Accessibility Wiki

The document needs a title

PDF/UA check DOC_TITLE · Document level · severity Low · PDF/UA 8.11.1 Metadata

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Why it matters

The document title appears in browser tabs and screen reader announcements. Without a meaningful title, users cannot identify the document when switching between windows or bookmarking it.

What you will see

The PDF has no title set in its metadata, so viewers and screen readers fall back to the file name.

How to fix

Set a descriptive document title in the XMP metadata (dc:title) and the document information dictionary (/Title). In Acrobat: File > Properties > Description > Title.

Step-by-step guide

  1. Open File > Properties > Description in Acrobat Pro and enter a meaningful, human-readable title that identifies the document (the cover title, not the filename).
  2. Save the file. Acrobat writes the title to both the document information dictionary (/Title) and the XMP metadata (dc:title); PDF/UA-2 clause 8.11.1 requires the dc:title entry in the Metadata stream of the document catalog.
  3. If the file was produced by an older generator that only sets /Title, confirm the XMP side: File > Properties > Description > Additional Metadata should show the same title in Document Title (dc:title); re-saving from the Description tab keeps both in sync.
  4. Fix at the source where possible: set the title in the authoring application (Word: File > Info > Title; InDesign: File > File Info) before exporting to PDF, so future exports keep it.
  5. Pair this fix with the Display Document Title viewer preference (File > Properties > Initial View > Show: Document Title) so viewers show this title instead of the filename - that setting is validated separately by rule METADATA_DISPLAY_TITLE.

Verify: Re-run the EQChecker scan; DOC_TITLE should now pass. Acrobat's accessibility check should pass the Title rule.

Note: The check fails on a missing or empty title. Avoid placeholder titles such as 'untitled', version strings, or the raw filename - the title is announced by screen readers when switching between documents. Note: EQChecker reads the document information dictionary /Title, while the standard's formal 8.11.1 requirement is dc:title in XMP - keep both populated and in sync so the scan and the standard are both satisfied.

Fixing it in your authoring tool

Tool Steps
Adobe Acrobat Pro File → Properties → Description → Title.
Adobe InDesign File → File Info → Document Title, then re-export.
Microsoft Word File → Info → Title (or File → Properties → Summary), then re-export to PDF.

WCAG success criteria

2.4.2 Page Titled — Level A

Each page needs a descriptive that identifies its topic or purpose.</p> <p><a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Understanding/page-titled.html">Understanding 2.4.2</a></p> <h2 id="standards">Standards<a class="heading-anchor" href="#standards" aria-hidden="true">#</a></h2> <p>This check contributes to the following standards:</p> <p><span class="std-tag" data-std="pdf-ua">PDF/UA</span> <span class="std-tag" data-std="wcag-A">WCAG A</span> <span class="std-tag" data-std="EN-301-549">EN 301 549</span></p> <div class="table-wrap"><table> <thead> <tr> <th>Standard</th> <th>Criteria</th> </tr> </thead> <tbody><tr> <td>PDF/UA-2 (ISO 14289-2:2024)</td> <td>8.11.1 Metadata</td> </tr> <tr> <td>EN 301 549 (non-web documents)</td> <td>10.2.4.2</td> </tr> </tbody></table></div> <h2 id="references">References<a class="heading-anchor" href="#references" aria-hidden="true">#</a></h2> <ul> <li><a href="https://www.w3.org/WAI/WCAG21/Techniques/#pdf">W3C — PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.1</a></li> <li><a href="https://helpx.adobe.com/acrobat/using/create-verify-pdf-accessibility.html">Adobe — Create and verify accessible PDFs</a></li> </ul> </article> <footer class="md-footer"> <span>Generated from <code>@app/a11y-engine</code> rule metadata.</span> <a class="back-top" href="#main">Back to top ↑</a> </footer> </main> <aside class="toc" aria-label="On this page"><div class="toc-title">On this page</div><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#why-it-matters" data-toc="why-it-matters">Why it matters</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#what-you-will-see" data-toc="what-you-will-see">What you will see</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#how-to-fix" data-toc="how-to-fix">How to fix</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#step-by-step-guide" data-toc="step-by-step-guide">Step-by-step guide</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#fixing-it-in-your-authoring-tool" data-toc="fixing-it-in-your-authoring-tool">Fixing it in your authoring tool</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#wcag-success-criteria" data-toc="wcag-success-criteria">WCAG success criteria</a><a class="toc-link toc-h3" href="#2-4-2-page-titled-level-a" data-toc="2-4-2-page-titled-level-a">2.4.2 Page Titled — Level A</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#standards" data-toc="standards">Standards</a><a class="toc-link toc-h2" href="#references" data-toc="references">References</a></aside> </div> <script src="/wiki/a11y-rules/assets/wiki.9c7b1306b8.js" defer></script> </body></html>