How to check if an image has alt text using a screen reader or browser tools

• You can check if an image has alt text by turning on a screen-reader and selecting the picture to hear how it's described.

• You can also inspect the HTML of the image in any browser by right-clicking and choosing "Inspect" or "Inspect Element.
• It's a best practice for all images on the web to have alt text to make it easier for people with accessibility needs to understand the content of the web page.

Alt texts are short descriptions that help describe an image, usually on web pages. Alt text read aloud by accessibility tools called screen readers, and also used by search engines to better understand and rank the website the image is on.

Alt text is never a part of the image file itself – you won't find it embedded in the JPG file, for example. Instead, it's paired with the image manually by whoever uploads it.

There are two easy ways to see if an image on a website has alt text. You can turn on your own screen reader, or "Inspect" the page's HTML code to see what alt text has been assigned to the image.

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How to check if an image has alt text on a web page using a built-in app or Chrome extension

Windows users can check for alt text in an image by using the built-in screen reader called Narrator, which can be accessed via the Start Menu's search function. Mac users can also try VoiceOver Utility, Apple's built-in screen reader found in the Finder's Applications menu.

Those who use Chrome as their browser can install the ChromeVox extension. Once installed, activate the extension if necessary and click on an image to hear the alt text.

How to check if an image has alt text on a web page by inspecting it

1. On a webpage, right-click the photo you want to see the alt text for.

2. In the menu that appears, choose to inspect the HTML. In Chrome or Firefox, select "Inspect." For Edge, choose "Inspect Element."

3. A pane displaying HTML should appear. Look for the HTML tag that says "alt=." What follows will be the alt text description.

Related coverage from Tech Reference:

• What is alt text? How to use the page element for images to improve your website's accessibility and search ranking

• How to use Voice Typing in Google Docs, and write just by speaking

• How to send a voice message on your iPhone to anyone with an iPhone, iPad, or Mac

• How to add alt text to an image in Microsoft PowerPoint and make your photos accessible to visually impaired users

• How to add alt text to images on your website using Wix, to help users and boost your Google rankings