Email attachments accessibility

Creating accessible attachments

When attaching documents to emails, ensure the documents themselves are accessible. This includes using proper structure, alt text for images, and clear formatting.

Before attaching documents:

• Run accessibility checkers in the source application
• Ensure proper heading structure
• Add alt text to images
• Use descriptive link text
• Check color contrast
• Test with screen readers when possible

Communicating about attachments

Clearly describe your attachments in the email body so recipients know what to expect.

Include information about:

• File name: Use descriptive names
• File type: PDF, Word document, Excel spreadsheet
• File size: Especially for large files
• Content: Brief description of what's in the file
• Purpose: What recipients should do with the file

Accessible file formats

Some file formats are more accessible than others. When possible, choose formats that work well with assistive technologies.

Recommended formats:

• Word documents (.docx): Good for text-based content
• PDFs: Ensure they are properly tagged
• Excel spreadsheets (.xlsx): For data tables
• PowerPoint (.pptx): For presentations
• Plain text (.txt): Highly accessible but limited formatting

Formats to avoid when possible:

• Images of text: Cannot be read by screen readers
• Scanned documents: Unless they include OCR text
• Old file formats: May have limited accessibility support

Best practices

• Check attachment accessibility before sending
• Use descriptive file names
• Describe attachments clearly in your email
• Include file type and size information
• Consider providing content in multiple formats when possible
• Test large attachments to ensure they can be delivered
• Consider using file sharing services for very large files
• Offer alternative ways to access content when needed