Introduction to PowerPoint Descriptive Text, Alt Text, and Hyperlinks

Ensuring Color and Other Visual Characteristics that Convey Information are Also Described in Text

In Module 3 of the How to Author and Test Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations for Accessibility video series, discover how to consider color and other visual characteristics, such as size, shape, and location, that are used to convey meaning when creating your presentation.

Source: Section 508 PowerPoint

Making Vital Background Information Accessible

In Module 9 of the How to Author and Test Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations for Accessibility video series, learn how to ensure that vital information, created as a watermark or placed in the Header or Footer of the slide, can be accessed by assistive technology.

Source: Section 508 PowerPoint

Adding Alternative Text to Images and Other Objects

In Module 7 of the How to Author and Test Microsoft PowerPoint Presentations for Accessibility video series, learn that Assistive Technology cannot infer meaning from images and other objects, such as pictures, images of text, images of tables, shapes, and icons with hyperlinks. Learn how to apply “alt text” to objects to ensure equivalent access to the information.

Source: Section 508 PowerPoint

Applying Alt text to Images (macOS 2016)

screenshot of the Format Picture window, emphasizing inserting Alt text in the Description field.

Images should be given appropriate alternative text in PowerPoint. This Alt text is read by a screen reader in a PowerPoint file and should remain intact when exporting to HTML or PDF.

Right-click on the image and choose Format Picture.
Select the Size & Properties icon and choose Alt Text.
Enter appropriate Alt text only in the Description field (not the Title field).

Source: NCDAE Cheatsheets

Applying Alt text to Images (Windows)

screenshot of Alt text tab

Images should be given appropriate alternative text in PowerPoint. This Alt text is read by a screen reader in a PowerPoint file and should remain intact when exporting to HTML or PDF.

Right-click on the image and choose Format Picture.
Select the Size & Properties icon and choose Alt Text.
Enter appropriate Alt text only in the Description field (not the Title field).

Source: NCDAE Windows Cheatsheets

Hyperlinks (MacOS)

screenshot of the Edit Hyperlink window, with the Display field highlighted.

PowerPoint automatically creates a hyperlink when a user pastes a full URL onto a slide and presses Enter or Space. These may not make sense to screen reader users or others, so make the link text descriptive.

Select a hyperlink, right click, and select Edit Hyperlink or hit ⌘ + k.
Change the text in the Text to Display field to a more meaningful description.

Source: NCDAE Windows Cheatsheets

Hyperlinks (Windows)

Screenshot of the Edit Hyperlink menu, highlighting the Text to Display field.

PowerPoint automatically creates a hyperlink when a user pastes a full URL onto a slide and presses Enter or Space. These may not make sense to screen reader users or others, so make the link text descriptive.

Select a hyperlink, right click, and select Edit Hyperlink or hit Ctrl + k.
Change the text in the Text to Display field to a more meaningful description.

Source: NCDAE Windows Cheatsheets

Sources

Secton508.Gov. "Module 2: Use Styles to Create Headings." Training. Accessed May 22, 2024. Section508.

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Learn about copyrighted government works.

National Center on Disability and Access to Education. “Creating Accessible PowerPoint 2016 Documents (Mac).” NCDAE Cheatsheets. Accessed February 2, 2026. NCDAE Cheatsheets.

National Center on Disability and Access to Education. “Creating Accessible PowerPoint 2016 Documents (Windows).” NCDAE Cheatsheets. Accessed February 2, 2026. NCDAE Cheatsheets

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