Use tables for presenting data, not for layout or formatting

Tables are good for organizing data and should not be used to help design the layout of a document or website.

Consider if your content needs to be displayed in a table. Ask yourself if the information can be shared as paragraphs with headers, or consider using the columns tool instead (found in the Layout tab on the ribbon in Microsoft Word).

Why?

Some individuals use a screen reader or a keyboard to navigate documents and websites. Tables need to be used in a way so everyone can properly associate the data between the rows and columns.

How?

Tables should be used to display data in rows and columns with proper table headers (column headers, row headers, or both, depending on the data table) as a best practice for accessibility.

In Word

After creating a table in Word using the Insert Table option from the Insert tab on the ribbon, follow these steps to help make it accessible:

Give the table a header row, helping orient a screen reader to their location in the table.

1. Open the Table Design tab in the table tools area of the ribbon
2. Ensure the Header Row checkbox is checked
3. If the cells in the first column are row headers, leave the First Column box checked, otherwise uncheck it

Turn on Repeat Header Rows, which makes it easier to track tables that span multiple pages by copying the header row on following pages.

1. Select the Layout tab in the table tools area of the ribbon
2. Select Repeat Header Rows

Learn more

Practice making accessible tables in the Working with Tables training module from Minnesota IT Services.