Skip to main content
Tick PowerMapper
 Try it now

Word accessibility features Screen reader compatibility

Accessibility
Dec 12, 2023

Screen reader compatibility for Microsoft Office accessibility features.

The results include two types of test:

  • Expected to work - these tests show support when accessibility features are used correctly
  • Expected to fail - these tests show what happens when accessibility features are used incorrectly (marked with Expected to Fail)

Works as expected

These tests use conformant HTML or WCAG sufficient techniques, and work in all tested browser / screen reader combinations.

Screen ReaderNVDAJAWSVoiceOver
BrowserEdgeFFCrEdgeFFCrMaciOS
Should work. Works in 100% Word inserted PNG image with Alt Text in Title and Description fields Good
Should work. Works in 100% Word inserted PNG image with Alt Text in the Description field Good

Expected to work

These tests use conformant HTML or WCAG sufficient techniques and might be expected to work in screen readers. This doesn't always happen.

Screen ReaderNVDAJAWSVoiceOver
BrowserEdgeFFCrEdgeFFCrMaciOS
Should work. Fails in 26% - 50% Word inserted PNG image marked as decorative in Edit Alt Text Good
Should work. Fails in 1% - 25% Word inserted PNG image with Alt Text in Title field Good
Should work. Fails in 1% - 25% Word table with Alt Text in Description field Good
Should work. Fails in 1% - 25% Word table with Alt Text in Title and Description fields Good
Should work. Fails in 1% - 25% Word table with Alt Text in Title field Good
Should work. Fails in 51% - 75% Word table with header row Good

Expected to fail

These tests use non-conformant HTML or WCAG failures and are expected to fail in screen readers.

Screen ReaderNVDAJAWSVoiceOver
BrowserEdgeFFCrEdgeFFCrMaciOS
Should fail. Fails in 76% - 100% Word inserted PNG image with no Alt Text Bad
Should fail. Fails in 76% - 100% Word table with no header row Bad

Key

Tests expected to fail (due to authoring errors) are marked with Expected to Fail.

  • Works in all Works in 100% of tested screen readers
  • 75% to 99% Fails in 1% - 25% of tested screen readers
  • 50% to 74% Fails in 26% - 50% of tested screen readers
  • 25% to 49% Fails in 51% - 75% of tested screen readers
  • 0% to 24% Fails in 76% - 100% of tested screen readers
  • Stable Stable - works, or doesn't cause problems, in all versions of a specific combination of screen reader and browser
  • Better Better - works, or doesn't cause problems, in the most recent version of a specific combination of screen reader and browser (improvement)
  • Worse Worse - causes problems in the most recent version of a specific combination of screen reader and browser, but used to work in older versions (regression)
  • Broken Broken - causes problems in all versions of a specific combination of screen reader and browser

Test notes

All tests were carried out with screen reader factory settings. JAWS in particular has a wide variety of settings controlling exactly what gets spoken.

Screen readers allow users to interact in different modes, and can produce very different results in each mode. The modes used in these tests are:

  • Reading Content read using the “read next” command in a screen reader
  • Tabbing Content read using the “tab” key in a screen reader
  • Heading Content read using the “next heading” key in a screen reader
  • Touch Content read when touching an area of screen on a mobile device

In the “What the user hears” column:

  • Commas represent short pauses in screen reader voicing
  • Full Stops represent places where voicing stops, and the “read next” or “tab” or “next heading” command is pressed again
  • Ellipsis … represent a long pause in voicing
  • (Brackets) represent voicing that requires a keystroke to hear