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How to make an accessible Google doc

How to create headings in Google Docs

Here’s how to apply headings in Google Docs, with instructions for both Mac and PC using mouse and keyboard shortcuts:

Step 1: Select the text

Mouse

  • Click and drag to highlight the text you want to format as a heading.

Keyboard

  • PC: Place your cursor at the start of the text, hold Shift, and use the arrow keys to highlight it.
  • Mac: Same as PC—place your cursor, hold Shift, and use the arrow keys.

Step 2: Apply a heading style

Mouse

  • Click the Styles dropdown menu in the toolbar (usually says “Normal text” by default).
  • Select the desired heading style (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2, or Heading 3).

Keyboard

  • PC: Press Ctrl + Alt + 1 for Heading 1, Ctrl + Alt + 2 for Heading 2, or Ctrl + Alt + 3 for Heading 3.
  • Mac: Press Command + Option + 1 for Heading 1, Command + Option + 2 for Heading 2, or Command + Option + 3 for Heading 3.

Step 3: Check and adjust the heading style

Mouse

  • Click the Styles dropdown menu again to confirm the correct heading is applied.
  • If needed, you can modify the font, size, or color using the toolbar.
  • To update the default style, click the dropdown menu and choose Update [Heading] to match.

Keyboard

  • After applying the heading style, use Tab or Shift + Tab to navigate through the toolbar options to adjust formatting.
  • Once formatting is updated, press Alt + Shift + H (PC) or Control + Option + H (Mac) to access the Styles menu and save the changes.

Additional tips for using headings:

  • Structure your document: Use Heading 1 for main sections, Heading 2 for subsections, and Heading 3 for smaller divisions.
  • Maintain consistency: Avoid skipping levels (e.g., don’t jump from Heading 1 to Heading 3).

Test headings for navigation:

  • Open the Document Outline to ensure the headings appear correctly.
  • Mouse: Go to View > Show Outline.
  • Keyboard: Press Ctrl + Alt + A, Ctrl + Alt + H (PC) or Command + Option + A, Command + Option + H (Mac).

How to apply text formatting

Here’s how to change text formatting and line spacing in Google Docs, with both mouse and keyboard instructions for PC and Mac:

This includes font type, size, style (bold, italic, underline), and color.

Select the text you want to format:

  • Mouse: Click and drag to highlight the text.
  • Keyboard: Hold Shift and use the arrow keys to highlight the text.

Change the formatting:

Mouse:

  • Font type: Go to the toolbar, click the font dropdown, and select a font.
  • Font size: Click the font size dropdown and choose a size.
  • Bold: Click the B icon on the toolbar.
  • Italic: Click the I icon.
  • Underline: Click the U icon.
  • Text color: Click the A icon (text color) and pick a color.

Keyboard:

  • Bold: Press Ctrl + B (PC) or Command + B (Mac).
  • Italic: Press Ctrl + I (PC) or Command + I (Mac).
  • Underline: Press Ctrl + U (PC) or Command + U (Mac).
  • Increase font size: Press Ctrl + Shift + . (PC) or Command + Shift + . (Mac).
  • Decrease font size: Press Ctrl + Shift + , (PC) or Command + Shift + , (Mac).

How to change line spacing

You can adjust line spacing to single, 1.5, or double spacing.

Select the text you want to adjust:

  • Mouse: Click and drag to highlight the text.
  • Keyboard: Hold Shift and use the arrow keys to select the text.

Change the line spacing:

Mouse

  • Go to the toolbar and click the Line spacing icon (it looks like horizontal lines with arrows).
  • Choose the spacing you want: Single, 1.5, or Double.

Keyboard

  • PC: Press Alt + O to open the “Format” menu, use the arrow keys to navigate to Line spacing, press Enter, and select your spacing with the arrow keys.
  • Mac: Press Control + Option + O to open the “Format” menu, navigate to Line spacing using the arrow keys, press Return, and choose the spacing.

Quick tips

  • To format the whole document: Press Ctrl + A (PC) or Command + A (Mac) to select all the text, then adjust the formatting.
  • For clean, readable text, use fonts like Arial, Calibri, or Verdana and line spacing of 1.5 or double.

Here’s how to create and format links in Google Docs with instructions for both Mac and PC using mouse and keyboard shortcuts:

1. Creating a link

Mouse

  1. Highlight the text you want to turn into a link.
  2. Right-click the highlighted text.
  3. Select “Insert link” from the menu that appears.
  4. In the link box:
    • Type or paste the URL.
    • If linking to another part of the document, search for a heading or bookmark.
  5. Click “Apply”.

Keyboard

  1. Highlight the text first (or place your cursor where you want the link).
  2. On PC, press Ctrl + K. On Mac, press Command (⌘) + K. A link box will appear.
  3. Type or paste the URL.
  4. Press Enter or click “Apply”.

2. Editing an existing link

  1. Click on the text with the link.
  2. A small popup will appear below the link.
  3. Click the pencil (Edit) icon.
  4. Update the link or linked text, then click “Apply”.

3. Formatting a link

You can change the link’s style (like color, bold, or underline) just like regular text.

  1. Highlight the linked text.
  2. Use the toolbar to apply formatting:
    • Bold: Press Ctrl + B (PC) or Command + B (Mac).
    • Italicize: Press Ctrl + I (PC) or Command + I (Mac).
    • Underline: Press Ctrl + U (PC) or Command + U (Mac).
  3. To remove the link but keep the text:
    • Right-click the link and choose “Remove link”.
    • OR press *Ctrl + * (PC) or *Command + * (Mac).

4. Linking to another document or heading

To link to headings or bookmarks within the same document:

  1. Highlight the text you want to turn into a link.
  2. Press Ctrl + K (PC) or Command (⌘) + K (Mac)

How to create a table of contents in Google Docs

Here’s how to create a Table of Contents (TOC) in Google Docs, with both mouse and keyboard shortcuts:

Step 1: Use headings to structure your document


Highlight the text you want to turn into a heading.

Mouse

  • Click and drag to select the text.

Keyboard

  • Place your cursor at the start of the text, hold Shift, and use the arrow keys to highlight it.

Apply a heading style:

Mouse

  • Go to the toolbar, click on the dropdown menu that says “Normal text,” and choose a heading style (e.g., Heading 1, Heading 2, Heading 3).

Keyboard:

  • Press Ctrl + Alt + 1 (Windows) or Command + Option + 1 (Mac) for Heading 1
  • Press Ctrl + Alt + 2 (Windows) or Command + Option + 2 (Mac) for Heading 2
  • Press Ctrl + Alt + 3 (Windows) or Command + Option + 3 (Mac) for Heading 3

Repeat these steps for all the headings in your document to ensure a structured layout.

Step 2: Insert the table of contents


Place your cursor where you want the TOC to appear (typically at the beginning of the document).

  • Mouse: Click at the desired location.
  • Keyboard: Use the arrow keys to move the cursor, or press Ctrl + Home (Windows) or Command + Home (Mac) to jump to the start of the document.

Insert the TOC:

  • Mouse: Go to the menu bar, click Insert, scroll down, and select Table of contents. Choose a style: plain text or one with blue links for easy navigation.
  • Keyboard: Press Alt + I (Windows) or Control + Option + I (Mac) to open the Insert menu. Use the arrow keys to navigate to Table of contents and press Enter. Use the arrow keys again to choose the desired style and press Enter to confirm.

Step 3: Update the table of contents (if needed)


If you make changes to the document, the TOC will not update automatically.

  • Mouse: Click anywhere inside the Table of Contents, and a “Refresh” icon will appear at the top. Click the icon to update the TOC.
  • Keyboard: Place your cursor in the TOC and press Ctrl + Shift + R (Windows) or Command + Shift + R (Mac) to refresh it.

Quick Tips

  • Use heading levels logically to organize your document (e.g., Heading 1 for main sections, Heading 2 for subsections, and Heading 3 for sub-subsections).
  • Avoid skipping heading levels (e.g., jumping from Heading 1 to Heading 3) to ensure a clean and organized Table of Contents.

How to add alt text to images in Google Docs

Here’s how to add alt text to images in Google Docs, including both mouse and keyboard instructions for Windows and Mac:

Step 1: Select the image

  • Mouse: Click on the image in your document to select it.
  • Keyboard: Windows and Mac: Use the arrow keys to navigate to the image, then press Tab to select it.

Step 2: Open the alt text window

Mouse:

  • Windows and Mac: Right-click the selected image and choose “Alt text” from the menu.
  • Alternatively, go to the top menu, click “Format”, select “Alt text” under the Image section.

Keyboard:

  • Windows: Press Shift + F10 (or Context Menu key) to open the right-click menu, use the arrow keys to select “Alt text”, and press Enter.
  • Mac: Press Control + Option + Shift + M to open the context menu, use the arrow keys to select “Alt text”, and press Return.
  • Both: To open the Format menu, press Alt + O (Windows) or Control + Option + O (Mac), use the arrow keys to navigate to “Image”, then select “Alt text”.

Step 3: Add the alt text

Mouse

  • In the “Alt text” window that appears, type a clear description of the image in the “Description” box (e.g., “A bar graph showing monthly expenses for 2023”).

Keyboard

  • Windows: Use Tab to navigate to the “Description” field and type your alt text.
  • Mac: Use Control + Option + Right Arrow to move into the “Description” field, then type your alt text.

Step 4: Save and close the alt text window

Mouse

  • Click the “OK” button at the bottom of the window.

Keyboard

  • Windows: Press Tab until the “OK” button is selected, then press Enter.
  • Mac: Use Control + Option + Space to activate the “OK” button.

How to create an accessible table in Google Docs

Here are instructions for creating an accessible table in Google Docs with mouse and keyboard shortcuts for both Mac and PC:

1. Insert a Table

Mouse (PC/Mac):

  • Click Insert in the top menu.
  • Hover over Table and select the number of rows and columns you need by dragging the grid.

Keyboard (PC/Mac)

  • Press Alt + / (PC) or Option + / (Mac) to open the menu search.
  • Type Table and press Enter.
  • Use the arrow keys to select the grid size and press Enter.

2. Add a clear title

  • Place the title of your table above it (not inside the table). This gives context for all users.
    Example: “Table 1: Sales by Quarter.”

3. Set headers

Use the top row of the table for headers (e.g., “Name,” “Date,” “Score”). Make these descriptive.

Mouse

  • Highlight the top row.
  • Right-click and select Table properties.
  • Under Row, check Header row.

Keyboard

  • Navigate to the table, place your cursor in the top row.
  • Open the menu with Alt + / (PC) or Option + / (Mac).
  • Type Table properties, press Enter, and configure the header row.

4. Ensure logical order

Fill out the table row by row, left to right, and top to bottom. Avoid splitting information across multiple cells or merging cells unnecessarily.

5. Add alt text to the table

Mouse

  • Right-click on the table and choose Table properties.
  • Select the Alt text section, add a title and a brief description, then click OK.

Keyboard

  • Place your cursor inside the table.
  • Press Alt + / (PC) or Option + / (Mac) to open the menu.
  • Type Table properties and press Enter.
  • Use Tab to navigate to the Alt text section, fill in the fields, and press Enter.

6. Keep the layout simple

Avoid merged cells or complicated layouts. Stick to a grid format. If you need extra spacing, adjust row height instead of adding blank rows.

7. Use meaningful content

Ensure every cell has relevant information. Avoid leaving cells blank.

Tips for table accessibility

  • Use a high-contrast color scheme for the table and text.
  • Test the table with a screen reader (e.g., NVDA or VoiceOver) to confirm it reads logically.
  • Avoid using tables for layout purposes; they should only organize data.

How to save a Google Doc as an accessible PDF

Saving as a PDF with accessibility tags ensures that screen readers can read the document structure, headings, and content correctly.

Step 1: Check accessibility

Before saving, ensure your document is accessible.

Use headings:

  • Mouse: Highlight text, click the “Styles” dropdown in the toolbar, and select a heading (e.g., Heading 1).
  • Keyboard: Press Ctrl + Alt + 1 (PC) or Command + Option + 1 (Mac) for Heading 1.

Add alt text to images:

  • Mouse: Right-click the image and choose “Alt text”. Type a description and click OK.
  • Keyboard: Press Shift + F10 (PC) or Control + Option + Shift + M (Mac), then use the arrow keys to select Alt text and press Enter.

Check color contrast

  • Ensure text has strong contrast against the background, like black text on a white background.

Step 2: Save as PDF

Mouse

  • Go to the File menu in the toolbar.
  • Select Download > PDF Document (.pdf).

The file will download with its headings, alt text, and other accessibility features intact.

Keyboard

  • Press Alt + F (PC) or Control + Option + F (Mac) to open the File menu.
  • Use the arrow keys to navigate to Download and press Enter.
  • Use the arrow keys to select PDF Document (.pdf) and press Enter.
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