# Build accessible SharePoint sites and pages - URL: https://m365playbooks.com/playbooks/build-accessible-sharepoint-sites-and-pages/ - Topic: Accessibility in Microsoft 365 (Program) - Product: Microsoft 365 apps, Teams, SharePoint - Stage: Deploy - Last reviewed: October 15, 2026 - Version: 1 - Written by: Sev Derghazarian ## 1. Purpose Make intranet and team sites usable by everyone. SharePoint has no admin switch for accessible pages: it comes down to the themes, layouts and habits site and page authors use. Getting those right in templates and guidance means every new page starts accessible. ## 2. Overview Accessible themes, layouts and page templates, alt text in web parts, captioned video, and a light check for high-traffic pages. - Effort: About 5 to 8 person-days - Duration: 3 to 6 weeks - Complexity: Low - Who's in the room: Intranet owner, site owners, page authors, accessibility lead - Beyond E5: Nothing beyond Microsoft 365 E5 - Risk of not doing it: Pages with poor contrast, complex layouts or missing alt text exclude people from the information the whole organization relies on. ## 3. Key activities ### Prerequisites 1. **Accept that pages depend on authors** Microsoft's SharePoint accessibility guidance is written for site owners and authors, not admins: there's no setting that makes pages accessible. Plan for templates and habits rather than configuration. Who: Accessibility lead. Produces: A shared understanding with intranet and site owners. ### Decisions 2. **Decision: Which themes and layouts are allowed?** Microsoft recommends strong contrast and simple layouts, such as a single column of sections and built-in headings. If you use classic themes with modern pages, test carefully that content stays readable. Offer a small set of tested themes and page templates. Options: Any theme and layout; A small set of tested themes and page templates. Recommended default: A small set of tested themes and page templates. Who: Intranet owner. Produces: Approved themes and page templates. ### Pilot configuration 3. **Build and test page templates** Create templates for the most common page types (news, policy, team home) using built-in headings and web parts, with alt text fields filled in. Test them with the Accessibility Checker where it applies, keyboard-only navigation and a screen reader. Keep the set small; every extra template is one more to maintain and test. Who: Intranet owner with the accessibility lead. Produces: Tested page templates. 4. **Caption video on pages** Video uploaded to SharePoint gets automatic captions and transcripts if the tenant setting is on; owners can also upload their own caption files. Check that embedded video on pilot pages shows captions. Ask owners to correct captions for names and specialist terms. Who: Site owners. Produces: Captioned video on pilot pages. ### Production configuration 5. **Train page authors and check high-traffic pages** Give page authors a short guide (headings, alt text in every image web part, meaningful link text, no text in images), and add the most-viewed pages to the monthly sample in Maintain. Include site owners in the guide too: they choose themes and layouts for their sites and can undo the templates. Who: Intranet owner. Produces: Trained authors and pages in the sample. 6. **Make it enforceable** Approved themes and page templates make accessible pages the starting point, but nothing prevents an author from changing them, so high-traffic pages are sampled monthly. _Partly enforced. The gaps are a risk until a mechanism covers them._ ## 4. Pilot to production **Rollout approach:** By workload (Pilot size: The intranet home site and two or three team sites). The intranet reaches everyone, so starting with its templates and most-viewed pages gives the largest benefit first. 1. **Agree themes and templates** (Change: Inform) A small, tested set. Move on when: Templates are approved. 2. **Pilot on the intranet** (Change: Explain) Templates and captioned video on real pages. Move on when: Pages pass keyboard and screen reader checks. 3. **Train authors and sample** (Change: Sustain) Guide for authors; most-viewed pages in the monthly sample. Move on when: Authors use templates. ## 5. Common challenges - **If you** Let every site choose its own theme. What tends to happen: Low-contrast themes appear on pages people rely on.. A better approach: Offer a small set of tested themes. - **If you** Put text in images. What tends to happen: Screen reader users miss announcements and instructions.. A better approach: Use text web parts, with alt text for images that carry meaning. ## 6. Checkpoints **Pilot:** - [ ] Do page templates pass keyboard and screen reader checks? - [ ] Does embedded video show captions? **Production:** - [ ] Are approved themes and templates published? - [ ] Are the most-viewed pages in the monthly sample? ## 7. Success measures Capture a baseline before you start, or you won't be able to show the change. - High-traffic pages meeting the checklist (Where you see it: Monthly sample; Good direction: Up) - Pages built from approved templates (Where you see it: Intranet owner review; Good direction: Up) **Ready-to-use text: Page author guide** > Use the approved template. Use heading styles in text web parts. Add alt text to every image that carries meaning. Write link text that says where it goes. Don't put text in images. Use captioned video. ## 8. Additional reading **Plan:** - [Make your SharePoint site accessible to people with disabilities](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/accessibility/sharepoint/make-your-sharepoint-site-accessible-to-people-with-disabilities) - [Accessibility fundamentals (learning path)](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/training/paths/accessibility-fundamental/) **Configure:** - [SharePoint site theming](https://learn.microsoft.com/en-us/sharepoint/dev/declarative-customization/site-theming/sharepoint-site-theming-overview) - [View, edit and manage video transcripts and captions](https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/clipchamp/stream-pages/view-edit-and-manage-video-transcripts-and-captions) ## Changelog - Version 1, 2026-10-15, Sev Derghazarian: First version. Facts checked against Microsoft Learn on 2026-10-15.