PDF How To: Create Accessible Tables
Why tag tables?
Tags tell assistive tools where each row and column begins and ends, so screen readers can announce your data in the right order. This keeps related information together (for example, a header cell tied to its data cells).
Word
Use Word’s table tool on the Insert tab to build your table.
Add Table Headers
- Select/highlight the top row
- Right click or Cmd click on the table.
- On the Row tab:
- Check Repeat as header row on top of each page.
- Uncheck Allow rows to break across pages.
- Select OK.
Add Alt Text:
- Enter the Title.
- Enter the Description.
- Select OK.
InDesign
- Create your table: Use Table > Create Table or draw one in a text frame.
- Define header rows: In the Table panel, specify which rows repeat as headers.
- Review in Acrobat’s Tags panel to confirm <Table>, <TR>, <TH>, and <TD> tags are correct.
Adobe Acrobat Pro
- Open Tools > Accessibility > TouchUp Reading Order.
- Select the table area: Drag over the whole table.
- Tag as Table: Right-click and choose Table.
In the Tags panel:
- Expand the <Table> tag to see each <TR> (row).
- Under each <TR>, confirm you have <TH> for header cells and <TD> for data cells.
Fix or add tags:
- Right-click a tag, choose Properties, and set Type to Table, TR, TH, or TD.
- To create a missing tag, use New Tag from the panel menu and pick the right type.
Table Irregularity
Tables should line up with the same number of cells in every row and column. If a cell stretches across more than one row or column, you need to tell Acrobat how many it covers. This is called the table scope, or span. Here’s how:
