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How to Add Alt Text to Images for Accessibility

Choose alt text based on an image’s purpose: describe meaningful content, use alt="" for decorative or redundant images, and provide longer equivalents for complex visuals.
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Add alt text by setting an image’s HTML alt attribute to a concise description of the information or action the image contributes in context. If an image is purely decorative or repeats nearby text, use an empty value: alt="". Don’t omit the attribute to mark an image decorative. For a chart or other complex image, pair short alt text with a longer equivalent nearby.

Choose alt text by asking what the image does

The right alternative depends on the image’s purpose in the page, not just what it looks like. The same image may need different text in different contexts. W3C’s Images Tutorial groups common cases as informative, decorative, functional, and complex.

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  1. Is important text in the image unavailable elsewhere? Include that text in the alternative. If it is already repeated in nearby content and the image adds nothing, avoid saying it twice.
  2. Is the image the only content in a link or button? Name the action or destination, such as “Print this page,” rather than merely naming the icon.
  3. Does the image add information to the surrounding content? If not, it is decorative or redundant and should have an empty alt value.
  4. Can one concise alternative convey the essential information? If yes, write that focused description. If the image carries substantial information, provide a longer equivalent as well.

W3C’s alt Decision Tree offers another way to work through these choices.

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Write informative alt text that conveys the point

For an informative image, describe the meaning it adds—not every visible object or pixel. A diagram that teaches someone how to open a bottle should express the instruction, rather than simply list a bottle and a cap.

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<img src="cap.png" alt="Push the cap down and turn it counter-clockwise">

Keep the wording focused on the image’s contribution. If the adjacent paragraph already explains the same information, consider whether the image adds anything that needs to be repeated for someone who cannot see it. W3C’s Informative Images guidance explains how to convey an image’s contextual meaning.

Use an empty value for decorative or redundant images

A decorative image adds visual styling but no information, or its meaning is already conveyed by nearby text. Give it an empty alt value:

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<img src="border.png" alt="">

An empty value tells assistive technology it can skip the image. Omitting the alt attribute is not the same thing: some screen readers may announce the image’s file name when the attribute is absent. See W3C’s Decorative Images guidance.

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Name the action or destination for functional images

If an image alone activates a link or button, its alternative should tell users what happens or where the link goes. For example, a printer icon that triggers printing should be named for the action, not the object pictured.

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<a href="/print" aria-label="Print this page">
  <img src="print.png" alt="Print this page">
</a>

When visible link text already communicates the same purpose, an empty alt value on the image can prevent the purpose from being announced twice. Ensure the link still has an accessible name through its text or another appropriate mechanism. W3C’s Functional Images guidance covers these cases.

Give complex images a short alternative and a longer equivalent

A chart, map, or detailed diagram may contain more information than fits in concise alt text. Identify it briefly in the alt value, then make its essential details available in nearby text, a structured description, a data table, or a clearly identified description link.

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<figure>
  <img src="chart.png" alt="Bar chart of monthly visitors by site; detailed data follows">
  <figcaption>
    <p>The chart shows visits rising through spring, then leveling off. The table below lists the monthly values by site.</p>
    <table>
      <caption>Monthly visitors by site</caption>
      <thead>
        <tr><th scope="col">Month</th><th scope="col">Site A</th><th scope="col">Site B</th></tr>
      </thead>
      <tbody>
        <tr><th scope="row">January</th><td>120</td><td>95</td></tr>
        <tr><th scope="row">February</th><td>140</td><td>110</td></tr>
      </tbody>
    </table>
  </figcaption>
</figure>

The sample values are illustrative; replace them with the chart’s actual information. The longer equivalent should communicate the meaningful detail, including relevant trends or relationships, not merely say that a description is available. W3C’s Complex Images guidance describes options for making that detail available.

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Implement alt text in HTML or your publishing tool

HTML

For an HTML image, write the attribute inside the <img> element. Use a meaningful value, an empty value when appropriate, or a short identifier paired with a longer description.

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<img src="product.jpg" alt="Red insulated bottle with a flip-top lid">

Content management systems and editors

In a CMS, page builder, or image editor, edit the image’s alternative-text field and apply the same purpose-based decision. The precise field name and location vary by platform, so check that platform’s documentation rather than assuming every interface works alike. After saving, inspect the rendered HTML or use an accessibility check to confirm the image has the intended alt value.

W3C’s H37 technique says: “When using the img element, specify a short text alternative with the alt attribute.” H37 is an example technique related to WCAG Success Criterion 1.1.1, Non-text Content; W3C says techniques are examples, not requirements when the normative criterion is met another way. No single phrasing by itself guarantees conformance.

Check your work and fix common mistakes

  • The file name is announced. Check whether the image’s alt attribute is missing. If the image is decorative, set alt=""; if it conveys information or an action, provide the appropriate alternative.
  • A screen reader repeats nearby text. If the image adds no information beyond adjacent text, make it redundant with an empty alt value. For an image-only link, make sure its action or destination remains available through the link’s accessible name.
  • The description lists objects but misses the message. Rewrite it around the image’s key meaning or instruction in context.
  • A chart’s important detail is missing. Keep a brief identifying alternative and provide the essential data or explanation in an accessible longer equivalent nearby.
  • Text embedded in an image is unavailable. Include important words in the alternative when they are not repeated elsewhere; avoid duplication when the same words are already available and the image adds nothing.

W3C’s Image Alternative Text – Easy Checks provides a quick way to review images. Its page reports an update dated 19 March 2024.

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Or skip the browser setup

If you need a screenshot of a page while preparing accessible content, ScreenshotNeo can return an image or PDF from one GET request. It is a screenshot API and MCP server; it does not decide or write appropriate alt text for you. The following cURL request captures the specified page as WebP. See the ScreenshotNeo documentation for request options.

curl -G "https://api.screenshotneo.com/v1/shot" -d access_key=YOUR_API_KEY --data-urlencode url=https://stripe.com -o shot.webp

Before capture, ScreenshotNeo can accept cookie or consent banners and remove more than 60 known consent platforms, newsletter popups, and chat widgets; each step can be turned off. Bot checks or CAPTCHAs, blank pages, timeouts, failed loads, and cache hits cost nothing, and response headers report the page verdict and billing status. Its MCP server provides take_screenshot, get_page_info, and capture_pdf tools for AI agents. The free plan includes 1,000 shots per month with no card; paid plans start at $5 for 3,000 shots. Sign up for 1,000 free screenshots a month with no card.

Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.

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