The first step in creating an accessible PDF from PowerPoint is to ensure that the original slide deck is accessible. Make sure to follow the core steps for accessibility as outlined on the PowerPoint presentations page.
Starting with an accessible slide deck, a goal when exporting to PDF is to do so in a way that preserves the structure of the PowerPoint, including slide titles, reading order, alternate text for images and markup that explicitly identifies lists, tables, document language and other content that is important for accessibility.
Creating a PDF from Microsoft PowerPoint
Do Not Print to PDF
Printing to PDF will not preserve the document structure and will result in a PDF document with no tag structure.
Microsoft 365 PowerPoint Desktop Application
- From the File menu, select “Export…,” choose File Format “PDF,” and check “Best for electronic distribution and accessibility.” This produces a PDF that preserves the document structure, including tags and assures accessibility.
- Next, you will need to add a Title to the PDF, which is required for digital accessibility. To do so, open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
- From the Adobe Acrobat File menu, select “Document Properties….” Select the Description tab and type the title of your presentation in the Title field.
- Save the PDF.
Microsoft 365 PowerPoint Online Web App
- From the File menu, select “Export…,” then select “Download as PDF.” This produces a PDF that preserves the document structure, including tags and assures accessibility.
- Next, you will need to add a Title to the PDF, which is required for digital accessibility. To do so, open the PDF in Adobe Acrobat.
- From the Adobe Acrobat File menu, select “Document Properties….” Select the Description tab and type the title of your presentation in the Title field.
- Save the PDF.