Spreadsheets are invaluable for recording and interpreting data. Learn how to create them so all students can benefit. Making your Excel spreadsheets digitally accessible provides an inclusive learning experience, complies with the University of Missouri System’s Digital Accessibility Policy, and fulfills the accessibility criteria of the 5 Pillars Quality Review.
Do you need a spreadsheet?
A spreadsheet is intended to collect data and perform calculations. Before you move on to learning how to create accessible spreadsheets, consider whether another format might be more appropriate for your purpose, such as a Canvas page or a Word document with an accessible table.
Accessible file name and worksheet structure
An accessible Excel file begins with naming conventions. Give your file, and each page within the file, a concise but descriptive name.
Remove any blank worksheets before finalizing and sharing your file.
Worksheet structure and formatting
The worksheet must begin with cell A1; do not leave the first row or the first column blank.
Give each column and row a concise but descriptive name.
Avoid blank cells, rows, or columns. If a cell has been left blank because there is no data, enter text to that effect, such as “null” or “N/A.” If you want space between rows or columns for visual appeal, add this through formatting. From the Home ribbon, select Cells and Format to find options for editing the row height and column width:
Cell formatting options in Microsoft Excel (Mac)
Cell formatting options in Microsoft Excel (Office 365)
Freezing rows and columns
Just as defining header rows and columns in a table in Word, PowerPoint, or Canvas makes that table easier to read and navigate, freezing those rows or columns in a spreadsheet supports usability, especially when the length or width of the spreadsheet extends beyond the screen (and remember that your user might be on a small laptop screen or even a mobile device).
Freeze options in Excel can be found in the View ribbon.
Freeze pane options in Microsoft Excel (Mac)
Freeze pane options (Office 365)
Accessible tables and cells
See Accessibility Skills: Tables to learn how correctly structured tables support accessibility.
You can define a range of rows or columns as a table by selecting Insert > Table.
Then, when you select the table, the Table menu on the ribbon will provide formatting options, including the option to define a header row.
Avoiding merged cells
For sighted users, merged cells might make sense and provide visual appeal to the worksheet. However, they are problematic for usability as well as accessibility:
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Those using assistive technology cannot always tab logically through the worksheet.
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Merged cells interfere with the user’s ability to sort and filter the data or to create pivot tables.
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Finally, formulas and macros might not function as intended when cells have been merged.
How can you design your worksheet to avoid merged cells? If you want text to be centered across multiple columns, use “Center Across Selection” to achieve this effect without merging the cells.
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If you have already merged the cells, unmerge them. Otherwise, enter your text in the first cell of the row.
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Select all of the cells across the columns where you want the text to be centered.
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Right-click and then select Format Cells.
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Under Alignment and Horizontal alignment, select Center Across Selection.
Color in Excel
As with any other materials you create, you must ensure that your Excel files have sufficient color contrast and do not rely solely on color to convey meaning.
One convention in Excel that you might have to override is the default use of primary red (hex code #FF0000; RBG 255-0-0) to indicate negative numbers. This shade of red does not provide sufficient contrast against a white background. If you want to use a shade of red, use maroon instead (try hex code #C00100, RBG 192-1-0; this shade is next to primary red in the Microsoft color palette).
Here is another important caveat with the use of color in Excel: Excel provides a number of cell and table formatting options; however, many of these options do not provide sufficient color contrast. (For example, avoid any combination of yellow or gold with white.)
Accessible Excel charts
See Accessibility Skills: Images and Alternative Text to review the accessible use of images, including complex images and data visualization.
Data visualization is one of Excel’s most powerful features, but charts and graphs must also be created with accessibility in mind:
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Ensure that all elements have sufficient color contrast.
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As noted above, do not rely on color alone to convey meaning. In creating charts, a legend might be insufficient for low vision or colorblind users. Labels are the most effective way to distinguish each element. To add data labels, select your chart and then, from the Chart ribbon, select Data Labels. Then, select where you want the labels to appear; “Outside End” is recommended so you do not need to ensure color contrast with each individual element.
Also from the Chart ribbon, you can access Format to change the font, size, or color of the chart title, the legend, or the data labels.
Alt text in Excel
Be sure to add alternative text to any data visualization (and any other images you add to your spreadsheet). If users have the data to refer to, the alt text does not need to encompass every detail, but it should summarize the purpose or the overall trends.
To add alt text, right-click the image and select Alt Text.
Enter a title and a brief description in the dialog box.
Descriptive links in Excel
As with other documents, descriptive links are necessary for accessibility. Avoid hyperlinked URLs or vague link text such as “click here.”
If your cell contains a hyperlink, hover over the link to view the editing options. Select the pencil icon to edit the link.
Then, enter your descriptive text under Display Text.
If you are confident that users will print your spreadsheet but might want to refer to the URL later, you should still create a descriptive link, but it would be acceptable to add the URL afterward (but not hyperlinked); for example, “University of Missouri System (umsystem.edu).”
Checking accessibility in Excel
As with other Microsoft Office applications, you can find the Microsoft Accessibility Checker under Review and Check Accessibility.
The resulting report will show you where the errors can be found. When you select an item, the checker will explain why the issue is problematic and how to fix it.
Errors and warnings
The Microsoft Accessibility Checker will flag issues as errors or warnings in Excel:
Errors include
Warnings include
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Tables that have split, merged, or nested cells
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Sheet tabs that lack meaningful names
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Lack of color contrast
Learn more