How to check accessibility in Google Docs and Google Slides

By Caner Kaya, Kayabyte

Google Docs and Google Slides don’t have a built-in accessibility checker. Google gives you the tools to make a file accessible (alt text, headings, real lists, table heading rows, live captions in Slides, screen reader support) and a help page of tips, but checking the result is up to you. You can do that by hand, with a few free tools, or with an add-on.

Below is what Google offers, how to check the things it doesn’t, and what to know if you work for a US state or local government.

Does Google Docs have an accessibility checker?

No. Google’s help page Make your document, presentation, sheets & videos more accessible lists what to do, but nothing in Docs or Slides scans a file and reports problems. Microsoft Word has one (Review > Check Accessibility), which is one reason some people download a .docx to check it. The rest of this guide covers the manual way first.

How do I add alt text in Google Docs and Google Slides?

Alt text is what a screen reader says instead of “image”. Google’s steps (help page):

1. Select the image, drawing or chart.
2. Click Image options, then Alt text. Or press Ctrl + Alt + Y (Command + Option + Y on a Mac).
3. Type a description.

Some images get alt text automatically. Google says to check that it’s accurate. Write what the image shows or means in context, not the file name, and don’t start with “image of”.

You can’t mark an image as decorative in Google Docs or Slides, so every image needs a description (Reed College guide).

How do I use headings and the document outline?

Headings let screen reader users jump between sections, the way sighted readers skim.

1. Select the text.
2. Click Normal text in the toolbar and choose Heading 1, Heading 2 and so on.
3. Open View > Show outline to see the structure on the left (Google’s help).

Use one Heading 1 for the main title and don’t skip levels (Heading 2 straight to Heading 4).

What else does Google recommend?

From Google’s accessibility tips:

• Tables for data only, with a heading row. Don’t use tables to lay out the page.
• Link text that says where it goes, not “click here”.
• Real bulleted and numbered lists. Typing 1 and a period starts one automatically.
• Don’t rely on bold or color alone. Add a word such as “Important”.
• Large, left-aligned text. Justified text is harder to read.
• Headers, footers and page numbers in long documents.

Two settings Google’s tips page doesn’t cover but checkers look for: give the file a real name (it becomes the title a screen reader announces), and set the language with File > Language (Google’s help).

How do I check color contrast?

WCAG 2.1 success criterion 1.4.3 (level AA) asks for a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 for normal text and 3:1 for large text, which is at least 18 point, or 14 point bold (W3C).

Google’s help page quotes 7:1 and 4.5:1. Those are WCAG’s stricter AAA figures. Meeting them is fine, but AA is the level laws and policies usually refer to.

To check a color:

1. In Docs or Slides, select the text and find its hex code in the text color menu, under the custom color option.
2. Do the same for the background (page color, shape fill or slide background).
3. Enter both in the free WebAIM Contrast Checker. It shows pass or fail for AA and AAA, for normal and large text.

Text on top of a photo can’t be measured this way. Put it on a solid shape, or check it by eye in the lightest part of the image.

How do I check reading order in Google Slides?

A screen reader reads the objects on a slide in a fixed order, which isn’t always top to bottom. To check it (SUNY Oswego guide):

1. Click the top-left object on the slide.
2. Press Tab repeatedly. The order in which objects are selected is the order a screen reader reads them.
3. To change it, select an object and choose Arrange > Order. Send to back makes it the first thing read; Send backward moves it one step earlier.
4. Tab through again to confirm.

Sending an object to the back also moves it behind other objects, so check that nothing now covers it. In most cases the slide title should be read first. Use a layout with a title placeholder, and give every slide a different title, so screen reader users can move between slides by title.

How do I present Google Slides with captions?

Google Slides can show live captions of what you say (Google’s help):

1. Click Present.
2. At the bottom left, open More options > Captions preferences > Toggle captions. Or press Ctrl + Shift + C (⌘ + Shift + C on a Mac).

Captions need a working microphone, run in Chrome, Edge and Safari, aren’t stored, and have no punctuation. They’re machine-generated, so they won’t be perfect. Your administrator may have turned the feature off.

Live captions only capture your voice. If a slide has a video, check that the video has its own captions before you present.

How do I turn on screen reader support?

Google Docs, Sheets and Slides need screen reader support turned on to work well with NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver or ChromeVox (Google’s help):

• Choose Tools > Accessibility settings and tick Turn on screen reader support. The shortcut is Ctrl + Alt + Z (Command + Option + Z on a Mac).
• The same dialog has Turn on braille support for braille displays.

It’s also the best way to test your own file. Turn on a screen reader and listen to the document or presentation once before you share it.

For presentations, Google’s help also describes an HTML view that shows the whole deck as one scrollable page, which some screen reader users find easier: press Ctrl + Alt + Shift + P (Command + Option + Shift + P on a Mac) and share that URL (Google’s help).

What do the ADA Title II rules mean for my documents?

If you work for a US state or local government, such as public school districts and public colleges and universities, the Department of Justice’s 2024 rule under Title II of the ADA requires web content and mobile apps to meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. That includes documents you post, such as word processing files, presentations, PDFs and spreadsheets (ADA.gov fact sheet).

The dates changed in 2026. An interim final rule published on 20 April 2026 moved them by a year (ADA.gov, SBA Office of Advocacy):

• Population of 50,000 or more: 26 April 2027 (was 24 April 2026).
• Population under 50,000, and special district governments: 26 April 2028 (was 26 April 2027).

The technical standard didn’t change. In May 2026 the National Federation of the Blind sued the Department of Justice and HHS to restore the original dates (Government Executive). I found no ruling as of 22 October 2026, so check the current dates before you plan around them.

Documents posted before the compliance date usually don’t have to be updated, unless people still use them to apply for or access a service. ADA.gov explains the exceptions. This is a summary, not legal advice; ask your counsel what applies to you.

Where the built-in options stop

• Nothing checks the file for you. You have to know what to look for and look at every image, heading and table.
• Contrast has to be measured one color at a time.
• Reading order in Slides is checked by tabbing, slide by slide.
• Heading problems are easy to miss. Nothing warns you about a skipped level or bold text that only looks like a heading.
• No decorative images. Every image needs alt text.
• No accessible PDF check. Google Docs exports tagged PDFs, but nothing tells you what the PDF is missing. See How to make an accessible, tagged PDF from Google Docs.

Free workarounds worth trying first

• Use Word’s checker. Download the document with File > Download > Microsoft Word (.docx) and run Review > Check Accessibility in Word (Microsoft’s help). Fix what it finds in the Google Doc. It’s a second opinion, not a guarantee that Google’s file behaves the same way.
• Do a short manual pass with this guide. Alt text, headings, link text, contrast and reading order cover most of what automatic checkers report.
• Listen to it. A screen reader such as NVDA (free, Windows) or VoiceOver (built into macOS) catches problems no checker can, such as alt text that doesn’t make sense.

Which third-party checkers work with Google Docs and Slides?

A few add-ons in the Google Workspace Marketplace do the checking for you. The best known is Grackle, with separate add-ons for Docs and Slides. Its listings describe automated checks, guided fixes and tagged PDF export, and the Docs listing says it’s free with paid features. Some universities license it for their staff and students, so ask your IT or accessibility office before you buy anything.

Search the Marketplace for “accessibility checker” to compare others. Look at what each one checks, whether it fixes problems or only reports them, what the free plan allows, and which data it asks to access.

An add-on for checking and fixing in place

Full disclosure: I built Kayabyte Accessibility Checker for Google Docs and Google Slides. It checks the open document or presentation based on WCAG 2.1 AA, groups the problems with errors first, and names the WCAG success criterion each one relates to.

• Docs: images and drawings without alt text, missing or skipped headings, bold text that looks like a heading, typed lists, tables without a heading row or with merged cells, layout tables, link text such as “click here”, text contrast below 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text), very small text, empty lines used for spacing, an untitled document and a missing document language.
• Slides: slides without a title, duplicate titles, a title that isn’t read first, images and charts without alt text, contrast, small text, link text, and a reminder to check captions on videos.
• Fixes: click Show to jump to a problem and fix most of them in place: save alt text, fix heading levels, turn typed lines into a real list, change a color to the nearest one that passes, add a slide title, or move the title first in the reading order. Every fix can be undone with Edit > Undo.
• Tagged PDF from Google Docs, prepared for PDF/UA.

What it doesn’t do: it doesn’t write alt text for you or judge whether your alt text is good. In Slides, it doesn’t measure contrast for text on top of a picture or a filled shape, because a guess would often be wrong. It can’t tell whether a slide’s reading order makes sense beyond the title. It doesn’t export PDFs from Google Slides. Automatic checks find many problems, not all, and using it doesn’t by itself make a file compliant with the ADA, Section 508 or WCAG. Document content stays in your Google account and is never sent to Kayabyte.

The free plan includes all checks, one-by-one fixes and 3 tagged PDFs a month. Pro adds Fix all and unlimited tagged PDFs for $6 per user per month or $60 per year, with a 14-day free trial; a whole school, district or organization is $990 a year. It’s on the Google Workspace Marketplace.

FAQ

Can Google Docs check accessibility on its own? No. Google provides alt text, headings, lists and screen reader support, but no checker. Use a manual pass, Word’s checker on a downloaded copy, or an add-on.

What contrast ratio does text need? At least 4.5:1, or 3:1 for text that’s 18 point or 14 point bold, under WCAG 2.1 level AA.

How do I make the title read first on a Google Slides slide? Select the title and choose Arrange > Order > Send to back, then check that nothing now covers it.

When do US public schools and local governments have to meet WCAG 2.1 AA? After the April 2026 extension: 26 April 2027 for entities serving 50,000 people or more, and 26 April 2028 for smaller ones and special districts. A lawsuit challenges the extension, so check for updates.

Last checked: 22 October 2026

Questions or corrections: support@kayabyte.dev. Google Docs, Google Slides and Google Workspace are trademarks of Google LLC. Microsoft Word is a trademark of Microsoft Corporation. Kayabyte is an independent developer and is not affiliated with or endorsed by Google or Microsoft.