Creating Accessible Excel Documents

How to create accessible Excel files

Making Excel files accessible helps everyone understand your data, no matter how they learn. Use these simple steps to make your Excel documents easy for everyone to use.

Spreadsheet Structure

Tables

To make a table accessible, the most important rule is to keep the layout simple and use clear column headers.

Screen readers read tables by counting the grid cells. If you split cells, merge cells, or hide one table inside another, the software will get confused and messed up. Blank cells are also a bad idea, because they can make a screen reader think the table has completely ended.

Using clear row and column headers tells the reader exactly where they are. It also shows how all the information in the table connects.

Headers

Using headers allows those using screen readers to navigate content more easily and to structure the content.

Add headers to a new table

1. Select the cells you want to include in the table
2. On the Insert tab in the ribbon, select Table
3. Select the My table has headers check box and select [OK]
4. Type new, descriptive names for each column in the table
   

Add headers to an existing table

1. Position the cursor where you would like the header row to be in the table
2. On the Table tab in the ribbon, select the Header Row check box
3. Type in the desired column headings
   

Sheet Tabs

Screen readers use the tab sheet names to give the user information about what is on each worksheet. This provides a way to navigate and understand the content of the sheet. To assist in this navigation, give all sheet tabs unique names and remove blank sheets.

To rename a sheet tab

1. Right-click the desired sheet tab and select Rename
2. Type a brief, unique name for the sheet

Spreadsheet Content

Visuals and Tables

Alternative text (alt text) helps everyone understand the visuals in your Excel sheet. It’s a brief description of the content of the visual, table, etc., that’s conveyed to the user via a screen reader.

Add alt text to visuals

The following steps provide instructions for adding alt text to images, graphs, SmartArt, and PivotCharts:

1. Right-click the visual, select “Edit Alt Text…”
2. Type the alt text in the Description field along with a title.
3. It is recommended to keep alt text to 125 characters or fewer, as most screen readers break text up into blocks of 125 characters.  For especially complex charts or equations, a link to an extended text description should be used.

Add alt text to tables

The following steps provide instructions for adding alt text to tables:

1. Right-click the table
2. Select Table > Alternative Text
3. Type the alt text in the Description field as well as a title.

Accessibility Checker

Steps for using the Accessibility Checker are the same as for Word Documents.