An app that reads alt-text from pptx

A screenshot of a Miro board. It starts with "We want to know what users think about our new funding application process". Then there are areas for "Why do you want to know?", "What decision will you make based on these answers?" and "What number do you need to make the decision?"
A slide from one of Caroline’s presentations. If you can’t see the image, you need alt-text to describe it.

We think that it’s really important to make PowerPoint presentations accessible. And that means: writing alt-text for all the images.

The PowerPoint Checker app reads a file in .pptx format,  extracts all the alt-text, and gives you a slide-by-slide report on what it finds.

If you’ve ever clicked, clicked, clicked through a long set of slides, checking the alt-text on each image one by one: you’ll love this app. Especially as it’s free to use.

The app reports on what it finds on each slide

The app opens with a single button to upload a file.

It only understands .pptx format. If you try anything else, it won’t work.

There’s a short pause, and then you get a report with what it finds on each slide.

This is what the report looks like for the slide in this post.

A screenshot of a Miro board. It starts with "We want to know what users think about our new funding application process". Then there are areas for "Why do you want to know?", "What decision will you make based on these answers?" and "What number do you need to make the decision?"

Request for extra help

This app is a work in progress. If you spot some improvements and would like to make them, please get in touch: extra help would be welcome.

Origins of the app

We first started working on an app to help us check the accessibility of Effortmark presentations back in 2016.

This version was created by Andy Parker, with help from Frank Z and Malcolm Jarrett. It grew from an earlier app created for Effortmark by Joe Lanman and Peter Flynn.