Google Docs Accessibility

When creating a document in Google Docs, it’s important to make your content accessible to all students, including those who use assistive technologies like screen readers. Accessibility practices—such as using headings, adding alt text to images, writing descriptive links, and ensuring readable formatting—not only support students with disabilities but make your content easier to read and navigate for everyone.

Creating an Accessible Google Doc

When building or editing a Google Doc, keep these key accessibility practices in mind:

  • Add alt text to images so that users who can’t see the content can still understand it.
  • Use tables only for data, and add clear headers for context.
  • Use comments and suggestions for collaboration rather than inserting notes into the body text.
  • Write descriptive links that tell users where the link goes.
  • Ensure readable text with appropriate color contrast, size, and alignment.
  • Use numbered or bulleted lists for structured information.
  • Apply heading styles to organize and support navigation with assistive technologies.
  • Add landmarks such as headers, footers, and page numbers for orientation.
  • Publish or export accessibly to preserve these features in shared files.

Text Color, Size, and Alignment

Readable text is essential for accessibility. Using clear fonts, appropriate font sizes, and sufficient color contrast makes your document easier to read for everyone—including people with low vision or color vision deficiencies. Follow these best practices when formatting text in your Google Doc:

  • Use high color contrast between text and background. You can check contrast using tools like the WebAIM Contrast Checker or the TPGI Colour Contrast Analyser.
  • Avoid using color alone to convey meaning. Pair color with text labels or icons when needed.
  • Use large, left-aligned text for better readability.
  • Avoid using justified text, which creates uneven spacing and can be harder to follow.

Headings

Headings and other landmarks help users understand a document’s structure and move through it efficiently. Screen reader users rely on headings to navigate quickly between sections, just like sighted users scan with their eyes. Use the following best practices to create and organize headings effectively:

  • Use built-in heading styles (Heading 1, Heading 2, etc.) instead of manually changing font size or making text bold.
  • Follow a logical hierarchy:
    • Heading 1 for the document title
    • Heading 2 for main sections
    • Heading 3 for subsections
  • Avoid skipping heading levels (e.g., don’t jump from Heading 1 to Heading 3).
  • Keep headings short and descriptive so users can quickly understand what each section covers.

How to apply a heading:

  1. Select the text you want to format as a heading.
  2. From the toolbar, open the Styles dropdown (usually says “Normal text”).
  3. Choose Heading 1, Heading 2, or another appropriate level.
  4. Use the Tab and Shift + Tab keys to promote or demote headings as needed.

You can also change the style of headings by following the instructions in the "Add a title, heading, or table of contents in a document" section of the Google Docs Help Center page.

Descriptive Links

When adding links to a document, use descriptive link text that tells users where the link goes. Instead of pasting long URLs, write text that clearly describes the destination. This helps screen reader users and benefits everyone by making links easier to understand at a glance.

An example of this is:

How to add a descriptive link:

  1. Place your cursor where you want the link.
  2. Select the Link Link Icon in Google Docs. Two parentheses with a dash in the middle. option in the toolbar at the top of the page.
  3. In the text line, add the description of the URL.
  4. In the line below, paste the URL.
    The add a link pop up in Google Docs. Two text boxes stack on top of one another. The top one says Text and the bottom one says search or past a link.
  5. Select Apply.

You can also use the shortcut Ctrl + K for Mac or Cmd + K for Windows and then follow steps four, five, and six above.

For more examples of descriptive links, see our List Accessibility page. 

Lists

Using the built-in list tools in Google Docs helps create structured, accessible content. Screen readers can recognize lists created with these tools, making it easier for users to understand how information is organized. Manually typing bullets or numbers does not provide this structure.

Google Docs can also automatically detect and format lists. For example, if you start a line with “1.” and press the space bar, it will automatically convert it into a numbered list. Follow these best practices when creating lists:

  • Use numbered lists to show sequence or steps.
  • Use bulleted lists for grouped items without a specific order.
  • Use checklists when tracking tasks or progress.
  • Keep list items short and clear to support quick scanning and navigation.
  • Avoid nesting lists too deeply—one or two levels is usually best for readability.

How to add a list:

  1. Place your cursor where you want to insert a list.
  2. In the toolbar, select a list type
    1. Numbered Numbered Bullet list icon showing bullet points 1-3 with little dashes to the right of them indicating that is where the text goes.
    2. Bulleted Bullet list icon showing 3 bullet points with little dashes to the right of them indicating that is where the text goes.
    3. Checklist Checklist icon showing 2 checklist bullet points with little dashes to the right of them indicating that is where the text goes.
    4. If you can’t find the option you want, select the More button Three dots lined up next to each other.
  3. Type your list items. Press Enter to add a new line or Backspace to return to body text.

For more information on creating accessible lists, visit the List Accessibility page.

Alt Text

Adding alternative text (alt text) to images helps people who are blind or have low vision understand the content of an image using a screen reader. For tips on how to write effective alt text, visit the Alt Text Basics page.

How to add or edit alt text:

  1. Select an image, drawing, or graphic in the document.
  2. Open the Alt text panel:
    1. From the menu, choose Image options → Alt text, or
    2. Use the keyboard shortcut:
      • Mac: Cmd + Option + Y.
      • Windows: Ctrl + Alt + Y.
  3. Enter Alt text.

Tables

Tables should be used to present data and information, not to change the layout of a page. When set up correctly, tables give screen reader users helpful information about how the data is arranged and how to navigate it. To make tables accessible:

  • Use header rows to identify column or row headings.
  • Keep tables simple and avoid merged or split cells.
  • Provide clear labels for data.

How to add a header row:

  1. Right-click the row you want to make a header.
  2. Select Pin header row, or use the pin icon on the left side of the table.
  3. To add a title and caption, right-click the table and choose Add title row.

See our Table Accessibility page for more information. 

Comments and Suggestions

When editing your own or someone else’s work, use the commenting and suggesting features in Google Docs instead of adding notes directly into the document. This helps keep the main content clean and makes it easier for screen reader users to navigate and review feedback. It also benefits everyone by making comments easy to find in one place.

How to switch to suggesting mode:

  1. In the top-right corner, select the Editing dropdown.
  2. Choose Suggesting.
  3. Make your edits — they’ll appear as suggestions for the document owner to review.

How to add a comment:

  1. Highlight the text you want to comment on.
  2. Select the Comment icon on the right side of the page.
    Three blue outlined icons stacked on top of eachother in a white oval. The first shows a speach box with a plus in it, this is the comment icon. The second shows a smiley face, this is the emoji reaction icon. The thrid is a speach box with a pen drawing a line inside, this is the Suggesting icon. The first icon, the add comment icon, is highlighted by a red box.
  3. Type your feedback in the text box.
  4. Select Comment to post it.

Downloading

When sharing a Google Docs file outside of Google, it’s important to download it in a way that preserves its accessibility features. If possible, it’s best to download the file as a Word document, since Word files are generally more accessible. If you need a read-only version, downloading as a PDF through the proper menu also preserves elements like headings and alt text, making the file more accessible to all users.

  1. Make your Google Doc as accessible as possible.
  2. Save as a Microsoft Word File.
    1. File → Download → Microsoft Word (.docx)
  3. Open the document in Word and use the Microsoft Word Accessibility Checker to make additional accessibility adjustments.
  4. Save the Word document as an accessible PDF.
    1. File → Save As → PDF (*.pdf) → Save.

The PDF is then saved to your downloads folder, and you can upload it to your course.

Avoid using Print to PDF, as this will not save the accessible elements you just added to your document.

Publish to the Web

Publishing a Google Docs file to the web creates an HTML version of your document, which can be easier for screen readers to navigate than a PDF. To learn how to publish your document to the web, follow the steps below or visit the “Make Google Docs, Sheets, Slides & Forms public” section of the Google Docs Help Center page for more information.

How to publish a document to the web:

  1. Select File → Share → Publish to web.
  2. Choose your publishing settings.
  3. Select Publish.
  4. Copy the URL and share it or embed it on your website.
Tip: You can adjust or stop publishing at any time by revisiting “Published content & settings.”

Additional Resources