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Alternative text (alt text) allows screen readers to capture the description of an object and read information technology aloud, providing aid for those with visual impairments. Hither'southward how to add alt text to an object in Word.

In Word, you can add alt text to some objects, but non others. You tin can add together alt text to images, shapes, screenshots, icons, 3D models, and even text boxes. Yous cannot add together alt-text to SmartArt or charts.

Adding Alt Text to Objects in Give-and-take

Though screen readers are incredible engineering science, they aren't quite sophisticated enough to empathise what an object is without the aid of alt text.

RELATED: How to Add together Alternative Text to an Object in PowerPoint

To add together alt text in Word, open up your document and select the object to which you desire to add together the alternative text.

selected image in Word

Right-click the object. From the menu that appears, select "Edit Alt Text."

Edit alt text option in menu

Alternatively, y'all may select the "Alt Text" selection found in the "Accessibility" group of the object's "Format" tab.

alt text option in accessibility group

Regardless of which method y'all cull, you volition see the "Alt Text" pane announced on the right-hand side of the window. At that place are a few things you tin can do here. You lot can manually blazon the alt text into the content box (1), have Give-and-take generate a clarification for you (two), or mark the object as decorative (3).

alt text pane options

If you mark something as decorative, and so that's what it should be—an object that is aesthetically pleasing but adds no value to the bodily content. Office uses a stylistic border every bit an example of something you might want to mark every bit decorative.

To mark something as decorative, check the box adjacent to "Mark as decorative." Once you lot do, you'll notice the box in which you would manually enter the alternative text has become grayed out and displays a message letting you know that the screen readers volition not pick upward the description.

mark as decorative

You as well have the option of letting Word generate a description of the selected object for you. Select the "Generate a clarification for me" selection to do and so.

Give-and-take offers "A close up of a logo" as the alt text for our object. While that's not incorrect, it's non very descriptive, which is of import for someone using a screen reader.

If you'd rather input the alt text yourself, select the text box and type your description. The general rule for alt text is to continue it cursory and descriptive. You also don't need to add the words "image of" or "photo of" earlier your description, since screen readers denote an object as an image for you.

manually entered alt text

That'south all in that location is to adding alt text to your images. If y'all'd similar to prevent Word from automatically generating alt text for you when you lot insert a new epitome, you tin can disable that feature. To do this, select the "File" tab and then select "Options" from the bottom of the left-hand pane.

Word options

The "Word Options" window will appear. In the left-paw pane, select "Ease of Access."

Ease of Access

Next, discover the "Automatic Alt Text" section and uncheck the box side by side to "Automatically generate alt text for me," which is enabled past default. Once unchecked, click "OK."

automatic alt text

Word will at present no longer automatically generate alt text for newly inserted images.