Creating Accessible PDFs with Adobe InDesign

Here is the exact start-to-finish workflow for generating an accessible PDF directly from InDesign. Order matters here, completing your metadata and styles before defining your reading order prevents you from having to rework the Articles panel later.

Step 1: Add Document Metadata

Before touching the layout, establish the document’s identity. Screen readers rely on the document title, not the file name (e.g., “Draft_v3.pdf”).

1. Go to File > File Info.
2. Enter a clear, descriptive Document Title.
3. Tip: While you are there, fill in the Author (your organization name) and Description for better SEO and compliance.

Step 2: Map Paragraph Styles to PDF Tags

Every piece of text must have a Paragraph Style applied — no exceptions. Local formatting (highlighting text and just changing the font size) will not create a tag.

1. Double-click a Paragraph Style to open its options.
2. Navigate to Export Tagging at the bottom of the left menu.
3. Under the PDF section, map the style to the correct structural tag (e.g., map your main title to H1: Main document name (use only once), Heading 1 to H2, Heading 2 to H3, Bulleted Lists to List and body copy to P).
4. Repeat this for every style in your document.

Step 3: Manage Images: Alt Text and Artifacts

Screen readers cannot interpret images visually, so you must explicitly tell the software what the image is, or tell it to ignore the graphic entirely.

• For meaningful images: Select the image, go to Object > Object Export Options, click the Alt Text tab, change the dropdown to “Custom,” and write a concise description of the image’s function or content.
• For decorative elements: Select background shapes, line dividers, or purely aesthetic graphics. In the same menu, click the Tagged PDF tab and select Apply Tag: Artifact. This hides the item from the screen reader.

Step 4: Anchor Inline Objects: Essential for correct reading order

If an image or chart belongs with a specific paragraph, it must be anchored in the text flow. If it is just floating on the page, the screen reader will likely read it at the very end of the document.

1. Click the small blue square on the top edge of the image frame.
2. Drag and drop it into the text frame exactly where you want the screen reader to announce it.
3. The blue square will turn into an anchor icon.

Step 5: Define the Reading Order

By default, InDesign guesses the reading order based on the physical arrangement of text frames. The Articles panel lets you override this and dictate the exact linear path the screen reader should take.

1. Go to Window > Articles to open the panel.
2. Click the + icon to create a new Article (name it something like “Main Content”).
3. Drag your text frames, anchored images, and structural elements into the panel in the exact order they should be read.
4. Critical: Click the panel menu (hamburger icon) in the top right and ensure Use for Reading Order in Tagged PDF is checked.

Step 6: Export the PDF

The final step is ensuring your export settings actually embed all the structural work you just completed. You can export as either an Interactive or Print PDF, but Interactive is generally preferred for digital distribution as it handles hyperlinks more reliably.

1. Go to File > Export and choose Adobe PDF (Interactive) or Adobe PDF (Print).
2. In the General tab of the export dialog box, you must check the box for Create Tagged PDF.
3. If using Interactive, check Use Structure for Tab Order.
4. If using Print, ensure Bookmarks and Hyperlinks are checked and compatibility set to Acrobat 8/9.
5. Click Export.

Step 7: Verify PDF Accessibility in Acrobat Pro

Once you export from InDesign, Adobe Acrobat Pro becomes your verification and remediation environment. Even with a perfect InDesign export, Acrobat requires you to run its checker to validate the file and
handle a few settings that InDesign can’t force automatically.

1. Open your exported PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro.
2. Go to the Tools menu (top left) and locate the Accessibility tool (sometimes labeled Prepare for Accessibility depending on your exact workspace setup). Click Add to dock it to your right-hand pane, then open it.
3. In the right-hand pane, click Accessibility Check.
4. The Accessibility Checker Options dialog will appear. Leave the default options checked (ensure it’s checking against the “Adobe PDF” or “WCAG 2.1” standard) and click Start Checking.
5. The results will populate in a panel on the left side of your screen. Expand the Document category by clicking the plus (+) icon.

Step 8: Fix the Tab Order (Automatically)

“Tab Order” dictates the sequence in which interactive elements (and some assistive tech navigation) are processed when a user presses the Tab key. By default, Acrobat often flags this as “Failed” on new exports.

1. In the left-hand Accessibility Checker panel, find Tab order - Failed under the Document category.
2. Right-click directly on the error text.
3. Select Fix from the context menu.
4. Acrobat will automatically update the page properties to align the tab order with the underlying
5. document structure (the tags you built in InDesign). The red ‘X’ will turn into a green checkmark.

Step 9: Fix the Tab Order (Manually)

If the automatic fix fails or Acrobat throws a permissions glitch, you must force the setting manually.

1. Open the Page Thumbnails panel on the far left side of the screen (the icon looks like two overlapping pages).
2. Click any thumbnail, then press Ctrl + A (Windows) or Cmd + A (Mac) to highlight every page in the document.
3. Right-click on any of the selected thumbnails and choose Page Properties.
4. In the dialog box, click the Tab Order tab.
5. Select the radio button for Use Document Structure and click OK.
6. Return to the Accessibility Checker panel, right-click the Tab Order error, and select Check Again to clear it.

Why did this happen?

Even if you check “Use Structure for Tab Order” during the InDesign Interactive PDF export, Acrobat occasionally loses this metadata translation, especially in complex files or when exporting as a Print PDF. Fixing it tells Acrobat, “Trust the tag tree I built, not the visual layout.”

 

If more assistance is needed

Incident Request: If you still need help with something not working as it should or have questions, please contact the IT Help Desk or create a ticket using the "Incident Request" button on this page, or if there isn't one included then you can initiate it from the home page.

Service Request: A formal request from a user for something to be provided, information, advice, a standard change or access to an IT service, navigate to the Service Catalog to find the service you specifically would like to request.