Texas Tech University

PowerPoint Reading Order

The reading order in PowerPoint is a way of putting the various elements on each slide into the correct order. The preset layouts all have the correct reading order already. However, if you have added any content or rearranged the content on the page, it is important that you check the reading order to be sure that a person using assistive technology will not be confused by hearing the text being read out of order. 

How to Check Reading Order

  1. From the Home tab select Arrange, then click on Selection Pane.
    In the Home Tab of Microsoft PowerPoint arrow indicating to click on Arrange and red box surrounding 'Selection Pane'.
  2. The Selection Pane will appear on the righthand side of the screen. It is important to note that the reading order appears bottom-to-top, with the bottom item being read first.
    The selection pane in Microsoft PowerPoint
  3. Use the up and down arrows to move any content that is out of order. 

    Note: To the right of each item is an icon that looks like an eye (eye symbol used to hide some content in the selection pane of Microsoft PowerPoint). Clicking on this icon will hide the object visually in the slide, but it will still be read by a screen reader.

If you have any trouble checking the reading order or have any other accessibility questions, please contact us at elearning.oa@ttu.edu

Online Accessibility at Texas Tech