PDF Accessibility Check

Audit PDF documents for accessibility features like tagging, language and PDF/UA metadata

Quick structural accessibility audit: tagging, language, title, bookmarks, XFA and PDF/UA metadata.

Example Results

1 examples

Audit a PDF for accessibility

Check tagging, language, title and PDF/UA metadata.

{
  "overall": "needs-work",
  "score": 55,
  "counts": {
    "critical": 1,
    "warning": 2,
    "pass": 3
  }
}
View input parameters
{ "pdfFile": "/public/samples/pdf/sample-multipage.pdf", "detailLevel": "standard" }

Click to upload file or drag and drop file here

Maximum file size: 100MB Supported formats: application/pdf

Key Facts

Category
Documents & PDF
Input Types
file, select
Output Type
json
Sample Coverage
4
API Ready
Yes

Overview

The PDF Accessibility Check tool allows you to perform a quick structural audit on your PDF documents to verify compliance with accessibility standards. It scans files for essential elements such as document tagging, language declarations, titles, bookmarks, XFA forms, and PDF/UA metadata, returning a detailed JSON report with an overall score and issue counts.

When to Use

  • •Before publishing official PDF documents online to ensure they comply with WCAG and PDF/UA accessibility guidelines.
  • •When auditing a large batch of PDF files to identify which documents lack proper tagging or language metadata.
  • •To verify if a newly generated PDF contains structural bookmarks and a defined document title for screen readers.

How It Works

  • •Upload your PDF document using the file input field.
  • •Select your preferred check detail level: brief, standard, or detailed.
  • •Click the run button to analyze the document's structural metadata, tagging, and language settings.
  • •Review the generated JSON report containing the overall accessibility status, score, and categorized issue counts.

Use Cases

Auditing corporate reports for PDF/UA metadata compliance before public distribution.
Checking educational materials to ensure they are tagged correctly for screen reader compatibility.
Verifying that automated PDF generation pipelines output documents with correct language and title metadata.

Examples

1. Auditing a Public Government Report

Compliance Officer
Background
A compliance officer needs to ensure that a newly drafted annual public report meets basic accessibility standards before it is uploaded to the official government portal.
Problem
The officer needs to verify if the PDF has proper tagging, a defined language, and PDF/UA metadata without manually opening it in complex editing software.
How to Use
Upload the report PDF, set the detail level to 'detailed', and run the check.
Example Config
detailLevel: "detailed"
Outcome
The tool returns a JSON report showing a score of 85 with 0 critical issues, confirming the document is properly tagged and ready for publication.

2. Quick Check on Generated Invoices

Software Developer
Background
A developer is building an automated billing system that generates PDF invoices and wants to ensure the output files contain basic accessibility tags.
Problem
The developer needs a quick, programmatic way to verify if the generated PDFs contain structural tags and language metadata.
How to Use
Upload a sample invoice PDF, select the 'brief' detail level, and run the audit.
Example Config
detailLevel: "brief"
Outcome
The tool outputs a JSON response indicating 'needs-work' with a score of 45, highlighting a critical lack of document tagging.

Try with Samples

pdf, file
PDF Samples
Generated PDF samples from tools dated 2026-02-01 to 2026-02-10
title token pdf
pdf
Markdown Slide Deck Samples
Remark/Marp style Markdown slide decks for testing PDF export layouts
preferred input family pdf
pdf
Time Zone Workflow Scheduler ICS Samples
ICS files generated in the same structure returned by the Time Zone Workflow Scheduler, with multiple VEVENT meeting candidates exported from overlap windows
matched family file
file
ASS Subtitle Samples
Sample ASS subtitle files from simple to complex for style-aware subtitle parsing, translation, conversion, and localization QA
matched family file
file

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FAQ

What accessibility standards does this tool check for?

It checks for structural elements aligned with WCAG and PDF/UA standards, including tagging, language metadata, and bookmarks.

Does this tool automatically fix accessibility issues in my PDF?

No, it only audits and reports on accessibility issues; it does not modify or repair the PDF file.

What file formats are supported?

This tool exclusively supports PDF files up to 100MB.

What do the different detail levels do?

They control the depth of the audit report, ranging from a brief summary to a detailed breakdown of structural elements.

Can I check if my PDF is tagged for screen readers?

Yes, the tool explicitly checks for document tagging and reports whether tags are present.

API Documentation

Request Endpoint

POST /en/api/tools/pdf-accessibility-check

Request Parameters

Parameter Name Type Required Description
pdfFile file (Upload required) Yes -
detailLevel select No -

File type parameters need to be uploaded first via POST /upload/pdf-accessibility-check to get filePath, then pass filePath to the corresponding file field.

Response Format

{
  "key": {...},
  "metadata": {
    "key": "value"
  },
  "error": "Error message (optional)",
  "message": "Notification message (optional)"
}
JSON Data: JSON Data

AI MCP Documentation

Add this tool to your MCP server configuration: 

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "elysiatools-pdf-accessibility-check": {
      "name": "pdf-accessibility-check",
      "description": "Audit PDF documents for accessibility features like tagging, language and PDF/UA metadata",
      "baseUrl": "https://elysiatools.com/mcp/sse?toolId=pdf-accessibility-check",
      "command": "",
      "args": [],
      "env": {},
      "isActive": true,
      "type": "sse"
    }
  }
}

You can chain multiple tools, e.g.: `https://elysiatools.com/mcp/sse?toolId=png-to-webp,jpg-to-webp,gif-to-webp`, max 20 tools.

Supports URL file links or Base64 encoding for file parameters.

If you encounter any issues, please contact us at [email protected]