Body
When Ally flags issues in a Word document, here is what each error means and how to resolve it.
No Headings in the Document The document has no marked-up heading styles, only visual formatting like bold or large text. To fix this, select the text that should be a heading, go to the Home tab, and click the appropriate heading level in the Styles group. Use Heading 1 for the document title, Heading 2 for section titles, and Heading 3 for subsections. Normal style is used for body text.
Headings Do Not Begin at Level 1 The document's first heading is not Heading 1, which breaks the logical structure. Open the document and change the title to Heading 1. Make sure section titles start at Heading 2 and subsections at Heading 3.
Heading Structure Is Not Logical Heading levels are skipped, for example going from Heading 2 directly to Heading 4. To review the structure, go to the View tab and open the Navigation Pane. The accessibility checker in Word will also flag skipped levels. Correct the heading levels so they nest properly without skipping.
Contrast Issues Text color is too similar to the background, making it hard to read. Change any light font colors to a darker shade. If you are using heading styles, right-click the style in the Styles pane and select Modify to update the color for all headings at once. Also check tables and adjust their color palettes to ensure header rows have sufficient contrast. You can also use the Document Accessibility Toolbar from Vision Australia to scan for contrast issues.
No Language Set The document does not declare a language. Click Review, then Language, then Set Proofing Language to fix this.
Incorrect Language Set The wrong language is declared in the document settings. Use the same path: Review, Language, Set Proofing Language.
Heading Structure Goes Beyond Six Levels The document has more than six heading levels. Most screen readers and assistive technologies only support six. Review the Navigation Pane and consider replacing deeply nested headings with bulleted, numbered, or outlined lists instead. Make sure headings are assigned by hierarchy, not sequentially throughout the document.
Images Without Alternative Text Images in the document do not have alt text. Right-click the image (or use Shift + F10), select Format Picture, open the Alt Text pane under Properties and Layout, and enter a description in the Description field. Do not use the Title field.
Tables Without Headers Tables in the document do not have a defined header row. Click on the row that contains your column headers, right-click (or Shift + F10), and open Table Properties. Under the Row tab, check "Repeat as header row at the top of each page" and uncheck "Allow row to break across pages." Only use tables when the data genuinely needs headers. If your table is being used for layout purposes only, consider removing it.
Malformed Document The document file itself is corrupted or improperly formed. If you can open it, copy all the content into a new document and save and re-upload the new file. If you do not have the original source file, this may not be fixable.