Tables need header cells

PDF/UA check TABLE_HEADERS_EXIST · Tables · severity Critical · PDF/UA 8.2.5.26 Table

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Why it matters#

Tables without headers are just grids of data with no context. Users cannot understand what each column or row represents without header cells.

What you will see#

A table has no TH cells at all, so it is announced as an undifferentiated grid of values.

How to fix#

Retag the cells that label rows or columns from TD to TH (typically the first row or first column). If the table genuinely carries data with no header cells, confirm this manually and leave it; if it is a layout table, remove the Table tagging and retag the content directly.

Step-by-step guide#

1. Look at the table on the page and identify which cells label the others: typically the first row (column headers), the first column (row headers), or both.
2. Open All tools > Prepare for accessibility > Fix reading order (the Reading Order tool), click in the table, right-click the table region, and choose Table Editor.
3. Right-click each labeling cell, choose Table Cell Properties, and change Type from Data Cell to Header Cell.
4. While in the dialog, set the Scope (Column for top-row headers, Row for first-column headers, Both where applicable) so the new TH cells immediately satisfy the association rules.
5. Repeat for every header cell, including headers repeated on continuation pages of multi-page tables.
6. If the table is a layout table (used only to position content, no data relationships), remove the table tagging instead: change Table to Div, retag cell content as P or other semantic types, and delete the TR/TD shells.
7. If the table is a genuine data table that truly has no header cells, no retagging is required; record the manual confirmation, since this finding needs human review rather than an automatic fix.

Verify: Re-run the EQChecker scan and confirm TABLE_HEADERS_EXIST passes or is dispositioned as reviewed. Acrobat's accessibility check should pass Tables > Headers, and expanding the table in the Accessibility tags panel should show the TH cells.

Note: PDF/UA-2 8.2.5.26 NOTE 3 explicitly acknowledges that some tables do not have headers, so a missing TH is not automatically a violation; the SHALL requirements about Scope and Headers only apply when a table contains header cells. EQChecker therefore raises this as a finding requiring confirmation that the table carries data, not as a hard PDF/UA-2 failure.

Fixing it in your authoring tool#

WCAG success criteria#

1.3.1 Info and Relationships — Level A#

Structure and relationships conveyed visually (headings, lists, tables, labels, groups) must also be available programmatically.

Understanding 1.3.1

Standards#

This check contributes to the following standards:

PDF/UA WCAG A EN 301 549

References#

• W3C — PDF Techniques for WCAG 2.1