How to make PDFs accessible

There are two main types of list: 

• Bulleted lists - also known as unordered lists 
• Ordered lists - these are usually numbered 

Using bulleted or ordered lists to format any lists in your PDF will make it easier to read. This is because they can break up long sentences and make the information easier to scan. 

Using bulleted or ordered lists can also help people using assistive technology. They will help them understand your PDF. 

For example, when screen readers come to a bulleted or ordered list, they will tell the user there is a list and how many items are in it. This helps users orientate themselves and understand the information. 

Good example: 

'To receive support from the Client Hardship Service you must: 

• Be 16 years old or over 
• Live in Norfolk 
• Be claiming a means tested benefit' 

Good example: 

1. 'Press the "Borrow" button on the screen  
2. Scan your library card, by holding it with the barcode facing up underneath the bottom of the screen 
3. Place the item(s) on top of the shelf' 

Bad example: 

'To receive support from the Client Hardship Service you must be 16 years old or over, live in Norfolk and be claiming a means tested benefit.' 

How to create accessible lists 

You must make sure that any bulleted or ordered lists in your PDF are formatted correctly. This will: 

• Help you format lists consistently 
• Mean assistive technology correctly identifies the content as a list 

Edit the source document 

The easiest way to make the written content in your PDF accessible is to edit the source document (eg Word), and then reconvert it to a PDF. 

Most PDFs on our websites were created in Word originally. Go to our advice on how to create accessible lists in Word. 

If you used InDesign to create your PDF, the easiest way to create accessible lists is to use the 'Bulleted List' or 'Numbered List' tools in InDesign. 

If you want to use custom bullets, follow the instructions in this video on how to make lists with custom bullets accessible in InDesign. 

Edit the PDF 

You need Adobe Acrobat Pro to edit your PDF. You should only edit the PDF if you can't edit the source document. This is because: 

• It's usually easier to edit the source document than the PDF 
• Your PDF may have other accessibility issues that you can only fix in the source document 
• If you edit the PDF but then update your source document in the future, you will need to redo all the edits you made to the original PDF 

Follow the instructions in this video on how to apply accessible tags to PDF lists in Adobe Acrobat Pro.