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July 11, 2024
Question

Automatically tag PDF function tags Figure to text

  • July 11, 2024
  • 1 reply
  • 304 views

When using Acrobat's [Automatically tag PDF] function, Some PDF's texts are tagged as Figure.


We have confirmed that this problem occurs when there is text in XObject. Cloud-based auto-tagging is free from this error, but unstable (especially in non-English langauges).

 

Is there any other way to solve the problem other than loud-based auto-tagging? If there is a solution, please explain the method in as much detail as possible.

 

Here is a PDF which error occur. I hope this file will help to fix the error. 

1 reply

Legend
June 18, 2025

Hi @IT35762413cuc2,

 

 

Thank you for your post and for highlighting this behavior with the “Automatically Tag PDF” function in Adobe Acrobat.

 

The Auto-Tagging engine in Acrobat analyzes the visual layout and structural cues in a PDF to assign semantic tags. In certain cases—especially when text is part of a graphic, stylized layout, or contained in elements that resemble images—Acrobat may incorrectly tag text content as <Figure> instead of <Text> or <Paragraph>. This is common in:

  • PDFs generated from scanned content or design tools.

  • Documents with decorative fonts or background effects.

  • Layouts where text is embedded in vector graphics or grouped layers.

 

Recommendations:

  • Manually retag the affected elements in the Tags panel (View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags).

  • Use the Reading Order tool (Accessibility > Reading Order) to reclassify incorrectly tagged items.

  • If you’re consistently seeing this issue with files from a specific source (e.g., InDesign, Illustrator), exporting with improved tagging options may help. From InDesign, use “Use Structure for Tagged PDF” and set up semantic styles.

 

Additional note:

We’re continually working on enhancing the auto-tagging engine. If you believe this is a recurring issue with specific files, we encourage you to share that sample PDFs and steps with us so we can pass this to our product team.

 

Thanks again for helping us improve accessibility workflows. And wait for more inputs from experts.


~Tariq