How to make Word documents accessible

Most people navigate documents using headings. People looking at documents rarely read all the text in order. Instead, they skim the document and use headings to help them find the information they're most interested in.

People who use screen readers often read documents by asking their screen reader to read out all the headings. They then pick and jump to specific headings to find the information they're most interested in.

This means that the headings in your Word document are very important and must be accessible.

How to make headings accessible in Word

Watch our video on how to create accessible headings or follow the instructions on this page.

Create a clear, logical structure

Headings give your document a clear structure and help people find the information they need.

Try to plan out your heading structure before you write your document. Plan what the main sections and sub-sections will be about, and what headings you'll give them.

All documents should have a heading level 1, which tells the user what the document is about. This is the most important heading in your document and it's usually at the top of page 1. There is almost always only one heading level 1 in a document. For example, 'A guide to common fruits'.

The headings for the main sections in your document are heading level 2s. Think of these like the names of chapters in a book. They are the second most important headings in your document. For example, 'Citrus fruit' and 'Berries'.

Sections within these main sections start with a heading level 3. For example, 'Oranges' and 'Lemons' within the 'Citrus fruit' main section, and 'Strawberries' within the 'Berries' main section.

Sections within those sub-sections start with a heading level 4. For example, 'How to grow strawberries' within the 'Strawberries' sub-section.

Try not to use more than six levels of headings in your document. If you use more, it's a sign that your heading structure is too complicated.

Make sure the wording is descriptive

Make sure each heading in your document is clear, concise, and describes the information following it.

This will help people use your headings to work out what each section of your document is about.

Apply appropriate visual formatting

Use formatting like text size and bolding to make your headings stand out and show how important they are:

• The more important your heading is, the bigger it should be. For example, your heading level 1 should be bigger than your heading level 2s.
• All headings with the same heading level should look the same
• Non-heading (normal) text should look less prominent than heading text. This usually means that it's smaller and/or not bold.

We recommend avoiding using italics and block capitals to format your headings because they can be hard for some people to read.

We also recommend avoiding underlining text, as this can make the text look like a link.

Format using heading styles

Use the heading styles in the Home menu to format your headings.

You must format all headings in your document with the correct heading style. This helps people who use screen readers to find headings and understand your heading structure.

Format each heading using the heading style that matches your heading level. For example:

• Format your heading level 1 using the 'Heading 1' style.
• Format your heading level 2s using the 'Heading 2' style.

If you have already applied appropriate visual formatting to your headings, apply heading styles by updating them to match selection. This applies the heading style to your text without changing how it looks.

If you haven't already applied appropriate visual formatting to your headings, simply highlight each heading and select the appropriate style in the styles menu to apply it. Then apply appropriate visual formatting using the modify style tool.

Navigation Pane

You can keep track of which text you have applied heading styles to using the navigation pane.

You can find the navigation pane by going to the View menu and ticking the Navigation Pane check box in the Show section or just use the Control + F keyboard shortcut.

The navigation pane has a Headings tab where it shows all the headings you have applied styles to.

If you haven't applied a style to a heading, it won't show in the navigation pane.