How to Control Image Pop-Ups and Alternate Text in Acrobat PDFs
Question details
The user wants to control or disable the hover pop-ups (alternate text) that appear when hovering over images in Adobe Acrobat PDFs.
- Product
- Adobe Acrobat
- Device & OS
- not provided
- Scenario
- Viewing a PDF document and experiencing unwanted pop-up text when the mouse pointer hovers over images.
- Observed behavior
- Acrobat automatically displays alternate text from tagged Figure elements upon hovering over images, and there is no user-configurable setting to disable this pop-up for ordinary content.
Before making changes, verify if the PDF requires strict accessibility compliance, as modifying or removing alternate text tags will impact visually impaired users who rely on screen readers.
Edit or Remove Accessibility Tags and Alternate Text
Since Acrobat displays alternate text from tagged elements as hover pop-ups, modifying or removing the alternate text from the tags will stop the text from appearing.
Adobe Acrobat uses the Alternate Text field in the document's accessibility tags to generate these hover pop-ups. By deleting this text, the pop-up will no longer trigger.
Open the PDF document in Adobe Acrobat. Go to the 'Tools' menu and select 'Accessibility' to open the accessibility toolset in the right pane.
Click on 'Reading Order' or manually open the 'Tags' pane from the navigation panel on the left side of the window.
Expand the tag tree and locate the '<Figure>' tag that corresponds to the image producing the unwanted pop-up.
Right-click the '<Figure>' tag and select 'Properties'. In the Object Properties dialog box, delete any text present in the 'Alternate Text' field, then click 'Close'.
Create Interactive Form Fields for Custom Hover Text
If you want deliberate, user-configurable pop-ups instead of the default accessibility text, you can use hidden button form fields.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why does text appear when I hover over an image in my PDF?
This text is the 'Alternate Text' embedded in the document's accessibility tags. It is primarily designed to assist screen readers in describing images for visually impaired users.
Can I disable image hover text globally in Acrobat settings?
No, Adobe Acrobat does not provide a global preferences toggle to disable alternate text pop-ups on hover for standard PDF content.
Does removing alternate text affect my PDF's accessibility?
Yes. Alternate text is crucial for accessibility compliance (such as ADA or WCAG standards). Removing it prevents screen readers from describing the visual elements to users who rely on assistive technologies.
