Figure has alt text PDF/UA alternative text: what it means and how to fix it

What the figure has alt text PDF/UA alternative text check means

A PDF that is meant to be accessible carries hidden tags, much like HTML elements, that tell assistive technology what each part is. Images get a Figure tag. PDF/UA, the ISO standard for accessible PDF, says every Figure must have alternate text, so a screen reader has words to read in place of the picture.

The check passes when each Figure has a non empty Alt entry. It fails when one is missing, and some tools also warn when the text looks like a file name. The exact wording varies by tool, so the table below maps the common messages.

Common checker messages decoded

PAC (PDF Accessibility Checker) is a free Windows tool built around the PDF/UA rules. Acrobat Pro has its own checker under the accessibility tools. They overlap but do not report identically, so run both if you can.

Fix it in the source file first

Repairing alt text in the PDF is slow, and the work is lost the next time someone exports the document. Add it where the content lives.

• Microsoft Word and PowerPoint: right click each picture, choose View Alt Text, write the description or tick Mark as decorative. Then use File, Save as, PDF, Options and keep Document structure tags for accessibility ticked.
• InDesign: select the image, open Object, Object Export Options, Alt Text, and type the text or pull it from the image metadata. Export to PDF with Create Tagged PDF on.
• Charts and diagrams: write a brief alt and place the full data or explanation in nearby text, which reads well in every format.

Each authoring tool gets its own walkthrough in our platform by platform alt text steps, and what to write is on writing alt text.

Fix figure alt text in Acrobat Pro

When there is no source file, Acrobat Pro can add alternate text directly. The free reader cannot. Menu names differ between the classic and newer layouts, so look for the closest match.

1. Open the accessibility tools and run the full check.
2. In the results, expand Alternate Text, right click Figures alternate text and choose Fix. A dialog steps through each figure and lets you type text or mark it decorative.
3. For finer control, open the Tags panel, expand the tree and find each Figure tag.
4. Right click the tag, choose Properties, and fill Alternate text on the Tag tab.
5. For decorative images, change them to artifacts using the reading order tool, so they leave the tag tree entirely.

Adobe documents the checker rules on its PDF accessibility help page.

The nested alternate text error

Alternate text on a tag replaces everything inside that tag. If a Sect or Div parent has alt text and a Figure inside it also has alt text, the screen reader reads the parent's text and never reaches the child. Acrobat reports this as nested alternate text.

The fix is nearly always to remove the alt text from the parent. Open its Properties in the Tags panel, clear the Alternate text box, and keep the description on the Figure itself. The same mistake causes Hides annotation when the child is a link.

Annotation has alt text PDF/UA alternative text: links and other annotations

The partner check, annotation has alt text, looks at annotations: link areas, comments, form widgets and media. PDF/UA requires each one to have a description, stored in a field called Contents. Links are the usual failure, because the visible link text does not count on its own.

• From Word: right click the link, choose Edit Hyperlink, and add a ScreenTip that says where it goes. Newer Word versions write that tip into the link description on export.
• In Acrobat Pro: find the Link tag in the Tags panel, open Properties and add alternate text that names the destination. Check that the link object sits inside its Link tag, not loose under the page.
• Comments and stamps: delete review comments before publishing; they rarely belong in the final file.

Rerun PAC afterwards, since tools disagree on which field they read.

Preventing the error next time

Make alt text part of the document template and review checklist, not a cleanup at the end. Train authors to write it when they insert an image, use real heading styles, and export with tags every time. A team that does that will rarely see the figure or annotation checks fail. For more on which content needs a text alternative, read what alt text is, and for testing beyond PDFs see the alt text checker.