M365 PlaybooksMicrosoft 365 apps · Teams · SharePoint· Deploy · SharePoint sites and pages
Build accessible SharePoint sites and pages
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.
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
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.
Key activities
The plan in order: what must be true first, what to decide, then how to configure the pilot and production.
Prerequisites
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.
Decisions
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
Pilot configuration
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.
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.
Production configuration
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.
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.
Pilot to production
Rollout approachBy 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.
Make your pilot representative
- Every major role, not only IT and enthusiasts
- More than one location or time zone
- Heavy users of the workload you are changing
- People who handle sensitive information
- At least one team you expect to be sceptical
Pilot on the intranetChange: Explain
Templates and captioned video on real pages.
Move on when: Pages pass keyboard and screen reader checks
Train authors and sampleChange: Sustain
Guide for authors; most-viewed pages in the monthly sample.
Move on when: Authors use templates
Common challenges
If youLet every site choose its own theme
What tends to happenLow-contrast themes appear on pages people rely on.
A better approachOffer a small set of tested themes.
If youPut text in images
What tends to happenScreen reader users miss announcements and instructions.
A better approachUse text web parts, with alt text for images that carry meaning.
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?
Success measures
Capture a baseline before you start, or you won't be able to show the change.
| Measure | Where you see it | Good direction |
|---|---|---|
| High-traffic pages meeting the checklist | Monthly sample | Up |
| Pages built from approved templates | Intranet owner review | 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.
Additional reading
Changelog
Changelog (1 version)
| Version | Date | Author | Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Sev Derghazarian | First version. Facts checked against Microsoft Learn on 2026-10-15. |