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Writing alternative text for images

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Student Zijian Xu points to a section of his scientific poster, as he explains his research to a HOBI education day poster showcase attendee.
Images tell stories, like this one showcasing a student participant at a HOBI event. The alt text reads: Student Zijian Xu points to a section of his scientific poster, as he explains his research to a HOBI education day poster showcase attendee.

Well chosen and designed images and graphics make digital content easier to understand and navigate for many people.

However, images can create major barriers when authors do not take steps to ensure their accessibility for all users. Alternative text, also known as alt text, is descriptive copy that conveys the meaning or function of an image in digital content, such as web pages, emails, and downloadable files a wider audience of users can successfully access.

Providing accessible images in our web content and mobile applications is one of the many federal regulations mandated for public entities by April 2027.

Why include alternative text?

Accessible images are useful for many people and in many situations, such as:

  • People using screen readers where alt text is read aloud or rendered as Braille
  • People using speech input software to navigate content using voice commands
  • Mobile web users navigating with images turned off to reduce data usage
  • For search engine optimization by creating indexable images

Digital content published without proper alternative text for images takes away from your ability to reach the widest audience possible and takes away from the user experience.

Writing useful alt text

Illustration of a placeholder for an image unable to load on a website. Text in the placeholder explains alt text is displayed in situations where images are unable to load, allowing users a means to understand the images purpose.
This icon is common indicator that an online image cannot be displayed.

Before writing your alt text, ask what the image is for and how it relates to its surrounding content. Decorative visuals may not need alt text—tagging software or code have options for marking these so they are skipped over by assistive software.

All images and illustrations that provide key information need to have alt text. When writing the alternative text, it is important to:

  • Keep it short, using only a few, succinct sentences.
  • Do consider key elements of why you chose this image, instead of describing every little detail. Exclude details that are not relevant to the reader’s understanding of the image.
  • Don’t include “image of” or “picture of.”
  • Do indicate if the type of graphic is specific, such as a logo, illustration, painting, or cartoon.
  • Don’t duplicate text that’s adjacent in the document or website.
  • Do use proper grammar and punctuation, ending sentences on a period.

Be aware that software or online services may generate alt text for you, and these tend to have errors. Always edit and then proofread alternative text before sharing. 

Portraits and profession headshots

You can describe it as a headshot in your alt text. Doing so conveys ideas about the image and person in it without needing to go into detail: They are a professional, likely wearing business casual and almost certainly smiling.

Include the person’s full name. 

If the person is pictured doing something, describe it. If they are holding something, performing an action or sitting in front of a background that communicates significant visual information, include that in your alt text.

Don’t over-describe the person. Additional details about the person’s appearance or identity markers in the photograph should not be included unless personally provided by the subject or significantly important to the meaning the image is intended to convey.

Headshot of Ramzi G. Salloum, Ph.D.

Example Alt Text: Headshot of Ramzi G. Salloum, Ph.D. OR Ramzi G. Salloum, Ph.D.

Examples of alt text for photographs

A full audience of HOBI faculty, staff, and students gathered watch a visiting grand rounds speaker attentively on the top floor of Malachowsky Hall.
Example alt text: A full audience of faculty, staff, and students gathered watch a visiting grand rounds speaker attentively on the top floor of UF’s Malachowsky Hall.

Yonghui Wu, Ph.D., points to components of the HiPerGator AI supercomputer.
In this example, if the depicts a person, place, and action that can be succinctly described.
Example alt text: Yonghui Wu, Ph.D., points to a section of computer processing units of the HiPerGator AI supercomputer. Additional servers plated in gold metal and stamped with NVIDIA logos fill the room.

Images that contain text

Web and email accessible content should not rely text within an image to convey information.

Important information such as text, links, and data should be included in your webpage or email body text.

Images using text to share any key information needs to be made available in text on the page or email body in some way. For example, if you are including a graphic detailing an event’s date and location, that same information should be added to the page or email close to the image.

Example illustration of an event graphic including text that would need to be included in alt text or body copy next to the image.
Helpful alt text: “Card with text: HOBI Grand Rounds – Wednesday, July 15, 2026 at noon in Malachowsky Hall DSIT 2007 – Register by July 5.”
Unhelpful alt text: “Event details with registration button”

Resources for creating accessible images

Alternative text guidelines

Long descriptions for complex graphics, charts, and more

Accessibility in MS Office