Make Accessible PowerPoint Slides

Questions

  • How do I make a PowerPoint presentation accessible?
  • How do I make my slides work with a screen reader?
  • How do I set the reading order of items on a slide?
  • How do I add alt text and captions to a presentation?
  • Why do my slides need unique titles?
  • How do I check a presentation for accessibility problems?

Environment

This article applies to Bowdoin faculty, staff, and students creating presentations in Microsoft PowerPoint (Microsoft 365 on Windows and macOS, and PowerPoint for the web).

Resolution

Give every slide a unique title

  • Use the built-in title placeholder so screen-reader users can navigate slide by slide.
  • To keep a title for navigation without showing it, use Home > Arrange > Selection Pane to hide the title from view while keeping it in the file.

Set a logical reading order

  1. Go to Home > Arrange > Selection Pane.
  2. Screen readers read from the bottom of the list up, so arrange items so the order they should be read appears in reverse in the pane.

Add alt text

Right-click each image, chart, or object, choose View Alt Text, and describe it briefly. Mark decorative visuals as decorative. See Write Effective Alt Text for Images.

Use accessible design

  • Start from a built-in accessible template and layout.
  • Use a sans-serif font, generally 18pt or larger, and ensure strong color contrast.
  • Use descriptive hyperlink text, not Click here.
  • Do not rely on color alone to convey meaning.

Caption video and audio

Add closed captions or subtitles to any embedded video, and provide a transcript for audio. For course recordings, add captions in Panopto or Zoom (see the Captioning and Subtitles articles).

Check your work

On the Review tab, select Check Accessibility and resolve any Errors and Warnings.

Tip: Reading order and slide titles are the two issues that most affect screen-reader users — check them on every slide.

Additional Help

If you need further assistance, you have several options:

  • Bowdoin Bot: Chat with Bowdoin Bot directly from any KB page for instant answers.
  • Phone: Call the Bowdoin College Service Desk at (207) 725-3030.
  • In person: Visit the Tech Hub in Smith Union during business hours.
  • Submit a ticket: Request assistance through the Service Catalog.

Additional Resources

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Write Effective Alt Text for Images
Explains what alt text is, how to add it to images and objects in Microsoft 365, and how to write it effectively — keeping it concise, conveying purpose, marking decorative images, and describing charts and functional images. Applies to faculty, staff, and students creating documents and slides.