Free PDF accessibility checker
Check your meeting packet PDFs before you post them.
Find the accessibility problems in agendas, minutes and board packets, with plain-English fixes for Word, Google Docs, Acrobat and InDesign.
Add your PDFs
Drag files or a whole packet folder here, or choose them. They stay on this device.
(3 small fictional PDFs)
Nothing is uploaded. Automated checks only; not a certification of compliance.
- Private: runs in your browser. Your files are never uploaded.
- Built for packets: check a whole folder of PDFs in one go.
- Ready to share: printable report, CSV, and a summary to email.
ADA Title II deadlines: April 26, 2027 for public entities serving 50,000 or more people; April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special districts (Federal Register, April 20, 2026). What the rule means for PDFs
What PacketReady checks
Sixteen checks based on WCAG 2.1 and the PDF/UA failure conditions in the Matterhorn Protocol. Each result shows the evidence, the WCAG success criterion, and how to fix it.
Blocking problems
- Tagged PDF. Tags are the hidden structure (headings, paragraphs, lists, tables, images) that screen readers and reflow depend on. (WCAG 1.3.1, 1.3.2)
- Real text, not scanned images. A scanned page is a picture of text. (WCAG 1.1.1, 1.4.5)
- Security settings allow assistive technology. Some security settings tell PDF readers not to share the text with screen readers. (WCAG 1.3.1, 4.1.2)
- Text maps to real characters. Each character in a PDF must map to a real Unicode letter. (WCAG 1.3.1)
Document settings
- Document title. The title is the first thing a screen reader announces and what shows in the browser tab. (WCAG 2.4.2)
- Document language. The language setting tells screen readers which pronunciation rules to use. (WCAG 3.1.1)
- PDF/UA identifier. PDF/UA (ISO 14289) is the technical standard for accessible PDF.
Structure and content
- Images have alternate text. Alternate text is what a screen reader says instead of showing an image. (WCAG 1.1.1)
- Headings are tagged. Screen reader users jump between headings the way sighted readers scan bold section titles. (WCAG 1.3.1, 2.4.6)
- Heading levels in order. Heading levels describe the outline. (WCAG 1.3.1)
- Tables have header cells. Header cells let a screen reader announce "Amount: $1,000" instead of reading a row of numbers with no context. (WCAG 1.3.1)
- Lists are tagged. List tags let a screen reader say "list, 5 items" so the listener knows how much is coming. (WCAG 1.3.1)
Navigation and interaction
- Bookmarks for long documents. Bookmarks give everyone, not only screen reader users, a clickable outline of a long packet. (WCAG 2.4.5, 2.4.1)
- Links are described or tagged. A link needs a tag or a description so assistive technology can find it and say where it goes. (WCAG 2.4.4, 4.1.2)
- Form fields have names. Each fillable field needs a name (a tooltip) that says what to type, or a screen reader just announces "edit text". (WCAG 4.1.2, 3.3.2)
- Tab order follows structure. Pages with links or form fields should move keyboard focus in the same order as the tags, so keyboard users are not sent around the page at random. (WCAG 2.4.3)
How it works
Add your PDFs
Pick files, choose the packet folder, or drag everything onto the page. The PDFs are opened in this browser tab only.
Read the results
Each file gets one of three results: Likely fails, Needs work, or Looks good (automated checks), with the reasons and page numbers.
Fix, recheck, share
Follow the steps for the program you use, check again, and download a report for your records or your web team.
What automated checks cannot tell you
Software can confirm that tags, titles and alternate text exist. It cannot tell whether they make sense. Every result comes with this short manual checklist:
- Reading order is logical. Two-column layouts, sidebars, headers and footers are the usual trouble spots. Listen with a screen reader (NVDA is free) or use Acrobat's Read Out Loud, or review the Tags or Reading Order panel.
- Alt text is meaningful. A checker can see that alt text exists, not whether it says the right thing. Maps, site plans and charts need a real description or a text summary nearby.
- Color contrast and color use. Body text needs a contrast ratio of at least 4.5:1 (3:1 for large text), and meaning must not depend on color alone, for example red for denied items.
- Tags match what you see. Headings should follow the visual outline, lists should be lists, and tables should have the right header cells. Tables used only for layout should not be tagged as tables.
- Link text makes sense on its own. "October 6 staff report" is better than "click here" or a long raw web address.
- OCR text is accurate. If any page was scanned and recognized, spot-check numbers, dates, names and dollar amounts against the image.
- Other languages are marked. Passages in another language (for example a Spanish-language notice) should be tagged with their own language.
Other checkers worth knowing
No single tool catches everything, so accessibility teams often use more than one.
PAC 2026
Free Windows 10 and 11 desktop app from axes4 that runs the machine-checkable PDF/UA and WCAG tests and includes a screen reader preview.
axesCheck
A web-based version of PAC. You upload the PDF to the service to check it.
veraPDF
Open-source validator for the PDF/A and PDF/UA standards, used for detailed technical validation.
Adobe Acrobat Pro
Includes an accessibility checker plus the tools to fix tags, reading order and alternate text, in a paid product.
Where PacketReady fits: a fast first pass over a whole packet, in the browser, with nothing uploaded and fixes explained for the programs clerks already use.
Rather have the packets fixed for you?
PacketReady's remediation service returns tagged, accessible PDFs of each meeting packet, checked by software and by a person. For public bodies we are running a pilot.
$950 for 60 days, then $300/month
Questions
Is PacketReady free?
Yes. The checker is free and needs no account. PacketReady also offers a paid remediation service for organizations that want the fixing done for them, but you never need it to use the checker.
Are my PDFs uploaded anywhere?
No. The files are read by code running in your own browser tab and are never sent to a server. The page loads the free PDF.js and pdf-lib libraries from this site when you start a check; after that, your documents stay on your device. You can confirm this in your browser's developer tools on the Network tab.
Does “Looks good” mean a PDF is compliant?
No. It means the automated checks found no problems. Automated tools cannot judge reading order, whether alternate text is accurate, color contrast, or whether the tags match what you see. A person still needs to review those, and nothing here is legal advice.
What does the ADA Title II rule say about PDFs?
The Justice Department's 2024 rule requires state and local governments to make web content, including PDFs and other documents they post, meet WCAG 2.1 Level AA. An interim final rule published April 20, 2026 moved the compliance dates to April 26, 2027 for public entities with a population of 50,000 or more, and April 26, 2028 for smaller entities and special district governments. Documents posted before those dates are generally exempt unless people still use them to access current services.
Can it check a whole meeting packet folder?
Yes. Choose a folder (or drag it onto the page) and every PDF inside is checked, one after another. You get a summary table, a section for each file, a printable HTML report, a CSV for spreadsheets, and a short summary you can paste into an email.
What happens with scanned attachments?
Pages that are only images with no selectable text are flagged as needing text recognition (OCR). Scanned letters, signed resolutions and bid tabulations are the most common reason a packet fails. The scanned PDFs guide explains the options.
How is this different from PAC or the Acrobat checker?
PAC is a free Windows desktop app that runs the machine-checkable PDF/UA and WCAG tests, and Adobe Acrobat Pro includes a checker inside a paid product. PacketReady is a quick first pass that runs in any modern browser without installing anything, checks a whole folder at once, and explains fixes for Word, Google Docs, Acrobat and InDesign. For a deeper technical check, use PAC or veraPDF as well.
Which browsers does it work in?
It is designed for current versions of Chrome, Edge, Firefox and Safari on Windows, Mac, Chromebooks and tablets, and we test it in Chromium-based browsers. Very large packets (hundreds of pages) take longer on older computers; the progress bar shows how far along the check is, and you can stop at any time.