Overview

This lesson will address how to add alt text (or alternative text) to images in MS Word.

If you need to review the purpose of alt text or when to add alt text versus when to mark an image as decorative, revisit the Accessible Design Concepts micro-course.

Core Concepts

New Features

Microsoft Word is undergoing some updates which have led to some inconsistency in what options you may have when entering alt text. In the past, marking an image as decorative was not an option. However, new versions of Word have started to include that option.

Whether you are able to mark an image as decorative will depend on which version of Word you are using. If you're unable to mark an image as decorative then we recommend avoiding decorative images as much as possible.

Another new feature Microsoft is beginning to offer is machine generated alt text. While this is an intriguing option, please remember that the alt text should provide description and function. Machine generated alt text is rarely accurate or appropriate.

Image Position

Often, when people add images to a document they select to wrap the text around the image. By wrapping text around an image, screen readers will skip over it. To ensure screen readers do not skip over an image, it needs to be in line with text, which means the image is on its own line. From there you can position the image to the left, right, or center.

Adding Alt Text in Older Versions

Follow these steps to add alt text to an image in Word.

Right click on the image or navigate to the image and select Shift + F10.
Select ‘Format Picture’ (keyboard shortcut: O).
If the Format Picture pane opens on the right side of your screen, navigate to Layout & Properties.

Or if the Format Picture frame opens as a pop-up, select Alt Text from the bottom of the menu.
Enter your alt text into the description field, not the title.

Newer Versions (Office 365)

Right-click the object and select 'View Alt Text'.
Type your alt text into the description field. If the image is purely decorative, you can check 'Mark as decorative' instead.
Additional Resources:
How To: Write Good Alt Text

Check an Image for Alt Text

When alt text is added to an image you will not see it. To check if an image has alt text follow the steps for adding alt text. If alt text is present it will be viewable in the description pane. From there you can edit it as needed.

Check Your Understanding:

Which of the following conditions is an example of an accessible image in Word?

A. The image contains text and no alt text.

Incorrect.
Ideally an image will not contain text, but if it does the text needs to be provided in the alt text.

B. The image is inline with text and includes descriptive alt text.

Correct.

C. The image is wrapped by text and includes descriptive alt text.

Incorrect.
If text is wrapped around an image a screen reader may ignore it.

Video Supplements

Improve Accessibility with Alt Text (2 mins)

A short video by Microsoft showing how to add alt text to images in Word.

Video: Improve Accessibility with Alt Text (opens new tab)

Additional Resources

Are you using a different version of Office? Check out Microsoft's set of instructions for adding alt text (opens new tab) in various versions of their products.