Generate richer alt text in Word and PowerPoint for Mac

Hi, Insiders! I’m Shireen Salma, and I’m a Product Manager on the Office Accessibility team. I’m excited to share a major improvement to how alt text is generated in Microsoft Word and PowerPoint for Mac – now also available in over 80 languages.

Generate richer alt text in Word and PowerPoint for Mac

We know that many of you want to make your documents and presentations as accessible as possible, and that requires generating alt text for images that is rich, descriptive, and tailored to your audience.

Previously, alt text was generated automatically using the Azure Vision model, which could lead to generic descriptions. With this update to Word and PowerPoint for Mac, alt text is powered by generative AI models, helping you to write higher-quality descriptions that are grounded in what’s visually present.

We released this update to Word and PowerPoint for Windows in November, and are thrilled to now bring it to Mac users!

Image	Alt text by Azure Vision	Alt text by generative AI
	Diagram with lines and circles	The diagram illustrates two equations: R = 20D and R = 10D, where R represents a resultant force and D represents a distance or displacement.
	A bar chart of revenue	The U.S. Vertical Farming Market is projected to grow from $200 million in 2016 to $2.7 billion by 2026, with technologies like aeroponics, hydroponics, and aquaponics contributing to this growth.
	Screenshot of a computer	The image shows a user's notification list on a device, with various messages from friends and events, including a Facebook friend request, a dinner invitation, and a photography event.

For the list of supported languages, please refer to Frequently asked questions about AI-generated alt text.

How it works

1. In Word or PowerPoint for Mac, insert an image in a document or presentation.
2. Select the image, and then select Picture Format > Alt Text. NOTE: You can also select Review > Check Accessibility > Missing Alt Text.
3. Select Generate alt text for me, and notice that the alt text is rich, contextual, and meaningful.

Availability 

This update is available to Word and PowerPoint for Mac users with a Microsoft 365 subscription and running Version 16.107 (Build 26012815) or later.

For users with perpetual license versions of Word and PowerPoint, older versions that previously generated alt text automatically will no longer do so by default. You can still enable this feature manually by selecting File > Options > Accessibility > Automatically generate alt text.

Future perpetual releases will include the new gen AI-powered experience, delivering the same rich, on-demand descriptions available to Microsoft 365 users. This ensures a consistent, high-quality experience across versions, while giving users full control over when and how alt text is added. For the list of supported languages, please refer to Frequently asked questions about AI-generated alt text.

Recent accessibility posts

We have heard from some of you that you'd love to be able to keep track of the availability status of accessibility experiences and features we have covered on our blog in the past several months so take a look below and do let us know if this provides the information you are looking for.

Feedback

We’d love to hear your thoughts on how this update is working! Open Accessibility Assistant, then select Give Feedback to provide feedback. Alternatively, you can select Give feedback on this alt text in the Alt Text pane for specific feedback on alt text.

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