---
title: "Top 6 XLSX issues in Panorama"
canonical: "https://help.cccs.edu/space/KnowledgeBase/1029701634/Top%206%20XLSX%20issues%20in%20Panorama"
format: markdown
---
## Overview

While Excel spreadsheets are not as commonly found in Panorama as other file formats, they still suffer from accessibility issues that limit usability. Don’t let the low numbers fool you; accessibility in Excel spreadsheets is just as accessible as any other type of file. The top 6 Excel issues make up most of the spreadsheet issues Panorama reports.

For any of these issues, you can select **Learn more **to learn how to fix the issue in its native software.

## 6. The item does not have an alternative description

**Severity: **Major

Alternative descriptions (or alternate text) are brief, descriptive captions embedded into images. Screen reader users will hear alt text read aloud when encountering an image. This helps them understand the image, and without it they would only hear the image read as “Image.” Alt text also helps users with poor internet connections where images may not load.

### Fixing in Panorama

1. Open the Accessibility Report for the spreadsheet in Panorama.
2. Locate the alternative description issue and select **Fix Issue**.
3. Enter a brief description that summarizes the contents of the image. Aim for less than 120 characters.
4. Select **Apply Changes **in the Accessibility Report once all accessibility issues are repaired.

![Panorama alt text window with a text field labeled 'Add Alt Text' and a checkbox to update all images in the document.](media://6b67b5e3-0423-4ba9-8d3c-9df54153f860)

### Fixing in Excel

1. Open the workbook in Excel.
2. Open the Accessibility Checker by selecting **Check Accessibility **in the **Review tab**.
3. In the Accessibility Assistant panel, select **Missing alt text**.
4. Enter a brief description that summarizes the contents of the image. Aim for less than 120 characters.
  1. If the image is decorative or aesthetic, select **Mark as decorative **to have screen readers ignore it.
  2. Refrain from using **Generate alt text for me **as it is often not accurate.
5. Repeat step 4 for all remaining images in the workbook.
6. Save the workbook.
7. Update the document using the **Update Document **section in the Panorama Accessibility Report.

## 5. Sheet does not have text in cell A1

**Severity: **Major

Screen readers start reading Excel sheets from cell A1. To make a sheet accessible to screen readers, use cell A1 as a description for the sheet. This can include a title for a table or instructions for a more complex sheet.

### Fixing in Panorama

1. Open the Accessibility Report for the spreadsheet in Panorama.
2. Locate the cell A1 issue and select **Fix Issue**.
3. Type a value for cell A1 in the **Add Content **field.
4. Select **Add Change**.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for any further sheets with no text in cell A1.
6. Select **Apply Changes **section in the Panorama accessibility Report once all accessibility issues are repaired.

![Panorama cell A1 window with a text field labeled Add Content.](media://75fcf5dd-acec-47d3-9bb8-19a9b8359a73)

### Fixing in Excel

1. Open the workbook in Excel.
2. Ensure each sheet has text in cell A1. If not, type in a value.
3. Repeat for any other sheets in the workbook missing text in cell A1.
4. Save the workbook.
5. Update the document using the **Update Document **section in the Panorama Accessibility Report.

![Excel spreadsheet with 'RFP 25-' entered in cell A1.](media://0c9cb9e7-a60b-4ed6-8a8e-724b0d258a24)

## 4. The document is missing a title

**Severity: **Minor

When an Excel spreadsheet has a title, assistive technology will read it in place of the filename. Make sure you give your spreadsheets a title that reflect the name or contents of the sheet and can easily be read out loud. Titles are also metadata and can help with search results.

### Fixing in Panorama

1. Open the Accessibility Report for the spreadsheet in Panorama.
2. Locate the title issue and select **Fix Issue**.
3. Type a title for the document in the **Add Title **field. Use the title written in the document if available.
4. Select **Add Change**.
5. Select **Apply Changes **section in the Panorama accessibility Report once all accessibility issues are repaired.

![Panorama title window with a text field labeled Add Title.](media://aa374453-63cc-4941-a62c-1c6102affb77)

### Fixing in Excel

1. Open the workbook in Excel.
2. Select **File.**
3. Select **Info **on the left side of the File screen.
4. Underneath **Properties**, add a title to the **Add a title **field.
5. Save the document.
6. Update the document using the **Update Document **section in the Panorama Accessibility Report.

![Excel File menu with Info section on the left labeled 1 and the Title field on the right labeled 2.](media://d62f253e-126b-4ff8-a16f-6170b2a8bdb9)

## 3. The hyperlink text is not descriptive

**Severity: **Minor

Users who cannot see links and need to hear them read out loud perceive them differently than sighted users. Full URLs can be cumbersome to read and “Click here” or “Read more” are vague and say nothing about where the link goes. Instead, use labels that state the name of the link or describe where it will go. Long URLs written out in a cell can also make columns unnecessarily wide.

### Fixing in Panorama

1. Open the Accessibility Report.
2. Locate the link label issue and select **Fix Issue**.
3. Type a descriptive label in the **Replace Link Description field.**
4. Select **Add Change**.
5. Repeat steps 3 and 4 for all links that do not have labels.
6. Select **Apply Changes **section in the Panorama accessibility Report once all accessibility issues are repaired.

![Panorama link label window with a text field to enter the link description.](media://9747610e-73fa-4f68-8795-dcdb14765e48)

### Fixing in Excel

1. Open the workbook in Excel.
2. Select the cell with the link.
3. Right-click the cell and select **Link **in the **Insert tab **or press **Ctrl + K**.
4. Type a descriptive value in the **Text to display **field.
5. Select **ScreenTip **and enter a description of the link or target in the **Set Hyperlink ScreenTip window**.
  1. ScreenTips are read by screen readers and can be used to convey additional non-visual information.
6. Select **OK** in the ScreenTip and Edit Hyperlink windows.
7. Save the workbook.
8. Update the document using the **Update Document **section in the Panorama Accessibility Report.

![Steps to add a link reflecting the steps written above.](media://ae41f547-f726-4df1-aa7a-1d9096ec8e75)

## 2. Insufficient contrast between foreground text and background

**Severity: **Major

Excel spreadsheets often use color, whether it be differentiating negative values from positive values or condensing complex data into visually appealing charts. It is important that these colors stand out from one another or from the background so valuable information is not lost to readers who cannot differentiate colors, whether due to colorblindness or other visual impairments.

**NOTE: **Do not only rely on color to convey information when creating spreadsheets and charts in Excel. Use additional symbols in text (i.e. negative values are shown in <span style="color: #bf2600">-red</span>) and utilize patterns in charts to differentiate areas.

### Fixing in Panorama

1. Open the Accessibility Report.
2. Locate the contrast issue and select **Fix Issue**.
3. Select the color swatch underneath **Text Color**.
4. Use the color sliders or the syringe tool to choose a new color. Pay attention to the Contrast Ratio on the right side. A ratio of at least 4.5:1 is ideal.
5. Once you have chosen a new color, select **Add Change**.
6. Repeat until all issues are fixed.
7. Select **Apply Changes **in the Accessibility Report once all accessibility issues are repaired.

![Panorama Contrast window with the text color set to red and the background color set to white. The contrast ratio is 4.63 to 1, which means it passes both large and small font checks.](media://a7c431d4-d861-4548-ad9e-524bcd0e4b04)

### Fixing in Excel

1. Open the workbook in Excel.
2. Open the Accessibility Checker by selecting **Check Accessibility **in the **Review tab**.
3. In the Accessibility Assistant panel, select **Hard-to-read text contrast**.
4. Choose a new font color, background color, or highlight.
5. Repeat step 4 for all remaining contrast issues.
6. Save the workbook.
7. Update the document using the **Update Document **section in the Panorama Accessibility Report.

![Hard-to-read text contrast in the Accessibility Assistant. There are two red color swatches to choose from and three buttons to change the font or cell fill color or format the cell font.](media://8dbea931-919e-4ae2-9d41-7a4b077ac875)

## 1. The font size is smaller than 9 points

**Severity: **Minor

Small font size is a common accessibility issue that affects all audiences with functioning vision. To sighted readers, it can be inconvenient. Readers with less vision may not be able to understand the spreadsheet at all unless they zoom in or magnify the text. **12 pt **is an ideal minimum font size for text in a spreadsheet.

### Fixing in Panorama

1. Open the Accessibility Report.
2. Locate the font size issue and select **Fix Issue**.
3. Choose a font size greater than 9 pt, preferably **at least 16 pt**.
4. Select **Add Change**.
5. Select **Apply Changes **section in the Panorama accessibility Report once all accessibility issues are repaired.

![Panorama font size window with a dropdown to choose a new font size.](media://b5469872-7340-4c58-a8e4-9fcf2050c20a)

### Fixing in Excel

1. Open the workbook in Excel.
2. Select the cell with text below 9 pt.
3. Choose a font size greater than 9 pt, preferably **at least 12 pt**, from the **font size dropdown **in the **Home tab**.
4. Repeat step 3 for all text smaller than 9 pt.
5. Save the workbook.
6. Update the document using the **Update Document **section in the Panorama Accessibility Report.

![Selected text labeled 1, font dropdown labeled 2, and 12 option labeled 3.](media://b16d32da-6854-49e8-9086-fbcbc8cf64d4)

You can also use the Find and Replace tool to change font size across an entire spreadsheet.

1. Select **Find and Select **and then **Replace **from the **Home tab **or press **Ctrl + H**.
2. Select the **Format **dropdown next to the **Find what **field.
3. Select the **Font **tab third from the left in the Find Format window.
4. Choose the size of the small text you want to resize.
5. Select **OK **to close the Find Font window.
6. Repeat steps 2 through 5 with the **Replace with **field and your new font size, greater than 9 and preferably **at least 12**.
7. Select the **Options **button.
8. Change the **Within dropdown **to **Workbook **to affect all small text in the workbook instead of the current sheet.
9. Select **Replace All **to resize the text.
10. Repeat for text at any other size smaller than 9 pt.
11. Save the document.
12. Update the document using the **Update Document **section in the Panorama Accessibility Report.

![Steps to change font size using Find and Replace as described in the steps above.](media://2aa59d50-ffaa-4b90-90e3-c150bc691a36)