Fix Acrobat Read Out Loud Ignoring PDF Reading Order
Question details
The user needs to ensure that the Acrobat Read Out Loud feature reads a PDF document in the correct, accessibility-compliant order.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Testing a PDF for accessibility compliance and ensuring it is read correctly by screen readers.
- Observed behavior
- Acrobat's Read Out Loud feature ignores the manually adjusted reading order and continues to read the document in its original sequence.
Ensure you have access to Adobe Acrobat Pro, as the advanced accessibility tools required to inspect and modify PDF tag structures are not available in the free Acrobat Reader.
Verify and Fix the PDF Tag Structure
Check the underlying tag structure using the Accessibility tools to ensure the logical reading order matches your intended sequence.
Acrobat's Read Out Loud feature prioritizes the document's Tag tree over the visual reading order. If the tags are out of sequence, the screen reader will read the document incorrectly.
Open your PDF in Acrobat, navigate to the Tools menu, and select 'Accessibility'.
Go to View > Show/Hide > Navigation Panes and click on 'Tags' to reveal the structural tree of the document on the left-hand side.
Expand the tags and review the sequence. Drag and drop the tags up or down within the panel so they match your desired reading order.
Right-click on the tag for any purely decorative element (like background images or borders) and select 'Change Tag to Artifact' so the reader skips it.
Run the Accessibility Checker
Use Acrobat's built-in tool to identify and automatically repair structural issues affecting screen readers.
Read PDFs Aloud Easily with WPS Office
If you are struggling with complex accessibility tags in other software, try WPS Office. It includes a built-in, easy-to-use Text-to-Speech (TTS) feature that reads your PDFs aloud smoothly, alongside full PDF editing capabilities.
- 1. Download and Install: Download WPS Office and install it on your device, then open your PDF document.
- 2. Navigate to the View Tab: Look at the top ribbon menu and click on the 'View' tab.
- 3. Activate Text to Speech: Click on the 'Read' or 'Text to Speech' button to activate the reading feature.
- 4. Adjust Playback Settings: Use the on-screen controls to adjust the reading speed and voice settings as needed to listen to your document clearly.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why does Acrobat read my PDF out of order even after I changed the reading order?
Acrobat's Read Out Loud feature often relies on the underlying 'Tags' tree rather than the visual Order panel. To fix the speech sequence, you must reorder the items in the Tags navigation pane.
How do I stop the reader from reading decorative images?
You can prevent decorative elements from being read by opening the Reading Order tool or the Tags panel, selecting the image, and marking it as a 'Background' or 'Artifact'.
Can I test my PDF reading order without a third-party screen reader?
Yes, you can use Acrobat's built-in feature by going to View > Read Out Loud > Activate Read Out Loud. This helps simulate how basic text-to-speech tools will interpret your document's structure.
What is the difference between the Tags panel and the Order panel?
The Order panel primarily dictates how content reflows on mobile screens or zoomed views, while the Tags panel defines the strict structural logic and sequence used by assistive technologies like screen readers.
