How to Auto Tag PDFs for Accessibility
Welcome to the Accessibility Guy channel, where I strive to make the digital world more accessible to everyone. In today’s post, we will be discussing how to Auto Tag PDFs in Adobe Acrobat Pro to quickly add tags to a PDF document.
Video Guide
Auto-tagging is in Adobe Acrobat Pro. It tags your document. This helps users with disabilities navigate. It’s good for tagless documents. It creates a structure. You can change this with the reading order tool. It works with other accessibility features.
Open your PDF in Adobe Acrobat Pro. Go to the Accessibility button in the tools menu on the right. At the top of the menu, find the Auto Tag Document feature. Click this button. Adobe Acrobat will tag the rest of the file.
To view the tags that have been added, select the Tags panel from the left-hand menu, and expand the tags button. You can then expand some of the part tags to see the structure that has been added.
It is important to note that after you Auto Tag a PDF, it is essential to apply the rest of the accessibility features to the file.
Download the Free Section 508 Checklist for PDF Accessibility:
Let me be your champion for inclusion. I offer tailored solutions (and self-paced courses!) to ensure your documents meet and exceed compliance expectations. For more detailed insights, tutorials, and in-depth discussions on accessibility and related topics, don’t forget to check out my YouTube channel: The Accessibility Guy on YouTube. Subscribe for regular updates!
More posts like this:
How to Edit an Accessible PDF
Today’s blog post explores how to edit an already accessible PDF while preserving its structure and avoiding common accessibility issues. Video Guide https://youtu.be/IW4vRjKDxu8 Accessible PDFs rely on tags, structure, and…
DocAccess: Convert PDFs to Accessible HTML with AI
Today’s blog post explores DocAccess, a tool that converts PDFs into accessible HTML using AI. It makes documents easier to navigate, understand, and use across devices while helping organizations scale…
How to Use the Guided Actions Tool in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
Today’s post is a step-by-step guide to the Make Accessible Guided Actions tool in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. This feature provides a structured way to start making a PDF accessible,…
Continual Engine PREP Tool: A Faster Workflow for PDF Remediation
PREP by Continual Engine is a PDF remediation platform that helps you make PDFs accessible with far less manual work. PREP applies most of the tag structure automatically, then gives…
How to Check a PDF for Basic Accessibility
Today’s post is a step-by-step guide on how to check a PDF for basic accessibility. It’s designed for beginners who want to make sure their documents work well with assistive…
How to Create Accessible Fillable Forms in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
Today’s post explains how to create accessible, fillable forms using Microsoft Word and Adobe Acrobat Pro DC. The process focuses on how to design the layout, add interactive elements, tag…
Affinity by Canva Lacks Accessible Exports
Today’s post explores how Affinity by Canva handles the basics of PDF accessibility. The goal is simple: find out if the program can export a document that screen readers can…
How to Redact Text in a PDF using Adobe Acrobat Pro DC
Today’s post explains how to redact content in Adobe Acrobat Pro DC while keeping a document accessible. It shows what happens when someone redacts after adding tags and why redaction…
Title II ADA Compliance and Large Scale Remediation | DocAccess
As the April 2026 deadline for Title II ADA compliance approaches, public organizations must ensure all documents on their websites are fully accessible. The law requires digital content to meet…
How to Make PDFs Accessible | Episode 23: Santa Barbara City College
Welcome to Episode 23 of our Making College PDFs Accessible series! Today’s episode is another hands-on, practical workflow for turning a non-accessible college PDF into a fully WCAG-compliant document. Using a real example…
[…] 4: Create Tags from Selections for List Items and Nested […]
[…] interpreted by assistive technologies like screen readers. However, misusing or incorrectly tagging these elements can lead to accessibility barriers, hindering the document’s compliance with PDF/UA […]
[…] Start with a quick review of the tags panel. The PDF had several blank tags and an unclear tag structure. Poor tagging provides inaccurate information to screen readers which disrupts accessibility. […]
[…] Improper Tagging: Upon reviewing the tags panel, it’s evident that the document’s structure tags are inconsistent and improperly applied. Solution: Apply appropriate tags using Adobe Acrobat’s tagging tools. Replace generic tags with descriptive ones to ensure clear document structure and navigation. […]
[…] for screen readers which rely on a well-defined tag hierarchy to navigate content effectively. Use Adobe Acrobat’s auto tag feature to overhaul the existing tag structure. This approach improves the document’s navigability by […]