How to use the editor

From the Tag editor page you have two ways in: drop any PDF on the upload panel (it opens in the editor immediately — we run a free compliance check in the background so you have a baseline), or open a document you've already processed from the list below it.

Already-tagged files ask whether to keep the existing tags and refine them, or discard and re-draft from the text layer. Untagged files are auto-drafted: the editor reads the text layer column-by-column, guesses headings from font size, and builds a starter structure — expect to review every role and fix reading order; it's a draft, not a verdict.

Your work saves automatically — to this browser on every edit, and to your workspace in the cloud (watch for “✓ saved to cloud” in the status bar). Reopen the document later on any machine and you'll be offered to resume exactly where you left off.

• Left — Tag structure: the tree a screen reader walks, in reading order. Everything you do ends up here.
• Center — the live page: click any content to select its tag; click a tag to highlight its content (pink). Right-click either side for the full menu.
• Right — Properties / Issues / Reader / Rules guide tabs: edit the selected tag's details, see validation failures, preview what a screen reader will say, and look up the rules.

Change what something is

Select a tag and pick a new type in Properties, or right-click for quick chips (P, H1, H2, Figure, Caption, Artifact and the full set). Fastest: keyboard — 1–6 retypes to H1–H6; P, F, A, C, S, T retype to Paragraph, Figure, Artifact, Caption, Sect, Table.

Reorder & re-nest

The tree order IS the reading order. Move tags with ↑/↓ (or Alt+↑/↓), promote/demote with ⇤/⇥, or drag a tag and drop it before, after, or into another — the drop zone highlights as you hover. Multi-select with Shift (range) or Ctrl (toggle) to move whole groups.

Split & merge

Right-click a paragraph → “Split into N lines” or “Split at this line”, or use the ✂ tool and click exactly where it should break. Merge by selecting several tags (Ctrl-click) and pressing Ctrl+M, or drag across them with the ⧉ merge tool.

Undo

Ctrl+Z, 60 levels. Every destructive bulk action is undoable.

Untagged images get a purple “+ Figure” chip on the page — click it to tag the image, then write the alt text (describe the meaning, not the appearance; if it's decorative, make it an Artifact instead).

Any region can be tagged by dragging on the page: the 🖼 tool makes the region a Figure instantly, the 🅐 tool marks it decorative (Artifact — screen readers skip it entirely). With the select tool, a drag opens a menu asking which.

The 🧹 sweeper finds repeated headers, footers, and page numbers across pages and artifacts them all in one confirmable step — usually the fastest first cleanup on a long document.

Data tables need Table → TR → TH/TD structure, and every TH needs a Scope (Column/Row/Both) — set it in Properties. Dropping stray tags into a Table or List with auto-fix on wraps them into proper TR/TD or LI structure automatically; “Conform children” in the right-click menu does the same for a whole container.

In Properties you can also set Actual Text (what's read aloud when it differs from the visual text), a per-element Language override, and cell row/column spans. Don't skip the two fields in the header bar: document Title and Language are the two most common instant-fail checks.

Run checks validates against PDF/UA & PAC-style rules (~25 checks: heading order, missing alt, table headers, list structure, empty tags…). Click any issue to jump straight to the offending tag.

The Reader tab is a screen-reader simulation: a linear preview of exactly what assistive tech will announce, with real speech (▶ Read aloud) and NVDA-style navigation — ↓/↑ move, H next heading, 1–6 heading by level, G graphic, T table, L list, K link. Artifacts are skipped, just like real AT. If it reads wrong here, it reads wrong for your users.

When the structure is right, hit Apply to PDF. We rebuild the document's tag structure server-side from your edits — creating the underlying marked content where the original never had any — re-run full validation, and give you a fresh download named yourfile.edited.pdf on the job page.

Apply runs are included in your subscription — no per-page charges. Iterate as much as you like: each new apply supersedes the previous version automatically (old iterations are cleaned up; your document list shows the original and the latest, not every attempt).

Final word of craft: a passing checker is necessary, not sufficient. Before certifying a document, do one pass in the Reader tab and, ideally, a real screen reader like NVDA.