Incorrect PDF tag structure when saving as Adobe PDF from Word

Question

I have a Word document using a simple styles library and no accessibility errors in the Word checker. When I save as an Adobe PDF, the PDF accessibility checker runs without errors and a PAC checker also finds not errors after assigning metadata for PDF/UA compliance. When I review the tags using the reading order visualization, the Heading and Paragraph styles are correctly reflected, but the tags in the document are incorrect. H1 tags are assigned to the paragraph text below the H1 text and the H1 text is tagged as a paragraph.  This also happens throughout the document with the H2 and H3 styles. I can manually change the tags but what could be causing this weird glitch in the tag assignment and not the reading order tool? And can it be fixed? Thanks!

S_S · Answer

Hi @Heather33300573y2l5,

Hope you are doing well. Sorry for the trouble.

Here are some of my comments which I believe could be causing the issue:

Word’s Export to PDF Misinterpreting Styles

- Even though your Word document uses styles properly, sometimes the tags can be wrongly assigned due to Word’s XML structure.

Custom Styles in Word Not Mapping Correctly to PDF Tags

- If you've customized the Heading 1, Heading 2, and Heading 3 styles, those may not be mapped to the expected tags.

Word’s Accessibility Checker Does Not Validate Tag Structure

- Word’s built-in checker only ensures that headings exist, but it does not verify correct tag assignment in the final PDF.

That being said, if the document’s structure is completely broken, you can try re-autotagging it:

Steps:

Open Check for Accessibility > Autotag Document.
Acrobat will attempt to reassign the correct tags.
Check the Tags Panel to confirm if the headings are now properly structured.

Hope this helps.

Regards,
Souvik.

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