JetPageFree tool
Check a PDF for common accessibility issues
The JetPage PDF accessibility checker tests a PDF for six common accessibility issues, tagging, tag structure, image alt text, document language, document title, and real text, free and without a signup. Every check runs in the browser on this page: JetPage never uploads the file, which matters when the document is an invoice, a bank statement, or a contract. The JetPage checker flags common issues, a pass does not certify PDF/UA or European Accessibility Act conformance.
New to the topic? Read how JetPage approaches accessible PDF generation and what the European Accessibility Act requires for PDF documents.
Drop a PDF here to check it
PDF files up to 100 MB. The file stays on this device.
Checker results
The JetPage checker covers common accessibility issues, not the full PDF/UA rule set. A pass on every check here does not certify European Accessibility Act or PDF/UA conformance; a fail is a reliable sign the document needs work.
Generate PDFs that pass these checks by default. Documents designed in the JetPage editor render as tagged, accessible PDFs on every plan, with alt text enforced at design time and a real title and language on every file. JetPage is free to try without a credit card, and the same templates run through the JetPage API when generation needs to be automated.
What the JetPage checker tests
Tagged PDF
A tagged PDF carries a machine-readable structure tree that tells assistive technology what each piece of content is, a heading, a paragraph, a table, or an image. The JetPage checker reads the document catalog to see whether the file declares itself tagged and carries that structure.
Without tags a PDF is a picture of a page: screen readers get no headings, no reading order, and no tables. Tagging is the foundation that PDF/UA and the WCAG guidance for documents build on, which is why the JetPage checker runs this check first.
Tag structure
Declaring a PDF tagged is one flag in the file; actually containing structure elements is another. The JetPage checker walks the tag tree on the pages it reads to confirm the structure is really there.
A PDF that claims tags but contains an empty tree is tagged in name only, and assistive technology gains nothing from the claim. Automated pipelines produce this failure surprisingly often, which is why the JetPage checker verifies the tree instead of trusting the flag.
Image alt text
Images in a tagged PDF are Figure elements, and each Figure can carry alternative text describing the image. The JetPage checker counts the Figure elements on the pages it reads and reports the ones without a description.
An image without alternative text is silent for a screen reader user, and in generated documents one missing description repeats on every render. The JetPage editor enforces alt text at design time for exactly this reason.
Document language
A PDF can declare the language of the document in its catalog. The JetPage checker reads that declaration.
Screen readers pick the voice and the pronunciation rules from the declared language. A German invoice read with an English voice is technically read aloud and practically unusable.
Document title
A PDF can carry a human-readable title in its metadata and can tell viewers to display that title instead of the filename. The JetPage checker looks for both.
The title is the first thing a screen reader announces, and the label users see in tabs and window lists. A file called invoice_final_v3.pdf announces exactly that.
Real text
Text in a PDF can be real, extractable text or a picture of text, typically from a scanner. The JetPage checker extracts text from the pages it reads and flags pages that render content without any.
Scanned pages are invisible to screen readers, to search, and to copy and paste. No amount of tagging fixes a page whose text is pixels.
What the JetPage checker does not do
The JetPage checker is not a PDF/UA validator. PDF/UA (ISO 14289) defines a much longer list of requirements, from reading-order semantics to font embedding, and a full audit of that list is a job for dedicated validation software and human review. The JetPage checker covers the six issues that account for the most common failures in generated documents.
A pass on this page is not a European Accessibility Act certificate. The EAA points to standards that need document-level and process-level review, and no automated tool can grant conformance. What a fail on this page does give is certainty: a document that fails tagging or alt text here has accessibility work to do before any deeper audit is worth running.
The JetPage checker also does not fix documents. The reliable fix for generated documents is upstream, in the template: documents designed in JetPage render tagged, with enforced alt text, a declared language, and a real title, by default on every plan. How that works is described on the JetPage accessible PDF generation page.
PDF accessibility checker FAQ
Is the JetPage PDF accessibility checker free?
Yes. The JetPage checker is free, needs no signup, and has no usage limit. JetPage publishes the checker because the same accessibility structure the checker tests for is what JetPage generates by default.
Does the PDF get uploaded to a server?
No. The JetPage checker runs entirely in the browser with local JavaScript, and the file never leaves the device. There is no upload endpoint on this page, which is easy to verify in the browser network panel.
Does a pass mean the PDF is PDF/UA or EAA compliant?
No. The JetPage checker flags common accessibility issues; PDF/UA and European Accessibility Act conformance involve requirements beyond these six checks. A fail is a reliable signal of work to do, a pass is a good starting point, not a certificate. What the law expects is covered in the JetPage guide to the European Accessibility Act and PDF documents.
What is a tagged PDF?
A tagged PDF contains a machine-readable structure tree that tells assistive technology what each piece of content is, a heading, a paragraph, a table, or an image, and in what order to read it. Untagged PDFs look identical on screen but are close to unusable with a screen reader. JetPage generates tagged PDFs by default on every plan; the details are on the JetPage accessible PDF generation page.
Why does the checker only read the first 50 pages?
Analyzing a document in the browser costs memory on the device running the check, and 50 pages is enough to characterize how a document was produced. The JetPage checker always states when a document was sampled, so a long document is never silently half-checked.
How do I fix a PDF that fails these checks?
For an existing file, remediation tools and manual tagging can help, but for documents that are generated repeatedly the sustainable fix is the template. Templates designed in JetPage produce tagged output with enforced alt text, a declared language, and a real title on every render, in the JetPage app first and through the JetPage API for automation.
Generate PDFs that pass these checks by default
Documents designed in the JetPage editor render as tagged, accessible PDFs on every plan, with alt text enforced at design time and a real title and language on every file. JetPage is free to try without a credit card, and the same templates run through the JetPage API when generation needs to be automated.
The JetPage checker reports common accessibility issues and does not certify conformance with PDF/UA, WCAG, or the European Accessibility Act. Results describe the pages the checker read.