How to add alternative text to a picture

Every picture in Write by Zaweba has a box for alternative text in its picture dialog. Select the picture, open its options, type a short description of what the image shows and why it is there, then confirm. The description is kept with the picture, ready for screen readers and anyone who cannot see the image.

What alternative text is for

Alternative text, usually called alt text, is a written stand-in for a picture. A person using a screen reader hears it read aloud in place of the image. A web page shows it when the picture cannot load. Search tools read it too. Without it, a reader who cannot see the image gets nothing, or just a file name.

Schools, councils, charities and many employers now expect documents to be accessible, and alt text on pictures is one of the first things they look for.

Adding it step by step

Insert or paste the picture as usual. Click it to select it and open the picture dialog, the same place where you set its size, wrap and position. Find the alternative text box, type your description and confirm.

Do this as you add each picture rather than all at the end. It takes a few seconds while the reason for the picture is fresh in your mind.

Writing a good description

Describe what matters, not every detail. For a photo of a club's summer fete, "Members serving tea from a stall on the village green" tells the reader what the picture contributes. "Photo" or the file name tells them nothing.

Keep it to a sentence or two. If a picture is a chart or diagram that carries information, say what it shows, such as "Bar chart showing membership rising each year from 2022 to 2026", and make sure the same point is made in the text too. If a picture is purely decorative, such as a border or a divider, a very short description, or a note that it is decorative, is fine.

Do not start with "Image of" or "Picture of". A screen reader already announces that it is a picture.

Pictures that work well for everyone

Alt text is one part of an accessible document. Use real heading styles for section titles, rather than big bold text, so a screen reader can jump between sections and the navigation pane works. Keep pictures inline or with a simple wrap where you can, so the reading order is clear. Make sure text over a coloured background has enough contrast.

Write's pictures can be placed inline, or with square, tight or top-and-bottom wrap, or behind or in front of text, and resized with the handle or to exact sizes. Choose the simplest option that gives the look you want.

Where the alt text ends up

Save as .docx or .zawr, which is a .docx inside, so the document opens in other word processors. Export as HTML makes a single self-contained web page, which is where descriptions of pictures matter most, so check the exported page with the same care as the document. Export as PDF gives a fixed copy for printing and sending.

Adding alternative text takes moments in Write by Zaweba, and it makes your documents usable by more of the people who need to read them.