Skip to main content
Allison37394319g99k
Participant
Feb 13, 2026 12:50 AM UTC
Question

Adobe InDesign 2026 Tagged PDF Export Issue Affecting Screen Readers

Linking an image in InDesign 2026 and exporting it as a tagged PDF generates an unpleasant Tag structure.
The structure now is:
<Figure>
--<Link>
----OBJR
--Content

Tags inside of <Figure> will normally ignored by any assistive technology. So the Link will not be present to the end user.

This is a change to InDesign 2025 and before, where the tagging was properly:
< Link>
--OBJR
--<Figure>
----Content

 

This new behavior violates WCAG guidelines and makes the link tagging inaccessible to screen reader users. 

11 replies

Frans v.d. Geest
Community Expert
Frans v.d. GeestCommunity Expert
Community Expert
May 22, 2026 11:34 AM UTC

Well, in fact it does NOT violate WCAG guidelines, both nesting is allowed. However, InDesign always sets Placement to Block for Figure and Inline for Link, so with Link/Figure Placement is off. In that case NVDA tends to ignore the Alt Text on the Figure. This is a NVDA problem indeed, but there is no violation of WCAG nor pdf/ua, it is a choice. 

Translate
Abhishek Rao
Community Manager
Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
Community Manager
Feb 13, 2026 10:51 AM UTC

Hi ​@Allison37394319g99k,

 

Thanks for sharing the details. To help me look into this further, could you please confirm your OS details and the exact InDesign 2026 version you’re using? Also, if possible, please share a sample affected INDD file after packaging it using this guide: https://helpx.adobe.com/indesign/using/preflighting-files-handoff.html#package_files. It would be helpful if the same file shows the incorrect tag structure in 2026 and works correctly in 2025, so I can test and escalate this with the team.

If the file is confidential, you’re welcome to share it via DM using any public file transfer service like Google Drive or Dropbox. Please let me know once you’ve shared the details, and I’ll take it forward from there.

 

Looking forward to your update.

Abhishek

Translate
Allison37394319g99kAuthor
Participant
Feb 13, 2026 7:19 PM UTC

Thank you for your response! I am going to privately message you the additional information and files now.

Translate
    Abhishek Rao
    Community Manager
    Abhishek RaoCommunity Manager
    Community Manager
    Feb 24, 2026 5:32 PM UTC

    Hi ​@Allison37394319g99k,

     

    Thank you for sharing the files via DM. I’ve received them and am currently checking this further with our product team. I’ll keep you posted as soon as I have an update on the findings.

     

    Appreciate your patience, and I’ll be in touch soon.

    Abhishek 

    Translate
    Community Expert
    Manan JoshiCommunity Expert
    Community Expert
    Feb 13, 2026 3:23 AM UTC

    You used the same document to export PDF from 2025 and 2026 version?

    Translate
    -Manan
    Allison37394319g99kAuthor
    Participant
    Feb 13, 2026 8:44 PM UTC

    Yes! The same InDesign document exports differently when exported through 2025 vs 2026. 

    Translate
    Terms & ConditionsAccessibility statement
    Using the community Terms of use Privacy Cookie preferences Do not sell or share my personal information ad choicesAdChoices