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Fix Acrobat Read Aloud Reading Two-Column PDFs in the Wrong Order
Question details
The user needs to fix the Read Aloud feature, which alternates between left and right columns instead of reading the complete left column first in a two-column PDF document.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat Reader Mobile
- Device & OS
- Android 9
- Scenario
- Listening to a two-column PDF document using the Read Aloud accessibility feature on a mobile smartphone.
- Observed behavior
- The text-to-speech feature reads horizontally across the page from left to right, mixing sentences from both columns together because the PDF tags defining the text flow are configured incorrectly.
Test the Read Aloud feature with a different PDF file to confirm whether the issue is isolated to a specific document's underlying structure rather than a general app malfunction.
Correct the Document Structure and Tags in Acrobat Desktop
The reading order of a PDF is determined by internal tags. You must edit these tags using a desktop PDF editor to fix the reading flow.
Mobile PDF readers rely heavily on document tags to understand the layout, especially for complex formats like two-column pages. If these tags are missing or ordered incorrectly, the app reads purely left-to-right.
Editing these internal tags requires the robust tools found in desktop PDF software, as mobile reader apps do not have tag-editing capabilities.
If you do not have editing software, ask the original document creator to update the PDF tags. Otherwise, open the PDF in the desktop version of Adobe Acrobat.
Go to 'View' in the top menu, select 'Show/Hide', choose 'Navigation Panes', and click on 'Tags' to view the document's structure tree.
Expand the tags within the panel and drag them into the correct order so that all text blocks located in the left column appear sequentially before the text blocks in the right column.
Save the corrected PDF file, transfer it back to your Android device, and use the Read Aloud feature again to ensure it reads down the columns properly.
Experience Smoother PDF Reading with WPS Office
WPS Office includes a robust, built-in PDF reader and editor that provides a seamless mobile reading experience. With mobile view modes and text extraction tools, navigating complex multi-column documents becomes incredibly easy.
- 1. Download WPS Office: Install WPS Office from the Google Play Store or download it from the official WPS website.
- 2. Open your PDF: Launch the application and open your multi-column PDF document.
- 3. Enable Mobile View: Tap the 'Mobile View' icon at the bottom of the screen to automatically reflow the text, making it much easier to read two-column documents on a smartphone screen without horizontal scrolling.
- 4. Extract Text if Needed: Use the 'Text Extraction' tool located in the tools menu if you want to pull plain text from the document, bypassing complicated layout issues altogether.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does the Read Aloud feature read my PDF horizontally across columns?
PDF readers rely on internal reading order tags to navigate text. If the document was not formatted as a 'Tagged PDF' when created, the software defaults to reading the page visually from left to right, ignoring your column breaks.
Can I fix the PDF reading order tags directly on my Android phone?
No, modifying document structure and accessibility tags requires advanced features that are only available in fully-featured desktop PDF editing software.
How can I prevent this issue when creating my own PDFs?
When exporting documents from a word processor or design software to PDF, ensure that you check the option for 'Document structure tags for accessibility' or 'Create Tagged PDF' to preserve the correct column flow.
