How to Check If Your PDF Is Accessible (With Free Tools)
Creating a document is only half the job — ensuring it’s accessible is what makes it inclusive. Whether you’re working with government forms, educational materials, or business manuals, it’s crucial to confirm that your PDFs comply with accessibility standards like Section 508, AODA, and PDF/UA. Fortunately, there are free tools available to help you check your PDFs for accessibility issues.
Why Accessibility Matters
Accessible PDFs allow people with disabilities to access content using screen readers, braille displays, or other assistive technologies. Inaccessible documents can create legal risks — and more importantly, they exclude entire groups of users.
If your organization needs to meet standards like WCAG 2.1, PDF/UA, or AODA, performing regular accessibility checks is essential.
3 Free Tools to Check PDF Accessibility
1. PAC 2024 (PDF Accessibility Checker)
Platform: Windows
Website: pdfua.foundation/en/pdf-accessibility-checker-pac/
PAC 2024 is one of the most trusted free tools for testing PDF/UA compliance. It scans your file and highlights errors in document structure, tags, reading order, and more.
Pros:
- Focuses on PDF/UA standards
- Visualizes tag structure and logical reading order
- Generates a detailed compliance report
Cons:
- Only available for Windows
- Interface can be technical for beginners
2. Adobe Acrobat Pro – Accessibility Checker
Platform: Windows / Mac (Free trial available)
Though not fully free, Adobe Acrobat Pro includes a powerful accessibility checker in its trial version. It scans for common issues like missing alt text, incorrect reading order, and untagged elements.
How to use it:
- Open your PDF in Acrobat
- Go to: Tools → Accessibility → Full Check
Pros:
- Industry-standard tool
- Highlights and explains common accessibility issues
- Can be used with built-in repair tools
3. PDF/UA Inspector (built into PAC 2024)
If you’re already using PAC 2021, the Inspector tool provides a deep look into your PDF’s internal structure. It’s especially useful for accessibility professionals who want to explore tag issues in detail.
What These Tools Can’t Detect
Automated checkers are essential — but not perfect. They can’t reliably evaluate:
- Whether link or button text is meaningful
- Reading order that “looks fine” but reads incorrectly
- Quality and accuracy of alternative text for images
- Logical structure and visual hierarchy of headings
- Color contrast unless manually flagged
That’s why human review is so important, especially for critical content like legal, medical, or public-facing documents.
Need Help? We Offer Accessibility Audits and PDF Remediation
At AccessiblePDF.ar, we work with translators, companies, governments, and institutions to ensure full compliance with Section 508, AODA, PDF/UA, and WCAG standards.
Whether you need to remediate a single document or build accessibility into your publishing workflow, we can help.
Request a Free Assessment
Send us your file, and we’ll run a free preliminary scan using the same tools mentioned above.
Let’s make your PDFs inclusive, compliant, and ready for everyone.