Add Alt Text in Excel step by step

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• If you want visually impaired people to better understand all your Excel files, you should add alternative text to the different content you put in your files.
• Steps are similar for images, objects, charts, and pivot tables, but not the same
• How does Alt Text work with Screen Reader or Narrator and what happens if you don’t use it?

If you’re used to working with content management platforms, you probably don’t need anyone to explain what Alt Text is. If not, you should know that alt text helps you better understand what an image is displaying, and then learn how to add Alt Text in Excel step by step.

The same procedure that we are going to explain for images works for objects, graphs and pivot tables. Whenever you need to do it, you can add alternative text to these elements to enrich them.

This makes sense, for example, if you want people with visual impairments to be able to understand them better. When a user activates the Screen Reader and it comes across an image with Alt Text, she will read it, providing more information who is listening so that their experience is complete.

How to add alt text to images in Excel?

To add alt text to images and other items in Excel, follow the instructions below:

1. Open Microsoft Excel and go to the Insert menu, Images
2. Insert the image you want to add alt text to
3. Inserted the image, right click on it and go to Format image
4. An image format panel will open on the right side, and go to Size and properties
5. Click on Alt Text to expand it and type a title and description
6. When you’re done, close the Image Format panel and save the file

As you can see, it is a fairly simple tutorial and it does not pose great difficulties for anyone.

How to do it in other elements?

in objects

1. Right-click on the object you want to quickly add alt text to
2. Click on Format Object and then go to the Alt Text tab
3. Type the Alt Text and click OK
4. Save the excel file

in graphics

1. Select the Excel chart you want to quickly add alt text to
2. Hover your mouse over the edge of the graph and right-click
3. Click on Format the chart area in the context menu on the right
4. The Format Chart Area panel will open on the right hand side
5. Go to Size and properties and expand Alternative text
6. Write the alt text and save the file

In pivot tables

1. Right-click on the pivot table you want to quickly add alt text to
2. Click on PivotTable Options in the right-click context menu
3. Under PivotTable Options, go to Alt Text
4. Write a title and description
5. save the file

Other frequently asked questions

What if you don’t add Alt Text to these elements?

Alt Text added to images and other elements is not displayed on top of them. Alt Text is for adding additional information to objects, charts, and pivot tables, so that visually impaired people can understand what the image is displaying. If you don’t add Alt Text, they will only know that there is an image or element included in the file.

Do you often add Alt Text to your images in Excel? What data do you add inside this label?