How to check a PDF for accessibility
No single tool can certify a PDF as accessible. A sensible check combines an automated scan, the checker built into your PDF software, and a short manual review.
1. Automated scan
The free checker on this site reads your PDF in your browser and reports on the title, language, tags, headings, image alternative text, table headers, bookmarks and whether pages contain real text. Files are not uploaded.
2. Acrobat accessibility check
In Acrobat Pro, open All tools → Prepare for accessibility → Check for accessibility (older versions: Tools → Accessibility → Accessibility Check). It lists failures and items that need a manual check. Menu names vary by version.
3. PDF Accessibility Checker (PAC)
PAC is a free Windows tool that checks PDFs against PDF/UA and WCAG criteria and includes a screen reader preview. It checks but does not repair.
4. A screen reader test
Open the file with a screen reader such as NVDA (free, Windows) and listen to the first page. If headings, lists and tables are announced sensibly and the reading order makes sense, you have found out what automated tools cannot.
What automated tools cannot reliably judge
- Whether reading order is logical.
- Whether alternative text actually describes the image.
- Whether link text makes sense out of context.
- Whether colour contrast is sufficient (some tools, including PAC and Acrobat, flag possible problems for you to review).
- Whether a table's structure matches its meaning.
Questions
Is PDF/UA the same as WCAG?
They are related but different. WCAG can be applied to documents; PDF/UA is the PDF accessibility standard. The DOJ Title II rule names WCAG 2.1 Level AA, not PDF/UA. A well-tagged PDF helps with both.
Guides last checked 2026-10-18. General information, not legal advice. Menu names can differ between software versions.