Accessible structure and navigation in PowerPoint
Designing well-structured PowerPoint presentations helps ensure that content is accessible to everyone, especially those with visual or cognitive impairments and people using screen readers.
This resource provides guidance to create Powerpoint presentations that are more accessible in accordance with WCAG (Web Content Accessibility Guidelines) 2.1.
Ensure logical reading order
The built-in layouts in Powerpoint are designed to ensure logical reading order. You can access these layouts using the Slides option on the ribbon. When you create layouts manually by adding text boxes, a screen reader will read the elements in the order in which they were created, which may not be the order you intend.
You can check the reading order of slides in one of these ways:
- Use the Editing tool. Click the Editing tool on the home ribbon and choose Select > Selection Pane. A pane will open that displays the reading order of each element of the slide that is selected. You can click on any slide to view its reading order and use the arrows to change the reading order of slide elements. Note that the order will read from the bottom up (i.e., the first item to be read will appear at the bottom of the list).
- Use the accessibility checker. Go to the Review tab and select Check Accessibility > Reading Order Pane. A pane will open that displays the reading order of the selected slide. You can click on any slide to view its reading order and use the arrows to change the reading order of slide elements. Note that the order will read from the top down (i.e., the first items to be reader will appear at the top of the list).
Use slide titles effectively
Slide titles are like headings that provide a high-level outline of the content of a presentation. Using slide titles effectively is particularly important for screen reader users because it allows them to navigate to a specific part of the presentation. The title of each slide in a Powerpoint deck should meet the following criteria:
- Meaningful – explains the main idea of the content of the slide
- Concise – expresses meaning in a single short phrase
- Unique – each slide should have its own title, with no repeated titles in a deck
Avoid using transitions and animations – or use sparingly
Slide transitions or animations can be overwhelming and distracting for many users. If you need to use animations to slow down some aspect of your presentation (e.g., presenting bulleted items one at a time), use the appear or fade option. If you have many items on a slide that require slower reveal, consider creating multiple slides instead of using animations.
Accessible Templates
When you are creating a new Powerpoint, the most efficient strategy is to start with an accessible template. You can find accessible templates by opening Powerpoint, going to the File tab selecting New. Then type “accessible templates” in the search bar. Microsoft also allows you to create your own accessible templates using Copilot. You can also download CATLOE’s Powerpoint template, which includes fully accessible slides.
Additional Resources
Microsoft. (n.d.). Make your Powerpoint presentations accessible to people with disabilities.
University at Albany Web Services. (n.d.). Creating accessible Powerpoint presentations.
World Wide Web Consortium. (2025). Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.1.