Microsoft Excel Accessibility Guides

Users who cannot visually access content onscreen or need to navigate with a keyboard only use a screen reader to interact with spreadsheets.

• Screen readers will read the cell number as users navigate from cell to cell (e.g., “Grand Total A 23").
• Spanned cells will be identified by a screen reader (e.g., “Budget A1 through G1”). If content spans multiple cells visually, these cells should be merged. To merge cells, select Home and the Merge & Center menu.
• A screen reader user will usually start with the first cell (A1), so this is a good place to put important information about the sheet.
• Avoid using empty rows and columns. While they may sometimes be desirable to visually separate data, they can cause a screen reader user to think the sheet has ended, even when it has not.

• Inserting images into an Excel spreadsheet can create reading order issues, so it is generally recommended not to add images to spreadsheets.
• If you use images in Excel, add alternative text to all graphics to help users understand the visual content.
• Add alt text to charts. Ensure the data used to create the chart is available and clearly structured, and preferably precedes the chart. To view alt text, right click the chart (not within the different elements) and choose the View Alt Text option.
• When writing alternative text for a chart, include:
  • The function and title of the chart
  • The data that is implemented by the chart
  • The data points within the chart (or general curve if the data points exceed a reasonable amount. This will depend of the type of chart or graph in use)
  • Any other written or expressed content within the chart (i.e. the author, the date, the mean)
  • See Create more accessible charts in Excel for more information.

If your spreadsheet includes tables, add table ‘Title’ information that will be read by some screen readers.

• Name your table by accessing the Table Design tab, then setting a table name under Table Name in the properties area. Excel automatically names tables, but the name should be easily identifiable.
• Add alternative text to your table.·You should also right click the table and select Table in the pop up menu, then navigate to Alternative Text. Here you should re-title the table with the same name. 
  • If you have a complex table, use the description field to inform how the data in the table is set up to help screen reader users understand the formatting of the table before moving through it.
  • The two titles in the Table Design tab and Alternative Text do not correlate to the other within the program, so they will have to be written and changed independently.
• Merged cells should not be used in tables. They can be confusing for screen reader users who expect one row and/or column header for each cell.

For sheets with one table only, select the cell in the upper-left corner of the table (not the table title).

In Windows, select Formulas> Define Name and the New Name dialog opens. In Mac, select Insert> Name> Define and the Define Name dialog opens.

In the Name field, replace the existing text with one of the following 3 values, depending on your table layout:

• If the table has column and row headers, enter Title
• If the table has column headers only, enter ColumnTitle
• If the table has row headers only, enter RowTitle
• For sheets with one table only, select the cell in the upper-left corner of the table (not the table title).

Don't Confuse "Column" and "Row" headers. Remember that ColumnTitle is for vertical headers and RowTitle is for horizontal headers. Also be sure to type RowTitle or ColumnTitle as one word, without a space.

After entering the correct value in the Name field, select Ok. Although the initial text is still visible, accessibility information has been added for a screen reader user.

Only add a Name to the first cell in the table. Do not repeat this step for other header cells within the same table.

If a single sheet has multiple tables, if the table has sortable columns, or if you want to specify an explicit beginning and end of a table, you need to use TitleRegion.

Select the cell in the upper-left corner of the table (not the table title).

Select Formulas> Define Name and the New Name dialog opens.

In the Name field, enter TitleRegion followed by the following 4 values (no spaces, separated by periods):

1. Unique number within the sheet (e.g., 1 for the first table)
2. First (upper-left) cell in the table (e.g., A2)
3. Last (lower-right) cell in the table (e.g., C5)
4. Sheet number (e.g., 2 for the second tab in the workbook)

The above table Name would be TitleRegion1.A2.C5.2

Note: RowTitleRegion or ColumnTitleRegion can be used for tables that only have row or column headers.

After entering the correct value in the Name field, select Ok. This table is now accessible. Repeat this process for every table on the sheet, remembering to select the upper-left corner cell of each new table.

You may occasionally create a formula name for the wrong field or give a single cell more than one name. These unnecessary formula names should be removed

• In Windows, select Formulas> Name Manager. In Mac, select Insert> Name> Define.
• Then choose the desired name and select Delete.
• From this dialog you can also Edit names to change their text or create names with New.
• Also use the Filter feature to check Table Names or Defined Names specifically in order to review and correct them. 

• Spell check is not automatic in Excel as it is in Word or PowerPoint. Make sure to run the spell checker on each sheet.
• Do not use color alone to convey information.
• Make sure all sheets have unique names and all the data are properly labeled.