Excel 2016 - Accessibility Guide

Overview

This practical accessibility guide translates proven principles into step-by-step Excel 2016 techniques so you can build spreadsheets that work well for people who use screen readers, keyboard navigation, and other assistive technologies. The guide blends clear rationale with hands-on workflows and built-in Excel tools to help you produce professional, inclusive workbooks with less rework when files are shared across teams.

What you will learn

Followable lessons focus on concrete outcomes: writing meaningful alt text for charts and images, creating semantic row and column headings, improving color contrast and font legibility, crafting descriptive link text, and using Excel’s Accessibility Checker to find and fix common problems. You’ll also learn how to create reusable templates and consistent styles that embed accessibility into everyday spreadsheet production.

Core topics and approach

Instead of isolated tips, the guide teaches accessibility as part of realistic tasks and examples. It shows how to convert ad-hoc labels into formal headers and group related cells so screen readers present information logically. Alt text guidance emphasizes purpose and key insights without redundancy. Visual-design recommendations cover readable sans-serif fonts, minimum sizes, contrast considerations, and ways to present information beyond color (labels, patterns, or icons). Practical navigation advice includes useful keyboard shortcuts and ribbon navigation strategies that speed access for non-mouse users.

Practical applications

Recommendations are framed for everyday scenarios: educators preparing course materials, administrators publishing reports, analysts designing dashboards, and public-sector teams releasing data. Applying the guide’s practices supports clearer communication, reduces last-minute accessibility fixes, and aligns spreadsheet work with accessibility frameworks such as WCAG and common compliance standards.

Who should use this guide

Designed for both beginners and experienced Excel users, the guide is especially helpful for educators, content creators, data analysts, compliance officers, and anyone responsible for distributing workbooks. If you want to make sure your spreadsheets are usable, navigable, and inclusive, this resource gives the practical skills to do that consistently.

How to use the guide effectively

Start with the conceptual sections to understand why each practice matters, then replicate the step-by-step examples directly in Excel: add alt text to visuals, convert in-cell labels into formal headers, and run the Accessibility Checker after each change. Adopt a short checklist for final review—consistent headings, alt text, adequate contrast, and descriptive link text—to catch common issues before sharing files.

Quick FAQs

• Why is alt text important? Alt text gives non-visual users the essential message of charts and images, focusing on purpose and main findings rather than describing every visual detail.
• Can I rely on color to show meaning? No—color alone excludes people with color-vision differences and cannot be read by assistive technologies. Always pair color with labels, text, or patterns.
• How does the Accessibility Checker help? The built-in checker highlights frequent issues—missing alt text, low contrast, or structural problems—so you can prioritize and remediate items quickly.

Suggested hands-on projects

Reinforce skills with short exercises: convert an existing data table into an accessible workbook by adding headers and alt text; design an accessible chart with explicit labels and a concise alt description; build a reusable workbook template that enforces font, contrast, and heading conventions. Run the Accessibility Checker after each exercise to see the impact of changes in real time.

Why this matters

Accessible spreadsheets remove barriers for colleagues and stakeholders who rely on assistive technologies and improve clarity for all users. Embedding the guide’s practical techniques into routine workflows produces more resilient, communicative documents and reduces the time spent on accessibility remediation.

Next steps

If you create or share spreadsheets, use the guide’s exercises as a regular part of your file-preparation process. Small, repeatable practices—meaningful alt text, clear headers, good contrast, and descriptive links—add up to a big improvement in usability and inclusion.