Images need alternative text

PDF/UA check FIGURE_ALT_TEXT · Figures & images · severity Critical · PDF/UA 8.2.5.28 Figure

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Why it matters#

Images need text descriptions so blind users understand their content. Without alt text, screen readers either skip the image entirely or announce 'image' with no context.

What you will see#

A Figure element has no alternative text, so screen readers announce "image" with nothing else, or skip it.

How to fix#

Add an Alt entry to the Figure structure element describing the image's content, or an ActualText entry if the figure represents specific text. If the image is purely decorative, remove the Figure tag and mark the content as an artifact. In Acrobat: Reading Order tool > right-click the figure > Edit Alternate Text.

Step-by-step guide#

1. Open All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Fix reading order (the Reading Order tool), right-click the flagged figure on the page, and choose Edit Alternate Text.
2. Write a concise description of what the image conveys in context - its meaning, not the words 'image of' - and save.
3. Alternative path: if the figure represents specific text (a scanned word, stylized text rendered as graphics), set ActualText instead via the Accessibility tags panel > select the Figure tag > Properties > Tag tab > Actual Text. Either Alt or ActualText satisfies ISO 14289-2 8.2.5.28.2.
4. If the image is purely decorative, do not describe it: select it with the Reading Order tool and click Background/Artifact to remove it from the structure tree entirely.
5. To work through many figures at once, use All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Set alternate text (classic: Accessibility > Set Alternate Text), which steps through every figure lacking a description.

Verify: Re-run the EQChecker scan: FIGURE_ALT_TEXT errors should drop to zero. Acrobat's accessibility check should pass Figures alternate text.

Note: Per ISO 14289-2 8.2.5.28.2, a Figure carrying ActualText must sit inside the semantically appropriate block-level element. Decorative content belongs outside the structure tree as an artifact, not behind empty or filler alt text. Avoid duplicating an adjacent Caption verbatim as Alt - describe what the caption does not already say.

Fixing it in your authoring tool#

WCAG success criteria#

1.1.1 Non-text Content — Level A#

All non-text content (images, icons, controls) needs a text alternative that conveys the same purpose, or be marked decorative so assistive tech can ignore it.

Understanding 1.1.1

Standards#

This check contributes to the following standards:

PDF/UA WCAG A EN 301 549

References#

• W3C — PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.1
• Adobe InDesign — Create accessible PDFs
• Microsoft — Make your Word documents accessible