Free PDF Accessibility Checker
Upload any PDF and get an instant check of its accessibility structure: tags, alt text entries, language, title, bookmarks and PDF/UA markers. It reads the file's structure, not its meaning, so treat the grade as a starting point rather than a verdict. Your file never leaves your browser.
Drop a PDF here
Or click below to browse. Maximum 50 MB. Your file is analyzed entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded to a server.
How this PDF accessibility checker works
Most PDF accessibility checkers either require Adobe Acrobat Pro (paid, slow) or upload your file to a remote server (privacy concern, especially for legal and financial documents). This one runs entirely in your browser using the file's metadata structure. Your PDF never leaves your machine.
The checker scans for the 10 most important PDF accessibility signals defined by WCAG 2.1 AA and PDF/UA: tagged structure (so screen readers can navigate), document language (so the right pronunciation rules are used), document title (so the browser tab is descriptive), image alt text (so non-visual users get descriptions), reading order metadata, bookmarks for long documents, PDF/UA conformance markers, encryption settings that allow assistive tech, XMP metadata, and linearization for fast web view.
For procurement, government, or legal use cases, automated checks are necessary but not sufficient. A real audit also includes manual review of alt text quality, color contrast in scanned images, form field labels, and reading-order verification with a real screen reader. Tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro, PAC, and CommonLook handle the manual side professionally. For the surrounding application that serves your PDFs, our A11y Starter Kit ships a Next.js project with WCAG AA built into every component.
PDFs are usually not the only problem.
If your documents need to be accessible, the pages serving them almost certainly do too. We audit the site manually against WCAG 2.1 AA with keyboard and screen reader testing, and report in a form your developers can act on. From $499.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about the free PDF accessibility checker.
Yes, completely free with no signup, no upload limits, and no ads. The entire analysis runs in your browser using the file structure metadata.
No. The file is read by your browser using the FileReader API and parsed entirely client-side. Nothing is sent over the network.
A tagged PDF contains a structure tree that tells assistive technology how the content is organized: headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, reading order. Untagged PDFs are read in raw layout order, which is often wrong. Tagging is the single most important PDF accessibility feature.
PDF/UA (Universal Accessibility) is the ISO 14289 standard for accessible PDFs. It is the recommended format for procurement, government, and legal use cases. PDF/UA-1 documents include all WCAG 2.1 AA requirements plus PDF-specific accessibility metadata.
Adobe Acrobat Pro and PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) are excellent enterprise tools, but they require licenses, installation, and a learning curve. This free tool gives you a fast structural check in seconds, suitable for quick triage and developer workflows.
Use your authoring tool (Word, InDesign, Acrobat) to fix the issues. Most are easy if you go back to the source document. For procurement-grade audits, professional tools like Adobe Acrobat Pro, PAC, and CommonLook handle the manual side better than any quick scan can.