sure to check the spelling in those places as well.

2. Include a unique and meaningful title on every slide. Screen reader users rely on it to know where they are in the presentation. Use the Slide Title button on the Accessibility ribbon tab:

   • If you have no object selected and you select the Slide Title button, it will select the title object and go into text edit mode on it so you can make changes to the title if you want to.

   • If there is no title object, the Slide Title button will create a new one and go into text edit mode on it so that you can type the title. If you don’t want the title to show up on the slide when you are presenting, simply move the title object so that it is outside the slide bounds.

   • If you want to take another text box or shape and make that the title, select the object and then select the Slide Title button. You can do this even if there is already a title object. Note that groups and objects in a group cannot be made into a title.

   • Select the dropdown arrow next to the Slide Title button for more options.

     Tip: Switch to Outline View to verify that the slide has the title that you want. The title appears in bold to the right of the slide icon.

3. Ensure the objects on the slide are in a logical reading order. Otherwise the content might not make any sense to a screen reader user. Select the Selection Pane button on the Accessibility ribbon tab. When the screen reader reads this slide, it reads the objects in the reverse order they are listed in the Selection Pane. To change the reading order, drag and drop items to the new location.

4. Add alt text to all graphical objects including pictures, SmartArt, charts, and groups. Screen reader users rely on the alt text to understand the content since they cannot see it. To add alt text:

   1. Select the Alt Text button on the Accessibility ribbon tab.

   2. Type a description for the object. See Everything you need to know to write effective alt text for more information.

5. If the objects are just for visual interest and are not informative, mark them as decorative instead of adding alt text. When reading the slide in Slide Show with a screen reader, the objects will be skipped. Select one or more objects and then select the Mark as Decorative button.

6. If you have a diagram or illustration that is made of many objects, group the objects, and then add alt text to the group. Select the objects and select the Group button on the Accessibility ribbon tab. The screen reader user can understand the content much better with a description of the whole rather than all the parts. Also, it will take you less time to describe the whole and not every part.

7. For tables, specify column header information to make it easier to read with a screen reader. Select Insert Header Row to insert a new row at the beginning and make it the header. Or if you just want to make the first row into the header, select the Header Row item in the dropdown next to the Insert Header Row button. The dropdown also has Insert Header Column and Header Column commands. Also use a simple structure without merged or split cells. You might need to use Merge Cells or Split Cells as described in Merge, split, or delete table cells to restore the table to a simple structure. 

8. Add meaningful hyperlink text. People who use screen readers sometimes scan a list of links. Links should convey clear and accurate information about the destination. For example, instead of linking to the text Select here, include the full title of the destination page. You can even use the URL of the page if it's short and descriptive, for example, www.microsoft.com. Select the hyperlink and select the Link Text button the Accessibility ribbon tab to set the hyperlink text.