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class="vector-toc-numb">2</span> <span>How to write alternative text</span> </div> </a> <button aria-controls="toc-How_to_write_alternative_text-sublist" class="cdx-button cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--icon-only vector-toc-toggle"> <span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-expand"></span> <span>Toggle How to write alternative text subsection</span> </button> <ul id="toc-How_to_write_alternative_text-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> <li id="toc-Basics" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Basics"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.1</span> <span>Basics</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Basics-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Importance_of_context" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Importance_of_context"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.2</span> <span>Importance of context</span> </div> </a> <ul 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and diagrams</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Maps_and_diagrams-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Decorative_images" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-2"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Decorative_images"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">2.6</span> <span>Decorative images</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Decorative_images-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Alt_text_in_templates_and_galleries" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Alt_text_in_templates_and_galleries"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">3</span> <span>Alt text in templates and galleries</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Alt_text_in_templates_and_galleries-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Links_and_attribution" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Links_and_attribution"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">4</span> <span>Links and attribution</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Links_and_attribution-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Examples" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Examples"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">5</span> <span>Examples</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Examples-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-Notes" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#Notes"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">6</span> <span>Notes</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-Notes-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-References" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#References"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">7</span> <span>References</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-References-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> <li id="toc-External_links" class="vector-toc-list-item vector-toc-level-1 vector-toc-list-item-expanded"> <a class="vector-toc-link" href="#External_links"> <div class="vector-toc-text"> <span class="vector-toc-numb">8</span> <span>External links</span> </div> </a> <ul id="toc-External_links-sublist" class="vector-toc-list"> </ul> </li> </ul> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div class="mw-content-container"> <main id="content" class="mw-body"> <header class="mw-body-header vector-page-titlebar"> <nav aria-label="Contents" class="vector-toc-landmark"> <div id="vector-page-titlebar-toc" class="vector-dropdown vector-page-titlebar-toc vector-button-flush-left" > <input type="checkbox" id="vector-page-titlebar-toc-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" 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class="vector-dropdown mw-portlet mw-portlet-lang" > <input type="checkbox" id="p-lang-btn-checkbox" role="button" aria-haspopup="true" data-event-name="ui.dropdown-p-lang-btn" class="vector-dropdown-checkbox mw-interlanguage-selector" aria-label="Go to an article in another language. Available in 11 languages" > <label id="p-lang-btn-label" for="p-lang-btn-checkbox" class="vector-dropdown-label cdx-button cdx-button--fake-button cdx-button--fake-button--enabled cdx-button--weight-quiet cdx-button--action-progressive mw-portlet-lang-heading-11" aria-hidden="true" ><span class="vector-icon mw-ui-icon-language-progressive mw-ui-icon-wikimedia-language-progressive"></span> <span class="vector-dropdown-label-text">11 languages</span> </label> <div class="vector-dropdown-content"> <div class="vector-menu-content"> <ul class="vector-menu-content-list"> <li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ca mw-list-item"><a href="https://ca.wikipedia.org/wiki/Viquip%C3%A8dia:Text_alternatiu" title="Viquipèdia:Text alternatiu – Catalan" lang="ca" hreflang="ca" data-title="Viquipèdia:Text alternatiu" data-language-autonym="Català" data-language-local-name="Catalan" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Català</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-cs mw-list-item"><a href="https://cs.wikipedia.org/wiki/N%C3%A1pov%C4%9Bda:Alternativn%C3%AD_text" title="Nápověda:Alternativní text – Czech" lang="cs" hreflang="cs" data-title="Nápověda:Alternativní text" data-language-autonym="Čeština" data-language-local-name="Czech" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Čeština</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-es mw-list-item"><a href="https://es.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Texto_alternativo_para_las_im%C3%A1genes" title="Wikipedia:Texto alternativo para las imágenes – Spanish" lang="es" hreflang="es" data-title="Wikipedia:Texto alternativo para las imágenes" data-language-autonym="Español" data-language-local-name="Spanish" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Español</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-fa mw-list-item"><a href="https://fa.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D9%88%DB%8C%DA%A9%DB%8C%E2%80%8C%D9%BE%D8%AF%DB%8C%D8%A7:%D9%85%D8%AA%D9%86_%D8%AC%D8%A7%DB%8C%DA%AF%D8%B2%DB%8C%D9%86_%D8%A8%D8%B1%D8%A7%DB%8C_%D8%AA%D8%B5%D8%A7%D9%88%DB%8C%D8%B1" title="ویکی‌پدیا:متن جایگزین برای تصاویر – Persian" lang="fa" hreflang="fa" data-title="ویکی‌پدیا:متن جایگزین برای تصاویر" data-language-autonym="فارسی" data-language-local-name="Persian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>فارسی</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-it mw-list-item"><a href="https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aiuto:Testo_alternativo_per_le_immagini" title="Aiuto:Testo alternativo per le immagini – Italian" lang="it" hreflang="it" data-title="Aiuto:Testo alternativo per le immagini" data-language-autonym="Italiano" data-language-local-name="Italian" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Italiano</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ml mw-list-item"><a href="https://ml.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B4%B5%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%AA%E0%B5%80%E0%B4%A1%E0%B4%BF%E0%B4%AF:%E0%B4%AA%E0%B4%95%E0%B4%B0%E0%B4%B5%E0%B4%BE%E0%B4%95%E0%B5%8D%E0%B4%AF%E0%B4%82" title="വിക്കിപീഡിയ:പകരവാക്യം – Malayalam" lang="ml" hreflang="ml" data-title="വിക്കിപീഡിയ:പകരവാക്യം" data-language-autonym="മലയാളം" data-language-local-name="Malayalam" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>മലയാളം</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-mr mw-list-item"><a href="https://mr.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%A4%B5%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%95%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AA%E0%A5%80%E0%A4%A1%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE:%E0%A4%9A%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%B0%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%82%E0%A4%B8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A0%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%AA%E0%A4%B0%E0%A5%8D%E0%A4%AF%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%AF%E0%A5%80_%E0%A4%AE%E0%A4%9C%E0%A4%95%E0%A5%82%E0%A4%B0" title="विकिपीडिया:चित्रांसाठी पर्यायी मजकूर – Marathi" lang="mr" hreflang="mr" data-title="विकिपीडिया:चित्रांसाठी पर्यायी मजकूर" data-language-autonym="मराठी" data-language-local-name="Marathi" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>मराठी</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-ja mw-list-item"><a href="https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:%E7%94%BB%E5%83%8F%E3%81%AE%E4%BB%A3%E6%9B%BF%E3%83%86%E3%82%AD%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88" title="Wikipedia:画像の代替テキスト – Japanese" lang="ja" hreflang="ja" data-title="Wikipedia:画像の代替テキスト" data-language-autonym="日本語" data-language-local-name="Japanese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>日本語</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-pt mw-list-item"><a href="https://pt.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikip%C3%A9dia:Texto_alternativo_para_imagens" title="Wikipédia:Texto alternativo para imagens – Portuguese" lang="pt" hreflang="pt" data-title="Wikipédia:Texto alternativo para imagens" data-language-autonym="Português" data-language-local-name="Portuguese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>Português</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-te mw-list-item"><a href="https://te.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E0%B0%B5%E0%B0%BF%E0%B0%95%E0%B1%80%E0%B0%AA%E0%B1%80%E0%B0%A1%E0%B0%BF%E0%B0%AF%E0%B0%BE:Alternative_text_for_images" title="వికీపీడియా:Alternative text for images – Telugu" lang="te" hreflang="te" data-title="వికీపీడియా:Alternative text for images" data-language-autonym="తెలుగు" data-language-local-name="Telugu" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>తెలుగు</span></a></li><li class="interlanguage-link interwiki-zh mw-list-item"><a href="https://zh.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:%E5%9C%96%E5%83%8F%E7%9A%84%E6%9B%BF%E4%BB%A3%E6%96%87%E5%AD%97" title="Wikipedia:圖像的替代文字 – Chinese" lang="zh" hreflang="zh" data-title="Wikipedia:圖像的替代文字" data-language-autonym="中文" data-language-local-name="Chinese" class="interlanguage-link-target"><span>中文</span></a></li> </ul> <div class="after-portlet after-portlet-lang"><span class="wb-langlinks-edit wb-langlinks-link"><a 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class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-pin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.pin">move to sidebar</button> <button class="vector-pinnable-header-toggle-button vector-pinnable-header-unpin-button" data-event-name="pinnable-header.vector-appearance.unpin">hide</button> </div> </div> </div> </nav> </div> </div> <div id="bodyContent" class="vector-body" aria-labelledby="firstHeading" data-mw-ve-target-container> <div class="vector-body-before-content"> <div class="mw-indicators"> </div> <div id="siteSub" class="noprint">From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia</div> </div> <div id="contentSub"><div id="mw-content-subtitle"><div class="subpages">< <bdi dir="ltr"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style">Wikipedia:Manual of Style</a></bdi> | <bdi dir="ltr"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility">Accessibility</a></bdi></div><span class="mw-redirectedfrom">(Redirected from <a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Alternative_text_for_images&redirect=no" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Alternative text for images">Wikipedia:Alternative text for images</a>)</span></div></div> <div id="mw-content-text" class="mw-body-content"><div class="mw-content-ltr mw-parser-output" lang="en" dir="ltr"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1236090951">.mw-parser-output .hatnote{font-style:italic}.mw-parser-output div.hatnote{padding-left:1.6em;margin-bottom:0.5em}.mw-parser-output .hatnote i{font-style:normal}.mw-parser-output .hatnote+link+.hatnote{margin-top:-0.5em}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .hatnote{display:none!important}}</style><div role="note" class="hatnote navigation-not-searchable">"WP:ALT" redirects here. For other sites that may be more useful if an article is unsuitable for Wikipedia, see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Alternative_outlets" title="Wikipedia:Alternative outlets">Wikipedia:Alternative outlets</a>. For alternative accounts, see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Sock_puppetry#Legitimate_uses_of_alternative_accounts" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Sock puppetry">Wikipedia:Sock puppetry § Legitimate uses of alternative accounts</a>. For the guideline on mentioning an article's alternative names, see <a href="/wiki/MOS:ALTNAME" class="mw-redirect" title="MOS:ALTNAME">MOS:ALTNAME</a>.</div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238436933">.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 0;border-collapse:collapse;border:1px solid #a2a9b1;background-color:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa);box-sizing:border-box;color:var(--color-base,#202122)}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{font-size:88%;line-height:1.25em}.mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{border:2px solid #b32424;background-color:#fee7e6}.mw-parser-output .ombox-delete{border:2px solid #b32424}.mw-parser-output .ombox-content{border:1px solid #f28500}.mw-parser-output .ombox-style{border:1px solid #fc3}.mw-parser-output .ombox-move{border:1px solid #9932cc}.mw-parser-output .ombox-protection{border:2px solid #a2a9b1}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-text{border:none;padding:0.25em 0.9em;width:100%}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-image{border:none;padding:2px 0 2px 0.9em;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-imageright{border:none;padding:2px 0.9em 2px 0;text-align:center}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-empty-cell{border:none;padding:0;width:1px}.mw-parser-output .ombox .mbox-invalid-type{text-align:center}@media(min-width:720px){.mw-parser-output .ombox{margin:4px 10%}.mw-parser-output .ombox.mbox-small{clear:right;float:right;margin:4px 0 4px 1em;width:238px}}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output table.ombox img{max-width:none!important}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .ombox-speedy{background-color:#310402}}</style><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/40px-Information_icon4.svg.png" decoding="async" width="40" height="40" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/60px-Information_icon4.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/1d/Information_icon4.svg/80px-Information_icon4.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="620" data-file-height="620"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><div style="padding-top: 6px; padding-bottom: 5px;"><b>This is an <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Project_namespace#How-to_and_information_pages" title="Wikipedia:Project namespace">explanatory essay</a> about the <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility#Images" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility">Manual of Style accessibility for images</a> guidelines</b>. <br/><div style="font-size:90%;"> This page provides additional information about concepts in the page(s) it supplements. This page is not one of <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Policies_and_guidelines" title="Wikipedia:Policies and guidelines">Wikipedia's policies or guidelines</a> as it has not been <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Consensus#Levels_of_consensus" title="Wikipedia:Consensus">thoroughly vetted by the community</a>.</div></div></td><td class="mbox-imageright"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1252059228">.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain{float:right;margin:0 0 0 1em;border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);background-color:var(--background-color-base,#fff);padding:0.3em 0.6em 0.2em 0.6em;text-align:center;font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxleft{float:left;margin:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutlist{display:inline-block;border-bottom:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);margin-bottom:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutboxplain ul{font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .module-shortcutanchordiv{position:relative;top:-3em}.mw-parser-output li .module-shortcutanchordiv{float:right}.mw-parser-output .mbox-imageright .module-shortcutboxplain{padding:0.4em 1em 0.4em 1em;line-height:1.3;margin:0}</style><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="WP:MOSALT"></span><span id="MOS:ALT"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcuts</a></div><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1126788409">.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul{line-height:inherit;list-style:none;margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .plainlist ol li,.mw-parser-output .plainlist ul li{margin-bottom:0}</style><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:MOSALT&redirect=no">WP:MOSALT</a></span></li><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MOS:ALT&redirect=no">MOS:ALT</a></span></li></ul></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table><div class="shortdescription nomobile noexcerpt noprint searchaux" style="display:none">Explanatory essay</div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1238436933"><table class="plainlinks ombox ombox-notice nutshell" role="presentation"><tbody><tr><td class="mbox-image"><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/30px-Walnut.png" decoding="async" width="30" height="30" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/45px-Walnut.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/f/f6/Walnut.png/60px-Walnut.png 2x" data-file-width="192" data-file-height="192"/></span></span></td><td class="mbox-text"><b>This page in a nutshell:</b> Alternative text allows the content and function of an image to be understood by text-only readers.</td></tr></tbody></table> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1129693374">.mw-parser-output .hlist dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul{margin:0;padding:0}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt,.mw-parser-output .hlist li{margin:0;display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist.inline ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist dl ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ol ul,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul dl,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ol,.mw-parser-output .hlist ul ul{display:inline}.mw-parser-output .hlist .mw-empty-li{display:none}.mw-parser-output .hlist dt::after{content:": "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li::after{content:" · ";font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .hlist 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dt:last-child::after,.mw-parser-output .hlist li li:last-child::after{content:")";font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol{counter-reset:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li{counter-increment:listitem}.mw-parser-output .hlist ol>li::before{content:" "counter(listitem)"\a0 "}.mw-parser-output .hlist dd ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist dt ol>li:first-child::before,.mw-parser-output .hlist li ol>li:first-child::before{content:" ("counter(listitem)"\a0 "}</style><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1246091330">.mw-parser-output .sidebar{width:22em;float:right;clear:right;margin:0.5em 0 1em 1em;background:var(--background-color-neutral-subtle,#f8f9fa);border:1px solid var(--border-color-base,#a2a9b1);padding:0.2em;text-align:center;line-height:1.4em;font-size:88%;border-collapse:collapse;display:table}body.skin-minerva .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:table!important;float:right!important;margin:0.5em 0 1em 1em!important}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-subgroup{width:100%;margin:0;border-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-left{float:left;clear:left;margin:0.5em 1em 1em 0}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-none{float:none;clear:both;margin:0.5em 1em 1em 0}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-outer-title{padding:0 0.4em 0.2em;font-size:125%;line-height:1.2em;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-top-image{padding:0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-top-caption,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-pretitle-with-top-image,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-caption{padding:0.2em 0.4em 0;line-height:1.2em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-pretitle{padding:0.4em 0.4em 0;line-height:1.2em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-title,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{padding:0.2em 0.8em;font-size:145%;line-height:1.2em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{padding:0.1em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-image{padding:0.2em 0.4em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-heading{padding:0.1em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-content{padding:0 0.5em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-content-with-subgroup{padding:0.1em 0.4em 0.2em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-above,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-below{padding:0.3em 0.8em;font-weight:bold}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-collapse .sidebar-above,.mw-parser-output .sidebar-collapse .sidebar-below{border-top:1px solid #aaa;border-bottom:1px solid #aaa}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-navbar{text-align:right;font-size:115%;padding:0 0.4em 0.4em}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-list-title{padding:0 0.4em;text-align:left;font-weight:bold;line-height:1.6em;font-size:105%}.mw-parser-output .sidebar-list-title-c{padding:0 0.4em;text-align:center;margin:0 3.3em}@media(max-width:640px){body.mediawiki .mw-parser-output .sidebar{width:100%!important;clear:both;float:none!important;margin-left:0!important;margin-right:0!important}}body.skin--responsive .mw-parser-output .sidebar a>img{max-width:none!important}@media screen{html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-list-title,html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle{background:transparent!important}html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .sidebar:not(.notheme) .sidebar-title-with-pretitle a{color:var(--color-progressive)!important}}@media print{body.ns-0 .mw-parser-output .sidebar{display:none!important}}</style><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><table class="sidebar sidebar-collapse nomobile nowraplinks plainlist"><tbody><tr><th class="sidebar-title"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility">WikiProject Accessibility</a></th></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-above" style="display:block;margin-bottom:0.5em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/What_is_accessibility%3F" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/What is accessibility?">What is accessibility?</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Accessibility" title="Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Accessibility">Main discussion page</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/FAQ_and_common_pitfalls" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/FAQ and common pitfalls">FAQ and common pitfalls</a></li></ul></td></tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;;color: var(--color-base)">Article guidelines</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="text-align:left; margin-left: 1em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Accessibility_dos_and_don%27ts" title="Wikipedia:Accessibility dos and don'ts">Dos and don'ts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility">Manual of Style<span style="white-space: nowrap;"> / </span>Accessibility</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Alternative_text_for_images" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Alternative text for images">Alternative text for images</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Data_tables_tutorial" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Accessibility/Data tables tutorial">Data tables tutorial</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;;color: var(--color-base)">Template guidelines</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="text-align:left; margin-left: 1em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Top_priority_issues_with_templates" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Top priority issues with templates">Template priorities</a></li> <li><div style="display:inline-block; padding:0.2em 0.4em; line-height:1.2em;"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Most_widely_used_templates" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Most widely used templates">Most widely used templates</a><div class="hlist"><ul><li>(<a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Most_widely_used_templates/Top_200" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Most widely used templates/Top 200">Top 200</a></li><li><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Most_widely_used_templates/From_200_to_1000&action=edit&redlink=1" class="new" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Most widely used templates/From 200 to 1000 (page does not exist)">200–1000</a></li><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Most_widely_used_templates/Template_watchlist" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Most widely used templates/Template watchlist">Watchlist</a>)</li></ul></div> </div></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Infoboxes" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Infoboxes">Infobox accessibility</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;;color: var(--color-base)">Coordination</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="text-align:left; margin-left: 1em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Manual_of_Style_draft" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Manual of Style draft">Manual of Style draft</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Methodology" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Methodology">Methodology</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Resources_and_references" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Resources and references">Resources and references</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Policy_proposal" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Policy proposal">Policy proposal</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Popular_pages" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Popular pages">Popular pages</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-content"> <div class="sidebar-list mw-collapsible mw-collapsed"><div class="sidebar-list-title" style="border-bottom:1px solid #aaa;;color: var(--color-base)">For impaired users</div><div class="sidebar-list-content mw-collapsible-content" style="text-align:left; margin-left: 1em;"> <ul><li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Using_JAWS" title="Wikipedia:Using JAWS">Using JAWS</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Keyboard_shortcuts" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Keyboard shortcuts">Keyboard shortcuts</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Style_sheets_for_visually_impaired_users" title="Wikipedia:Style sheets for visually impaired users">Style sheets</a></li> <li><a href="/wiki/User:P999/Toggle_VF" title="User:P999/Toggle VF">Toggle VF</a></li></ul></div></div></td> </tr><tr><td class="sidebar-navbar" style="display:block;margin-top:0.25em; padding-top:0.25em;"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1129693374"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239400231">.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:inline;font-size:88%;font-weight:normal}.mw-parser-output .navbar-collapse{float:left;text-align:left}.mw-parser-output .navbar-boxtext{word-spacing:0}.mw-parser-output .navbar ul{display:inline-block;white-space:nowrap;line-height:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::before{margin-right:-0.125em;content:"[ "}.mw-parser-output .navbar-brackets::after{margin-left:-0.125em;content:" ]"}.mw-parser-output .navbar li{word-spacing:-0.125em}.mw-parser-output .navbar a>span,.mw-parser-output .navbar a>abbr{text-decoration:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-mini abbr{font-variant:small-caps;border-bottom:none;text-decoration:none;cursor:inherit}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-full{font-size:114%;margin:0 7em}.mw-parser-output .navbar-ct-mini{font-size:114%;margin:0 4em}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}@media(prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .navbar li a abbr{color:var(--color-base)!important}}@media print{.mw-parser-output .navbar{display:none!important}}</style><div class="navbar plainlinks hlist navbar-mini"><ul><li class="nv-view"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Navigation_menu" title="Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Navigation menu"><abbr title="View this template">v</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-talk"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia_talk:WikiProject_Accessibility/Navigation_menu" title="Wikipedia talk:WikiProject Accessibility/Navigation menu"><abbr title="Discuss this template">t</abbr></a></li><li class="nv-edit"><a href="/wiki/Special:EditPage/Wikipedia:WikiProject_Accessibility/Navigation_menu" title="Special:EditPage/Wikipedia:WikiProject Accessibility/Navigation menu"><abbr title="Edit this template">e</abbr></a></li></ul></div></td></tr></tbody></table> <p><b>Alternative text</b> (or <b>alt text</b>) is text associated with an image that serves the same purpose and conveys the same essential information as the image.<sup id="cite_ref-G94_1-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-G94-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In situations where the image is not available to the reader, perhaps because they have turned off images in their web browser or are using a <a href="/wiki/Screen_reader" title="Screen reader">screen reader</a> due to a <a href="/wiki/Visual_impairment" title="Visual impairment">visual impairment</a>, the alternative text ensures that no information or functionality is lost.<sup id="cite_ref-G94_1-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-G94-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> Absent or unhelpful alternative text can be a source of frustration for visually impaired users.<sup id="cite_ref-Lazar2007_2-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Lazar2007-2"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>2<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>On Wikipedia, alternative text is typically supplied through a combination of the image <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Captions" title="Wikipedia:Manual of Style/Captions">caption</a> and the text supplied for the image <code>alt</code> parameter in the <a href="/wiki/Help:Visual_file_markup" title="Help:Visual file markup">MediaWiki markup</a>. The following example produces the adjacent image: </p> <figure class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Jacques-Louis_David_017.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="Painting of Napoleon Bonaparte" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Jacques-Louis_David_017.jpg/170px-Jacques-Louis_David_017.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="280" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Jacques-Louis_David_017.jpg/255px-Jacques-Louis_David_017.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/0/0a/Jacques-Louis_David_017.jpg/340px-Jacques-Louis_David_017.jpg 2x" data-file-width="1576" data-file-height="2596"/></a><figcaption><i><a href="/wiki/The_Emperor_Napoleon_in_His_Study_at_the_Tuileries" title="The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries">The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries</a></i> by <a href="/wiki/Jacques-Louis_David" title="Jacques-Louis David">Jacques-Louis David</a></figcaption></figure> <blockquote><div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-wikitext mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span><span class="p">[[</span><span class="nn">File</span><span class="p">:</span><span class="nt">Jacques-Louis David 017.jpg </span><span class="p">|</span>thumb <span class="p">|</span><span class="na">upright</span><span class="o">=</span>0.75 <span class="p">|</span><span class="na">alt</span><span class="o">=</span>Painting of Napoleon Bonaparte<span class="p">|</span><span class="ge">''</span><span class="p">[[</span><span class="nt">The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries</span><span class="p">]]</span><span class="ge">''</span> by <span class="p">[[</span><span class="nt">Jacques-Louis David</span><span class="p">]]]]</span> </pre></div></blockquote> <p>The <code>alt</code> parameter text ("Painting of Napoleon Bonaparte") is not normally visible to readers; however, it may be displayed by web browsers when images are switched off, or read out loud by <a href="/wiki/Screen_reader" title="Screen reader">screen readers</a> for those with visual impairment, and can be used by search engines to determine the content of the image.<sup id="cite_ref-WebAIM_3-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WebAIM-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> In keeping with other Internet guidelines, the term "<code>alt</code> text" (in a <code>code</code> font) is used here to refer to the text supplied for the image <code>alt</code> parameter and which generates text for the <a href="/wiki/Alt_attribute" title="Alt attribute">HTML alt attribute</a>; the term "alternative text" refers to the text equivalent for an image, regardless of where that text resides.<sup id="cite_ref-nearbytext_4-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nearbytext-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>For images that link to their image description page (which is nearly all images on Wikipedia), the <code>alt</code> text cannot be blank nor should the <code>alt</code> parameter be absent. This is because a screen reader, in order to describe the purpose of the link, will default to reading out the image filename when no <code>alt</code> text is available.<sup id="cite_ref-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-5"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>5<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> This is usually not helpful. In the above Napoleon example, the screen reader would have read out "link graphic slash Jacques hyphen Louis underscore David underscore zero one seven" had we not supplied the <code>alt</code> parameter.<sup id="cite_ref-6" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-6"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>6<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>An image that is purely decorative (provides no information and serves only an aesthetic purpose) requires no alternative text. Often the caption fully meets the requirements for alternative text. However, the only situation where blank <code>alt</code> text is acceptable is where such images are unlinked, which is rarely possible. One solution is to provide something at least minimally useful such as <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=photograph</code> , <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=painting</code>, or <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=sculpture</code>. Another solution, if a caption doesn't already describe or identify the image, is for the <code>alt</code> text to do so as briefly as possible. </p> <meta property="mw:PageProp/toc"/> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Audience" data-mw-thread-id="h-Audience"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Audience"></span>Audience<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Audience"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=1" title="Edit section: Audience"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><b>The audience for alternative text includes</b>: </p> <ul><li>Readers with visual impairment of varying degrees who browse Wikipedia using a <a href="/wiki/Screen_reader" title="Screen reader">screen reader</a> that translates text into speech or <a href="/wiki/Braille" title="Braille">Braille</a>, such as <a href="/wiki/JAWS_(screen_reader)" title="JAWS (screen reader)">JAWS</a>, <a href="/wiki/NonVisual_Desktop_Access" title="NonVisual Desktop Access">NVDA</a> or <a href="/wiki/Orca_(assistive_technology)" title="Orca (assistive technology)">Orca</a><sup id="cite_ref-WebAIM_3-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WebAIM-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>Readers using browsers that do not support images (e.g., <a href="/wiki/Lynx_(web_browser)" title="Lynx (web browser)">Lynx</a>), or that are configured not to display them (e.g. due to limited data allowance);<sup id="cite_ref-WebAIM_3-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WebAIM-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li> <li>Search-engine bots.<sup id="cite_ref-WebAIM_3-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WebAIM-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup></li></ul> <p>Experiencing Wikipedia with a screen reader requires practice. An experienced screen-reader user may choose to skip portions of the text. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="How_to_write_alternative_text" data-mw-thread-id="h-How_to_write_alternative_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span>How to write alternative text<span data-mw-comment-end="h-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=2" title="Edit section: How to write alternative text"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Basics" data-mw-thread-id="h-Basics-How_to_write_alternative_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Basics-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span>Basics<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Basics-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=3" title="Edit section: Basics"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Alternative text should be short, such as "A basketball player" or "Tony Blair shakes hands with George W. Bush". If it needs to be longer, the important details should appear in the first few words, allowing the user of a screen reader to skip forward once the key points are understood. Very long descriptions can be left for the body of the article.<sup id="cite_ref-G94_1-2" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-G94-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <a href="/wiki/MediaWiki" title="MediaWiki">MediaWiki</a> does not support HTML's <a href="/wiki/Longdesc_attribute" class="mw-redirect" title="Longdesc attribute">longdesc attribute</a>. All readers will be aware this element is an image, so adding "photograph of" isn't usually necessary. </p><p>The <code>alt</code> text must be plain text (no HTML or wiki markup such as wikilinks) without line breaks. The text must comply with <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Neutral_point_of_view" title="Wikipedia:Neutral point of view">Neutral point of view</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Verifiability" title="Wikipedia:Verifiability">Verifiability</a>, <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:No_original_research" title="Wikipedia:No original research">No original research</a>, and <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Biographies_of_living_persons" title="Wikipedia:Biographies of living persons">Biographies of living persons</a>. Since it cannot contain <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Inline_citation" title="Wikipedia:Inline citation">inline citations</a>, it must not convey any contentious point, or material not obvious to any reader. The <code>alt</code> text is intended to be read out by screen readers just before the caption, so avoid having the same details in both. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Importance_of_context" data-mw-thread-id="h-Importance_of_context-How_to_write_alternative_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Importance_of_context-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span>Importance of context<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Importance_of_context-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=4" title="Edit section: Importance of context"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Queen_Elisabeth_II.JPG" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="Elizabeth II speaking to the public." src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Queen_Elisabeth_II.JPG/180px-Queen_Elisabeth_II.JPG" decoding="async" width="180" height="142" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Queen_Elisabeth_II.JPG/270px-Queen_Elisabeth_II.JPG 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/5/5c/Queen_Elisabeth_II.JPG/360px-Queen_Elisabeth_II.JPG 2x" data-file-width="1518" data-file-height="1194"/></a><figcaption>Unless it appears in an article on fashion, the <code>alt</code> text for this image of <a href="/wiki/Elizabeth_II" title="Elizabeth II">Elizabeth II</a> should not be "an elderly woman wearing a black hat"</figcaption></figure> <p>Understanding the context of an image is vital. The <a href="/wiki/World_Wide_Web_Consortium" title="World Wide Web Consortium">World Wide Web Consortium</a> (W3C) <a href="/wiki/Web_Content_Accessibility_Guidelines" title="Web Content Accessibility Guidelines">Web Content Accessibility Guidelines</a> (WCAG) 2.0 recommend editors consider four questions:<sup id="cite_ref-UnderstandingSC111_7-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-UnderstandingSC111-7"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>7<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <ul><li>Why is this non-text content here?</li> <li>What information is it presenting?</li> <li>What purpose does it fulfil?</li> <li>If I could not use the non-text content, what words would I use to convey the same function or information?</li></ul> <p>For example, an image of <a href="/wiki/Napoleon_Bonaparte" class="mw-redirect" title="Napoleon Bonaparte">Napoleon Bonaparte</a> could be used in </p> <ul><li>an article on great military leaders where it illustrates an example of such a leader—the alternative text should name the subject;</li> <li>an <a href="/wiki/Napoleon_I" class="mw-redirect" title="Napoleon I">article on Napoleon</a> illustrating what he looked like—the alternative text should briefly describe his appearance if it matters to the article;</li> <li>an <a href="/wiki/The_Emperor_Napoleon_in_His_Study_at_the_Tuileries" title="The Emperor Napoleon in His Study at the Tuileries">article on a painting of him</a>—the alternative text should briefly describe the painting.</li></ul> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Images_that_contain_words" data-mw-thread-id="h-Images_that_contain_words-How_to_write_alternative_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Images_that_contain_words-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span>Images that contain words<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Images_that_contain_words-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=5" title="Edit section: Images that contain words"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>If an image contains words important to the reader's understanding, the alternative text should contain those words.<sup id="cite_ref-G94_1-3" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-G94-1"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> If it contains non-Latin characters, consider providing a <a href="/wiki/Transliteration" title="Transliteration">transliteration</a>. Screen readers without <a href="/wiki/Unicode" title="Unicode">Unicode</a> support have widely varying support for characters outside <a href="/wiki/Latin-1" class="mw-redirect" title="Latin-1">Latin-1</a>. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Captions_and_nearby_text" data-mw-thread-id="h-Captions_and_nearby_text-How_to_write_alternative_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Captions_and_nearby_text-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span>Captions and nearby text<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Captions_and_nearby_text-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=6" title="Edit section: Captions and nearby text"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-right" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Toothbrush_x3_20050716_002.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="refer to caption" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Toothbrush_x3_20050716_002.jpg/180px-Toothbrush_x3_20050716_002.jpg" decoding="async" width="180" height="135" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Toothbrush_x3_20050716_002.jpg/270px-Toothbrush_x3_20050716_002.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/6/66/Toothbrush_x3_20050716_002.jpg/360px-Toothbrush_x3_20050716_002.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2272" data-file-height="1704"/></a><figcaption>Comparison of three different types of toothbrush<p>[Uses <code>|alt=refer to caption</code>. The article and caption describe the subject, and a descriptive <code>alt</code> would just be repetitive.]</p></figcaption></figure> <dl><dd><i>For details of the wiki markup that produces these elements, see <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Extended_image_syntax#Alt_text_and_caption" title="Wikipedia:Extended image syntax">Wikipedia:Extended image syntax#Alt text and caption</a>.</i></dd></dl> <p>Images are typically thumbnails with captions. The caption is visible to all readers, and can contain HTML markup, wikilinks and inline citations. An infobox often contains a plain image with the caption as a separate row. A good caption should succinctly identify the subject of the image and establish the image's relevance to the article, without detailing the obvious. </p><p>Where the caption is sufficiently descriptive or evocative of the image, or where it makes clear what the function of the image is, one option is to write <b><code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=refer to caption</code></b>. Where nearby text in the article performs the same function, it can be <b><code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=refer to adjacent text</code></b>.<sup id="cite_ref-nearbytext_4-1" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-nearbytext-4"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>4<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>When the image type is specified in such a way that a caption is not visible without hovering over the image, which occurs in such places as the Main Page, the caption text is automatically used as the alt text, which almost always suffices (see the extended image syntax link above). </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Maps_and_diagrams" data-mw-thread-id="h-Maps_and_diagrams-How_to_write_alternative_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Maps_and_diagrams-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span>Maps and diagrams<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Maps_and_diagrams-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=7" title="Edit section: Maps and diagrams"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>With maps, diagrams and charts, the colour, position, and size of elements are not important. Instead, concentrate on the information being presented. For example, a chart may have alternative text "Sales in June exceeded those in July, and August's were higher still", and a diagrammatic animation may have alternative text "Animation of a car engine in motion". The <a href="/wiki/Structural_formula" title="Structural formula">structural formula</a> of a <a href="/wiki/Chemical_compound" title="Chemical compound">chemical compound</a> can be unambiguously described using <a href="/wiki/IUPAC_nomenclature" class="mw-redirect" title="IUPAC nomenclature">IUPAC nomenclature</a> and the <a href="/wiki/Template:Drugbox" class="mw-redirect" title="Template:Drugbox">drug</a> or <a href="/wiki/Template:Chembox" title="Template:Chembox">chemistry</a> infoboxes include this information. </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading3"><h3 id="Decorative_images" data-mw-thread-id="h-Decorative_images-How_to_write_alternative_text"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Decorative_images-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span><span id="Blank_alt_attributes"></span><span id="Purely_decorative_images"></span><span id="BLANKALT"></span><span id="PDI"></span> Decorative images<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Decorative_images-How_to_write_alternative_text"></span></h3><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=8" title="Edit section: Decorative images"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1252059228"><div class="module-shortcutanchordiv"><span id="MOS:PDI"></span><span id="MOS:BLANKALT"></span></div><div class="module-shortcutboxplain noprint" role="note"><div class="module-shortcutlist"><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Shortcut" title="Wikipedia:Shortcut">Shortcuts</a></div><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1126788409"><div class="plainlist"><ul><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MOS:PDI&redirect=no">MOS:PDI</a></span></li><li><span class="plainlinks"><a class="external text" href="https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=MOS:BLANKALT&redirect=no">MOS:BLANKALT</a></span></li></ul></div></div> <p>An image that provides no essential information is a <b>purely decorative image</b>. A decorative image may provide visual structure or aesthetic flourish, but can cause confusion outside that visual context. A non-blank alt attribute on a decorative image results in audible clutter for screen reader users, and irrelevant text inserted into search engine results. </p><p>Similar problems exist for an image that strictly repeats the information found in nearby text or in a caption. The nearby text is sufficient as the image's alternative text. A non-blank alt attribute results in repetitive text for screen readers and search engines. </p><p>In both cases, a blank alt attribute is ideal. </p> <ul><li>For public domain, CC0, or similarly licensed images, unlink the image and use a blank alt attribute: <b><code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|link=</code><code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=</code></b>. The combination of no link and a blank alt attribute causes screen readers to skip the image, and causes search engines to skip the image in search result text snippets.</li> <li>For CC BY-SA, GFDL, or similarly licensed images, blank <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=</code> and <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|link=</code> attributes should <i>not</i> be used. It is Wikipedia's policy to link those images for attribution, and linked images must have a non-blank alt attribute to prevent empty links, which result in confusing announcements in screen readers. When a blank alt attribute is desired, consider replacing CC BY-SA images with public domain equivalents. Otherwise, use a brief alt attribute (such as <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=photograph</code>, <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=painting</code>, <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=sculpture</code>, or <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=icon</code>) to minimize the confusing text.</li></ul> <p>Icons that convey information <i>not</i> found in the text should have alt attributes that describe their function, not their appearance. For example, an arrow icon used to navigate to the following page should have an alt attribute of <b><code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=next page</code></b> not <b><code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=arrow pointing right</code></b>. If the arrow were accompanied by a descriptive text link with same function, a blank alt attribute would be more appropriate.<sup id="cite_ref-WebAIM_3-4" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WebAIM-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Alt_text_in_templates_and_galleries" data-mw-thread-id="h-Alt_text_in_templates_and_galleries"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Alt_text_in_templates_and_galleries"></span>Alt text in templates and galleries<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Alt_text_in_templates_and_galleries"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=9" title="Edit section: Alt text in templates and galleries"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p><span class="anchor" id="Templates"></span> </p> <dl><dt>Templates</dt> <dd>Many <a href="/wiki/Help:Template" title="Help:Template">templates</a> such as <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Infobox" title="Template:Infobox">Infobox</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> and <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Location_map%2B" title="Template:Location map+">Location map+</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> have their own parameters for specifying <code>alt</code> text. If a template lacks such a parameter, consider asking that it be added.</dd></dl> <p><span class="anchor" id="Galleries"></span> </p> <dl><dt>Galleries</dt> <dd>The <a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Gallery_tag" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Gallery tag"><code><gallery></code> tag</a> supports <code>alt</code> text since MediaWiki 1.18.<sup id="cite_ref-8" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-8"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>8<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Gallery" title="Template:Gallery">Gallery</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> and <span class="nowrap">{{</span><a href="/wiki/Template:Multiple_image" title="Template:Multiple image">Multiple image</a><span class="nowrap">}}</span> also support it. For an example of using the <a href="/wiki/Help:Table" title="Help:Table">table syntax</a> to create a gallery see <i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Picture_tutorial#Galleries" class="mw-redirect" title="Wikipedia:Picture tutorial">Galleries</a></i>.</dd></dl> <p><span class="anchor" id="Timelines"></span> </p> <dl><dt>Timelines</dt> <dd>The <a href="https://www.mediawiki.org/wiki/Extension:EasyTimeline/syntax" class="extiw" title="mw:Extension:EasyTimeline/syntax"><code><timeline></code> tag</a> generates an image with no <code>alt</code> text. When using tables instead, add a <a href="/wiki/Help:Table#Summaries" title="Help:Table">table summary</a>, which is read out by screen readers to give an overview of the contents.</dd></dl> <p><span class="anchor" id="Math_formulae"></span> </p> <dl><dt>Math formulae</dt> <dd>The <a href="/wiki/Help:Displaying_a_formula" title="Help:Displaying a formula"><code><math></code> tag</a> is used to generate math formulae. These may be rendered as an image or using text, depending on their complexity and <a href="https://meta.wikimedia.org/wiki/Help:Preferences#Rendering_math" class="extiw" title="meta:Help:Preferences">user preferences</a>. For simple formulae, use the <code>alt</code> parameter to translate it to English. More complex formulae are hard to specify and the original markup may be the best option, which is the default if no <code>alt</code> parameter is supplied.</dd></dl> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Links_and_attribution" data-mw-thread-id="h-Links_and_attribution"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Links_and_attribution"></span>Links and attribution<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Links_and_attribution"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=10" title="Edit section: Links and attribution"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <p>Writing "<code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=</code>" will cause the MediaWiki software to render HTML with an empty <code>alt</code> attribute in the <code>img</code> tag. When the image is a link, screen readers will read out the link filename (e.g., "slash green underscore tick") if the HTML <code>alt</code> attribute is empty or missing. Nearly all images in Wikipedia articles are links to the image description page, which contains a larger size version of the image, as well as licensing and attribution information.<sup id="cite_ref-LinkBlankAlt_9-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-LinkBlankAlt-9"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>Note 1<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p><p>Wikipedia articles sometimes contain images that do not link to an image page, for example an Information icon. Such images should be configured so they are ignored by screen readers. This is achieved by adding <code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|link=</code><code class="tpl-para" style="word-break:break-word;">|alt=</code> to the image wiki markup. Removing the link is acceptable only for images in the <a href="/wiki/Public_domain" title="Public domain">public domain</a> or the equivalent <a href="/wiki/CC0" class="mw-redirect" title="CC0">CC0</a>. Links should not be suppressed for any image that requires attribution. </p><p>Most images in Wikipedia articles do not serve an active function; they are not buttons or menu options. Where the image serves as a link to another article, name the article in the alternative text. Where following the link performs an operation (such as <i>sort</i>), indicate the operation. Do not say "click here" or "link to" as the reader will already know the image is a link and may not be clicking a mouse button on it.<sup id="cite_ref-Petrie2005_10-0" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-Petrie2005-10"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>9<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </p> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Examples" data-mw-thread-id="h-Examples"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Examples"></span>Examples<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Examples"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=11" title="Edit section: Examples"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <table class="wikitable"> <caption><div style="height: 36px">Examples of alternative text</div> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th scope="col">Wikicode </th> <th scope="col">Normal viewing </th> <th scope="col">Screen reader </th> <th scope="col">Rationale </th></tr> <tr> <td><div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-wikitext mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span><span class="p">[[</span><span class="nn">File</span><span class="p">:</span><span class="nt">Dannebrog.jpg</span><span class="p">|</span>thumb<span class="p">|</span>center <span class="p">|</span><span class="na">upright</span><span class="o">=</span>0.75<span class="p">|</span><span class="na">alt</span><span class="o">=</span>A red flag divided into four by a white cross slightly offset to the left. <span class="p">|</span>The oldest <span class="p">[[</span><span class="nt">national flag</span><span class="p">]]</span> design still in use is <span class="p">[[</span><span class="nt">Denmark</span><span class="p">]]</span>'s 13th-century <span class="ge">''</span><span class="p">[[</span><span class="nt">Flag of Denmark</span><span class="p">|</span>Dannebrog<span class="p">]]</span><span class="ge">''</span>.<span class="p">]]</span> </pre></div> </td> <td><figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-center" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Dannebrog.jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="A red flag divided into four by a white cross slightly offset to the left." src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Dannebrog.jpg/170px-Dannebrog.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="128" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Dannebrog.jpg/255px-Dannebrog.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/8/83/Dannebrog.jpg/340px-Dannebrog.jpg 2x" data-file-width="2848" data-file-height="2136"/></a><figcaption>The oldest <a href="/wiki/National_flag" title="National flag">national flag</a> design still in use is <a href="/wiki/Denmark" title="Denmark">Denmark's</a> 13th-century <i><a href="/wiki/Flag_of_Denmark" title="Flag of Denmark">Dannebrog</a></i>.</figcaption></figure> </td> <td><i>link</i> <i>graphic</i> A red flag divided into four by a white cross slightly offset to the left. The oldest <i>link</i> national flag design still in use is <i>link</i> Denmark's 13th-century <i>link</i> Dannebrog. </td> <td>Article: <a href="/wiki/Flag" title="Flag">Flag</a><br/>The purpose of the image is to show what Denmark's Dannebrog flag looks like. The photograph could be replaced by a flat graphic and serve the same purpose. Therefore, the flagpole, the fluttering and the sky are not important. </td></tr> <tr> <td><div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-wikitext mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span><span class="p">[[</span><span class="nn">File</span><span class="p">:</span><span class="nt">Glass-half-full.jpeg</span><span class="p">|</span>thumb<span class="p">|</span>center<span class="p">|</span><span class="na">upright</span><span class="o">=</span>0.75<span class="p">|</span><span class="na">alt</span><span class="o">=</span>Clear water pours from a spout.<span class="p">|</span>Fluoridation does not affect the appearance, taste or smell of <span class="p">[[</span><span class="nt">drinking water</span><span class="p">]]</span>.<span class="p">]]</span> </pre></div> </td> <td><figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-center" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Glass-half-full.jpeg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="Clear water pours from a spout." src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Glass-half-full.jpeg/170px-Glass-half-full.jpeg" decoding="async" width="170" height="170" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Glass-half-full.jpeg/255px-Glass-half-full.jpeg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/a/a1/Glass-half-full.jpeg/340px-Glass-half-full.jpeg 2x" data-file-width="2011" data-file-height="2015"/></a><figcaption>Fluoridation does not affect the appearance, taste or smell of <a href="/wiki/Drinking_water" title="Drinking water">drinking water</a>.</figcaption></figure> </td> <td><i>link</i> <i>graphic</i> Clear water pours from a spout. Fluoridation does not affect the appearance, taste or smell of <i>link</i> drinking water. </td> <td>Article: <a href="/wiki/Water_fluoridation" title="Water fluoridation">Water fluoridation</a><br/>This is a stock photograph chosen to decorate a sound bite from the article regarding tap water. The image is a link so it needs <code>alt</code> text. Because the caption does not identify the image, a brief description is appropriate. </td></tr> <tr> <td><div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-wikitext mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span><span class="p">[[</span><span class="nn">File</span><span class="p">:</span><span class="nt">Blair Bush Whitehouse (2004-11-12).jpg</span><span class="p">|</span>thumb<span class="p">|</span>center<span class="p">|</span><span class="na">upright</span><span class="o">=</span>0.75<span class="p">|</span><span class="na">alt</span><span class="o">=</span>Tony Blair and George W. Bush shaking hands at a press conference.<span class="p">|</span>Blair and Bush agree on a strategy for peace in the Middle East on 12 November 2004.<span class="p">]]</span> </pre></div> </td> <td><figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-center" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a href="/wiki/File:Blair_Bush_Whitehouse_(2004-11-12).jpg" class="mw-file-description"><img alt="Tony Blair and George W. Bush shaking hands at a press conference." src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Blair_Bush_Whitehouse_%282004-11-12%29.jpg/170px-Blair_Bush_Whitehouse_%282004-11-12%29.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="110" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Blair_Bush_Whitehouse_%282004-11-12%29.jpg/255px-Blair_Bush_Whitehouse_%282004-11-12%29.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/7/70/Blair_Bush_Whitehouse_%282004-11-12%29.jpg/340px-Blair_Bush_Whitehouse_%282004-11-12%29.jpg 2x" data-file-width="515" data-file-height="332"/></a><figcaption>Blair and Bush agree on a strategy for peace in the Middle East on 12 November 2004.</figcaption></figure> </td> <td><i>link</i> <i>graphic</i> Tony Blair and George W. Bush shaking hands at a press conference. Blair and Bush agree on a strategy for peace in the Middle East on 12 November 2004. </td> <td>The image shows them greeting each other with a handshake during a press conference.<p> The <code>alt</code> text shouldn't say "Two men shaking hands", because that's not why the picture was chosen; it needs to identify the men. The <code>alt</code> text shouldn't say they were in the East Room of the White House, because that isn't clear from the photograph. That the men are dressed identically <i>is</i> conveyed by the photograph, but it isn't relevant to the article.</p> </td></tr></tbody></table> <table class="wikitable"> <caption><div style="height: 36px">Unusual examples of alternative text</div> </caption> <tbody><tr> <th scope="col">Wikitext </th> <th scope="col">Normal viewing </th> <th scope="col">Screen reader </th> <th scope="col">Rationale </th></tr> <tr> <td><div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-wikitext mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span><span class="p">[[</span><span class="nn">File</span><span class="p">:</span><span class="nt">Commons-logo.svg</span><span class="p">|</span>frameless <span class="p">|</span><span class="na">upright</span><span class="o">=</span>0.23 <span class="p">|</span>border <span class="p">|</span>center <span class="p">|</span><span class="na">link</span><span class="o">=</span>Commons:Special:Search <span class="p">|</span>Search Wikimedia Commons<span class="p">]]</span> </pre></div> </td> <td><figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-center mw-image-border" typeof="mw:File/Frameless"><a href="https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Special:Search" title="Search Wikimedia Commons"><img alt="Search Wikimedia Commons" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/50px-Commons-logo.svg.png" decoding="async" width="50" height="67" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/75px-Commons-logo.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/4/4a/Commons-logo.svg/100px-Commons-logo.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="1024" data-file-height="1376"/></a><figcaption>Search Wikimedia Commons</figcaption></figure> </td> <td><i>link</i> <i>graphic</i> Search Wikimedia Commons </td> <td>The purpose of the image, an icon, is to provide a link to the Commons search page. The appearance of the icon is not important, but its function is. By writing the alternative text in the "caption" field of the image markup, it is both the <code>alt</code> text and the link title. The link title appears as a tooltip in some browsers. </td></tr> <tr> <td> <div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-tid mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span><span class="nt"><imagemap></span> File:Bryan-Sewall.jpg|thumb|upright=0.75|center|alt=1896 Democratic campaign poster circle 950 850 700 [[<span class="nt">William Jennings Bryan</span>|<span class="na">William J. Bryan</span>]] circle 2950 850 700 [[<span class="nt">Arthur Sewall</span>]] default [<span class="na">http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/democrats.html</span> 1896 Democrats Website] <span class="nt"></imagemap></span> </pre></div> </td> <td><figure class="mw-default-size mw-halign-center noresize" typeof="mw:File/Thumb"><a rel="nofollow" href="http://projects.vassar.edu/1896/democrats.html" class="plainlinks" title="1896 Democrats Website"><img alt="1896 Democratic campaign poster" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Bryan-Sewall.jpg/170px-Bryan-Sewall.jpg" decoding="async" width="170" height="86" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Bryan-Sewall.jpg/255px-Bryan-Sewall.jpg 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/thumb/d/dc/Bryan-Sewall.jpg/340px-Bryan-Sewall.jpg 2x" data-file-width="3916" data-file-height="1980" usemap="#ImageMap_53a29b58cbc3797b" resource="/wiki/File:Bryan-Sewall.jpg"/></a><map name="ImageMap_53a29b58cbc3797b"><area href="/wiki/William_Jennings_Bryan" shape="circle" coords="41,37,30" alt="William J. Bryan" title="William J. Bryan"/><area href="/wiki/Arthur_Sewall" shape="circle" coords="128,37,30" alt="Arthur Sewall" title="Arthur Sewall"/></map><figcaption></figcaption></figure> </td> <td>The base image has alt text "1896 Democratic campaign poster". The left circle has alt text "William J. Bryan". The right circle has <code>alt</code> text "Arthur Sewall". The blue <b>(<i>i</i>)</b> has <code>alt</code> text "About this image". All these are repeated as link title text, which provides a tooltip in some browsers, with the exception of the base image, which has link title "1896 Democrats Website". </td> <td>First line specifies the base image's <code>alt</code> text, which in this case is identifying the picture. Each subsequent line specifies the <code>alt</code> text for a region link, which should be the purpose of the link.<sup id="cite_ref-11" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-11"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>10<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> </td></tr> <tr> <td><div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-wikitext mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span>Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.<span class="p"><</span><span class="nt">br</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">/>[[</span><span class="nn">File</span><span class="p">:</span><span class="nt">Grey line.png</span><span class="p">|</span><span class="na">alt</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">|</span><span class="na">link</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">]]<</span><span class="nt">br</span><span class="w"> </span><span class="p">/></span>Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. </pre></div> </td> <td>Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars.<br/><span class="mw-default-size" typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/2/23/Grey_line.png" decoding="async" width="240" height="1" class="mw-file-element" data-file-width="240" data-file-height="1"/></span></span><br/>Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. </td> <td>Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars. Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus, Neptune. </td> <td>The image provides visual structure but no essential information. Since the image is in the public domain, no attribution is required and the link can be dropped, allowing us to specify a blank <code>alt</code> attribute, so the filename is not spoken by a screen reader. The combination of no link and a blank <code>alt</code> attribute instructs screen readers to skip the image completely. </td></tr> <tr> <td><div class="mw-highlight mw-highlight-lang-wikitext mw-content-ltr" dir="ltr"><pre><span></span><span class="p">[[</span><span class="nn">File</span><span class="p">:</span><span class="nt">Ambox warning pn.svg</span><span class="p">|</span>28x28px<span class="p">|</span><span class="na">alt</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">|</span><span class="na">link</span><span class="o">=</span><span class="p">]]</span> <span class="p"><</span><span class="nt">strong</span><span class="p">></span>Warning:<span class="p"></</span><span class="nt">strong</span><span class="p">></span> Don't run with scissors. </pre></div> </td> <td><span typeof="mw:File"><span><img alt="" src="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/15/Ambox_warning_pn.svg/28px-Ambox_warning_pn.svg.png" decoding="async" width="28" height="24" class="mw-file-element" srcset="//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/15/Ambox_warning_pn.svg/42px-Ambox_warning_pn.svg.png 1.5x, //upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/en/thumb/1/15/Ambox_warning_pn.svg/56px-Ambox_warning_pn.svg.png 2x" data-file-width="512" data-file-height="445"/></span></span> <strong>Warning:</strong> Don't run with scissors. </td> <td>Warning: Don't run with scissors. </td> <td>The image strictly repeats the information conveyed by the adjacent word "Warning". Since "Warning" is sufficient alternative text, a blank <code>alt</code> attribute is appropriate. </td></tr></tbody></table> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="Notes" data-mw-thread-id="h-Notes"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-Notes"></span>Notes<span data-mw-comment-end="h-Notes"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=12" title="Edit section: Notes"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1239543626">.mw-parser-output .reflist{margin-bottom:0.5em;list-style-type:decimal}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .reflist{font-size:90%}}.mw-parser-output .reflist .references{font-size:100%;margin-bottom:0;list-style-type:inherit}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-2{column-width:30em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns-3{column-width:25em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns{margin-top:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns ol{margin-top:0}.mw-parser-output .reflist-columns li{page-break-inside:avoid;break-inside:avoid-column}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-alpha{list-style-type:upper-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-upper-roman{list-style-type:upper-roman}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-alpha{list-style-type:lower-alpha}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-greek{list-style-type:lower-greek}.mw-parser-output .reflist-lower-roman{list-style-type:lower-roman}</style><div class="reflist"> <div class="mw-references-wrap"><ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-LinkBlankAlt-9"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-LinkBlankAlt_9-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">WebAIM says "An image that is the only thing inside a link must never have a missing or null <code>alt</code> attribute. This is because the screen reader must read SOMETHING to identify the link."<sup id="cite_ref-WebAIM_3-5" class="reference"><a href="#cite_note-WebAIM-3"><span class="cite-bracket">[</span>3<span class="cite-bracket">]</span></a></sup> The screen reader emulator Fangs confirms this.</span> </li> </ol></div></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="References" data-mw-thread-id="h-References"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-References"></span>References<span data-mw-comment-end="h-References"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=13" title="Edit section: References"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1239543626"><div class="reflist reflist-columns references-column-width" style="column-width: 30em;"> <ol class="references"> <li id="cite_note-G94-1"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-G94_1-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-G94_1-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-G94_1-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-G94_1-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1041539562">.mw-parser-output .citation{word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}</style><cite class="citation web csvan"> W3C. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20081211/G94">G94: Providing short text alternative for non-text content that serves the same purpose and presents the same information as the non-text content</a>; 11 December 2008 [Retrieved 4 April 2010].</cite></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Lazar2007-2"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Lazar2007_2-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1041539562"><cite class="citation journal csvan">Lazar J, Allen A, Kleinman J, Malarkey C. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://triton.towson.edu/~jlazar/IJHCI_blind_user_frustration.pdf">What frustrates screen reader users on the web: a study of 100 blind users</a> [PDF]. <i>Int J Hum Comput Interact</i>. 2007;22(3):247–69. <style data-mw-deduplicate="TemplateStyles:r1238218222">.mw-parser-output cite.citation{font-style:inherit;word-wrap:break-word}.mw-parser-output .citation q{quotes:"\"""\"""'""'"}.mw-parser-output .citation:target{background-color:rgba(0,127,255,0.133)}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-free.id-lock-free a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/65/Lock-green.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited.id-lock-limited a,.mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration.id-lock-registration a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/d6/Lock-gray-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription.id-lock-subscription a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/aa/Lock-red-alt-2.svg")right 0.1em center/9px no-repeat}.mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background:url("//upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/4c/Wikisource-logo.svg")right 0.1em center/12px no-repeat}body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-free a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-limited a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-registration a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .id-lock-subscription a,body:not(.skin-timeless):not(.skin-minerva) .mw-parser-output .cs1-ws-icon a{background-size:contain;padding:0 1em 0 0}.mw-parser-output .cs1-code{color:inherit;background:inherit;border:none;padding:inherit}.mw-parser-output .cs1-hidden-error{display:none;color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-visible-error{color:var(--color-error,#d33)}.mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{display:none;color:#085;margin-left:0.3em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-left{padding-left:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .cs1-kern-right{padding-right:0.2em}.mw-parser-output .citation .mw-selflink{font-weight:inherit}@media screen{.mw-parser-output .cs1-format{font-size:95%}html.skin-theme-clientpref-night .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}@media screen and (prefers-color-scheme:dark){html.skin-theme-clientpref-os .mw-parser-output .cs1-maint{color:#18911f}}</style><a href="/wiki/Doi_(identifier)" class="mw-redirect" title="Doi (identifier)">doi</a>:<a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://doi.org/10.1080%2F10447310709336964">10.1080/10447310709336964</a>.</cite></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-WebAIM-3"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-WebAIM_3-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-WebAIM_3-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-WebAIM_3-2"><sup><i><b>c</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-WebAIM_3-3"><sup><i><b>d</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-WebAIM_3-4"><sup><i><b>e</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-WebAIM_3-5"><sup><i><b>f</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1041539562"><cite class="citation web csvan"> <i>2020 WebAIM</i>. Center for Persons with Disabilities, <a href="/wiki/Utah_State_University" title="Utah State University">Utah State University</a>. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/">Alternative Text</a> [Retrieved 30 September 2020].</cite></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-nearbytext-4"><span class="mw-cite-backlink">^ <a href="#cite_ref-nearbytext_4-0"><sup><i><b>a</b></i></sup></a> <a href="#cite_ref-nearbytext_4-1"><sup><i><b>b</b></i></sup></a></span> <span class="reference-text"><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.w3.org/TR/2008/NOTE-WCAG20-TECHS-20081211/G74">G74: Providing a long description in text near the non-text content, with a reference to the location of the long description in the short description</a>, WCAG 2.0 technique.<br/>WebAim writes: "[T]he alt attribute (sometimes called the alt tag, though technically this is incorrect) is not the only mechanism for providing the content and function of the image. This information can also be provided in text adjacent to the image or within the page containing the image. ... The term alternative text, as used in this article, refers to the text equivalent for an image, regardless of where that text resides. It does not refer solely to the alt attribute of the image tag. See WebAIM. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/#basics">Alternative Text Basics</a>, accessed 30 September 2020.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-5"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-5">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">W3C. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.w3.org/TR/WCAG20-TECHS/F89.html">F89: Failure (...) due to using null alt on an image where the image is the only content in a link</a>, Techniques for WCAG 2.0, accessed November 5, 2014</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-6"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-6">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">WebAIM says: "An image that is the only thing inside a link must never have a missing or null <code>alt</code> attribute. This is because the screen reader must read SOMETHING to identify the link." See WebAIM, <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://webaim.org/techniques/alttext/#context">Context is Everything</a>, accessed 30 September 2020.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-UnderstandingSC111-7"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-UnderstandingSC111_7-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><link rel="mw-deduplicated-inline-style" href="mw-data:TemplateStyles:r1041539562"><cite class="citation web csvan"> W3C. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www.w3.org/TR/UNDERSTANDING-WCAG20/text-equiv-all.html">Understanding Success Criterion 1.1.1; Understanding WCAG 2.0</a>; 11 December 2008 [Retrieved 4 April 2010].</cite></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-8"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-8">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text"><a href="https://bugzilla.wikimedia.org/show_bug.cgi?id=18682" class="extiw" title="bugzilla:18682">Wikimedia bug 18682</a></span> </li> <li id="cite_note-Petrie2005-10"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-Petrie2005_10-0">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">Petrie, Helen; Harrison, Chandra; and Dev, Sundeep. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://www-users.cs.york.ac.uk/~petrie/HCII05_alt_text_Paper.pdf">Describing images on the Web: a survey of current practice and prospects for the future</a>, Centre for Human Computer Interaction Design, City University London, accessed June 8, 2010.</span> </li> <li id="cite_note-11"><span class="mw-cite-backlink"><b><a href="#cite_ref-11">^</a></b></span> <span class="reference-text">W3C. <a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.w3.org/TR/2008/WD-WCAG20-TECHS-20081103/H24">H24: Providing text alternatives for the area elements of image maps</a>, WCAG 2.0 technique.</span> </li> </ol></div> <div class="mw-heading mw-heading2 ext-discussiontools-init-section"><h2 id="External_links" data-mw-thread-id="h-External_links"><span data-mw-comment-start="" id="h-External_links"></span>External links<span data-mw-comment-end="h-External_links"></span></h2><span class="mw-editsection"><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">[</span><a href="/w/index.php?title=Wikipedia:Manual_of_Style/Accessibility/Alternative_text_for_images&action=edit&section=14" title="Edit section: External links"><span>edit</span></a><span class="mw-editsection-bracket">]</span></span></div> <ul><li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://html.spec.whatwg.org/multipage/images.html#alt">Requirements for providing text to act as an alternative for images</a> – in the HTML 5 specification</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.stylemanual.gov.au/content-types/images/alt-text-captions-and-titles-images">Alt text, captions and titles for images</a>, from the Australian Government Style Manual</li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/gel/how-to-write-text-descriptions-alt-text">How to write text descriptions (alt text) in BBC News articles</a></li> <li><a rel="nofollow" class="external text" href="http://69.142.160.183/~dispenser/cgi-bin/altviewer.py?page=">Altviewer tool</a><sup class="noprint Inline-Template"><span style="white-space: nowrap;">[<i><a href="/wiki/Wikipedia:Link_rot" title="Wikipedia:Link rot"><span title="">dead link</span></a></i><span style="visibility:hidden; 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