Screen Reader Not Reading Figure Alt Text

[Brave_force3830]

I have a flyer that was created, which contains three images with alt text. The entire document is tagged, and I have been manually working on the reading order.  The reading order looks correct, but every time it gets to the image it doesn't read the alt text at all.  The screen reader is only reading the text.  How do I fix this issue?

Thank you!

[Bernd Alheit]

Try the forum for Adobe Acrobat.

[Tariq Ahmad]

Hi @Brave_force3830

Thanks for reaching out and explaining the issue so clearly. It sounds like your document is well-tagged, but the screen reader isn’t picking up the alternate text from the figures. Let’s go through a few checks and fixes that often resolve this:

Let us try the following:

1. Verify Tag Type and Structure

• Open the Tags panel (View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes > Tags).

• Make sure each image is tagged as a <Figure> and not as <P> or marked as an Artifact.

• Right-click the figure tag → Properties → ensure the Alternate Text field is filled correctly. Avoid extra spaces or special characters at the end.

2. Confirm Reading Order Tool Is Not Overriding Tags

• In the Reading Order tool, ensure the image regions are set as “Figure” and not “Background” or “Text”.

• Acrobat’s Read Out Loud feature doesn’t always follow the accessibility tag order; if you’re testing with it, try a full screen reader like NVDA or JAWS for accurate results.

3. Run an Accessibility Check

• Go to Tools > Accessibility > Full Check → expand “Alternate Text” and ensure no errors appear for figures.

• If issues are found, right-click and select Fix (where available), then retest with your screen reader.

4. Rebuild or Refresh the Tag Tree (if issue persists)

• Sometimes tags get corrupted during export or manual editing.

• You can remove and re-create figure tags: right-click the image in the Content panel → Create Tag from Selection → choose Figure, then reapply alternate text.

If the Issue Continues

Please share these details to help us reproduce and verify:

• Acrobat version (e.g., Acrobat Pro 2025.001.20756)

• The screen reader and version (NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, etc.)

• Whether it’s specific to this file or all tagged PDFs

• A sample copy of the affected file (if possible)

This will help confirm whether it’s file-specific or a potential reading-order interpretation issue with your screen reader.

Thanks again for ensuring your document is accessible — once we know your setup, we’ll help you get this resolved.

Best regards,
Tariq | Adobe Community Team