Alt Text: Describe What Matters, Skip the Rest
Alt text lets screen reader users understand images. Describe the subject and action, not every background detail.
What is the Alt Text Writer?
Describe what an image shows and where it appears, and the tool drafts concise alt text and checks its length. Alt text should describe what matters, not every detail — and this draft should be edited to match the image's purpose.
How to use it
- Describe what the image shows.
- Say where it appears.
- Click Write Alt Text and edit the draft.
Worked example
For the baker image, the draft alt text is 'A baker sliding a loaf of bread from a stone oven', at 11 words and 51 characters.
How long should alt text be?
Around 125 characters or fewer is the common guidance, so screen readers can read it comfortably.
Frequently asked questions
Should alt text start with 'image of'?
No, screen readers already announce it as an image.
What about decorative images?
Leave decorative images with empty alt text so screen readers skip them.