The quickest way to find an image’s alt text is to inspect the image in your browser. Right-click it, choose Inspect, and read the alt="..." value on the selected <img> element. This works without downloading the image. Use the Accessibility panel as well when you need the name that screen readers actually receive.
What alt text is—and where it lives
Alt text is a short text alternative attached to an HTML image with the alt attribute. It is normally invisible on the page; browsers and assistive technologies use it when an image cannot be seen or loaded. A typical element looks like this:
<img src="team.jpg" alt="Three engineers reviewing a dashboard">The words inside alt="..." are the image’s literal alternative text. Alt text is not the filename, caption, tooltip, or text painted into the picture.
Method 1: Inspect the image in browser DevTools
- Open the page containing the image.
- Right-click the image and select Inspect. In Chrome and Chromium-based browsers, you can also open DevTools with
Ctrl+Shift+I(Windows/Linux) orCmd+Option+I(macOS), then click the element-picker icon. - In the Elements panel, locate the highlighted
<img>node. - Read its
altattribute. For example,alt="Company logo"has “Company logo” as its alt text. - If the markup is wrapped in a link, inspect the image itself rather than only the surrounding
<a>element.
DevTools shows the live DOM: the markup currently used after JavaScript, lazy loading, personalization, or a consent action has run. That makes it the best choice for the image a visitor is actually seeing.
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When right-click is disabled
Open DevTools from the browser menu instead of the page context menu. In Chrome, choose More tools → Developer tools, then activate the element picker and click the image. A site can block its own context menu, but it cannot hide the DOM from your browser’s developer tools.
Use the Accessibility panel to see the computed name
The literal alt value and the accessible name are usually the same, but not always. Surrounding markup, ARIA attributes, links, and roles can change what assistive technology reports.
- Inspect the image and keep its node selected in Elements.
- Open the Accessibility pane in the right-hand DevTools sidebar. If it is hidden, open the pane menu and enable it.
- Check the node’s Role, Name (or accessible name), and whether it is marked ignored.
This view answers a different question: not merely “what characters are in the attribute?” but “what name and role does the accessibility tree expose?” It is especially useful for images inside controls and for elements whose name is supplied by ARIA or nearby content.
Method 2: View the page source
Choose View page source (often Ctrl+U or Cmd+Option+U) and search for the image filename, <img, or a distinctive word from the page. This reveals the HTML delivered by the server.
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Method 3: Use an accessibility extension or toolbar
Browser accessibility toolbars can list every image’s alt value, replace images with their alternatives, and flag images that lack an alt attribute. These tools are faster than inspecting dozens of images on one page. They are useful for an initial audit, but they cannot decide whether wording is meaningful in context.
Automated scanners can report a missing attribute or an empty value. A human still has to decide whether the alternative communicates the image’s purpose, duplicates nearby text, or omits information that readers need.
How to interpret the value you find
Meaningful content images
For an informative image, the alternative should convey the same purpose or information, not a visual inventory. “Quarterly revenue increased 18%” is more useful than “blue chart with an upward line” when the chart’s point is the increase. W3C Technique H37 states: “When using the img element, specify a short text alternative with the alt attribute.”
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Decorative images
An empty value, alt="", normally tells assistive technology to ignore a decorative image. It is not automatically an error. Borders, flourishes, spacer graphics, and imagery that adds no information commonly use a null alternative.
Images that are links or buttons
When clicking the image performs an action or opens a destination, the alternative should communicate that function. It may identify the destination, supplement visible link text, or be empty when the adjacent text already provides the complete label. Inspect the surrounding link or button and verify the computed accessible name.
Images containing words
If the picture contains important text that is not available elsewhere as real HTML text, include those words in the alternative. Do not make users depend on seeing the pixels to read a warning, product name, or instruction.
Charts and infographics
Use a short alt value to identify the subject, then provide the detailed data or conclusion in nearby prose or an equivalent table. A single long attribute is difficult to navigate and may not preserve the relationships in a complex graphic.
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CSS backgrounds, SVG, canvas, and other objects
A CSS background has no alt attribute. Inline SVG may expose a title or ARIA label; a canvas may rely on fallback content; an icon in a button may be named by the button itself. Inspect the relevant node and use the Accessibility panel to check its computed name, role, and ignored state. Also examine nearby text and the enclosing link or control.
Finding missing, empty, or misleading alternatives
- No
altattribute: the element may be announced as an image with no useful name, depending on browser and assistive technology. alt="": usually intentional for decoration, but incorrect if the image carries information or is the only label for a control.- Filename or URL as alt: technically present but rarely meaningful.
- Duplicate nearby text: can create repetition; a null alternative may be better when visible text already serves the same purpose.
- Overly visual wording: describing colors or layout alone may miss the image’s purpose.
A practical workflow for reviewing many images
- List the page’s images with an extension or audit tool.
- For each important image, inspect the live
<img>and record itsaltvalue. - Check the Accessibility pane for the computed name and role.
- Read the surrounding paragraph, caption, link, or button label.
- Classify the image as informative, functional, decorative, or complex.
- Judge whether the alternative preserves the information or action a sighted visitor receives.
Do not treat a pass from an automated checker as proof of quality. A nonempty attribute can still be inaccurate, vague, or redundant.
Or skip the browser setup
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Independent reader supportYour contribution helps us test, update, and keep practical guides available for everyone.Troubleshooting
The selected node is not an <img>
You may have selected a wrapper, background, SVG, or canvas. Expand the DOM, select the visual element, and then check the Accessibility pane and enclosing control.
The image has no alt, but the page seems accessible
The accessible name may come from a parent link, button, ARIA label, or nearby text. Inspect that container and verify the computed name rather than assuming the missing attribute is harmless.
Source shows alt text that DevTools does not
JavaScript may have replaced the node or changed its attributes. Treat the live DOM as the current behavior and source as the server-delivered starting point.
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Scroll it into view, wait for it to render, and inspect again. The final src, srcset, and attributes may appear only after that step.
DevTools shows an empty alt value
Decide whether the image is genuinely decorative or whether it communicates content, labels a control, or contains text. Empty does not automatically mean broken.
FAQ
Can I see alt text without saving the image?
Yes. Inspecting the DOM reads the page’s markup; no image download or file-saving step is required.
Is alt text visible when I hover over an image?
Usually not. A tooltip may come from a separate title attribute, which is different from alt.
Does every visual on a page need alt text?
No. Decorative visuals can use alt="" or an appropriate non-image implementation. Informative and functional visuals need an alternative that preserves their meaning or action.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I inspect alt text on a phone?
Mobile browsers generally do not expose full desktop DevTools. Use a desktop browser’s remote debugging tools, view the page source, or run an accessibility audit from a computer.
Why does an accessibility checker disagree with the HTML?
Check whether it evaluated the initial server HTML or the rendered DOM, and whether it computed the name from links, ARIA, or nearby text. Different tools may inspect different states.
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