Microsoft Excel · Sharing, output and safety · Intermediate
Check accessibility before sharing a workbook
Run Excel’s Accessibility Checker, repair a small report, and supplement automated findings with manual navigation and meaning checks.
Official documentation reviewed; synthetic fixtures checked independently; not executed in Excel · Editorial standards
Quick answer: Choose Review > Check Accessibility, inspect each reported issue, and repair the relevant object or cells. Then manually check the sheet’s structure, labels, chart meaning, and keyboard navigation. A clean checker result is not a certificate that every reader can use the workbook.
Prepare a small report
Use English Excel for Microsoft 365 desktop on Windows. Work on a copy before changing a report someone else uses. This exercise is an accessibility review, not a password, sharing-permission, or compliance audit.
In a new workbook, enter this block at A1:B4:
Region Units
North 12
South 8
West 10
Select A1:B4 and create an Excel table with a header row. Give the sheet a descriptive name such as Regional units, rather than Sheet1. Add a column chart from the data and leave its initial generic title temporarily so you can improve it. The total is 30; North is largest and South smallest. Keep the actual data visible rather than making the picture the only source of information.
Run the checker and inspect details
- Choose Review > Check Accessibility. The Accessibility pane and relevant ribbon controls appear.
- Select an issue in the results to locate the affected object. Read the explanation of why it matters and the suggested correction.
- Repair the issue in context rather than applying changes indiscriminately. For example, an image that carries information needs an informative text alternative; merely dismissing a warning does not provide one.
- Recheck the result after each repair so you can distinguish a resolved issue from one that remains elsewhere in the workbook.
The exact list of findings depends on your content and Excel build. Do not expect a fixed number of warnings from this fixture. Some problems are detectable automatically; others require judgment.
Make the report understandable
Change the chart title to Regional units: North leads with 12. Select the chart border (not an individual bar), right-click, and choose View Alt Text. In the Alt Text pane, enter a concise description such as North 12, South 8, West 10; total 30 units. The text describes the content and purpose rather than saying only “bar chart.” Make sure the visible source table and chart agree.
Use readable text and strong foreground/background contrast. Keep meaningful labels for the values; do not identify the winning region only with green fill or the smallest region only with red. Avoid merged or split cells in the table, and remove completely blank rows or columns that interrupt its simple structure. Keep column headers specific, since they give assistive-technology users context for cell values.
A1 should contain useful starting text. Here it contains the first column heading; in a larger workbook, a short orientation or sheet overview at the start can make navigation more understandable. Remove unused blank sheets only in your practice copy, and give remaining sheets unique descriptive names.
Check manually, then change the data
Use arrow keys to move through the table in row order. Can you tell which region and unit count each cell represents? If you use a screen reader, test the sheet with it rather than assuming that visual cleanliness predicts the spoken experience.
Change South from 8 to 14. The total becomes 36 and South is now largest. Update the chart title and alternative text accordingly, for example South 14, North 12, West 10; total 36 units. A stale description can mislead a reader even when the chart itself updates correctly.
Run the checker again. Save as XLSX, reopen, and inspect the labels, text alternatives, and source numbers. If you export another format later, review that separate output as well. For arithmetic checks use SUM; accessibility review does not replace checking data accuracy.