Alt text is a short description of the image that is read aloud by screen-reading software.
It is essential for users with visual impairments to help them understand the document.
If you copy and paste a graphic into a different Microsoft document, the alt text will be copied with the graphic.
Sometimes it isn’t necessary for a graphic to be read. For example, you might not want the logos in the footer to be read on every page. In this case, don’t add the alt text to the box. Instead, tick the box ‘Mark as decorative’. This will instruct the screen reader to skip this graphic without the altering the reader’s experience.
How to add alt text
- Select the graphic.
- Go to the Format tab and select Alt Text.
- An Alt Text panel will appear on the right-hand side.
- Type a detailed description into the alt text box. Make sure to finish with a full stop at the end. You don’t need to write “An image of…” or “Picture showing…” – the screen reading software will automatically introduce each image by saying the word “graphic”.
Read our full alt text guidelines