How to Generate a Tagged PDF from Overleaf LaTeX Source

Authors: Alyson Yin, Stacy Branham

Overleaf Preparation

  1. Use a recent TeX Live version and the LuaLaTeX compiler.
    In Overleaf, open Settings, select Compiler from the navigation. Set the Compiler to LuaLaTeX. Set the TeX Live to 2025 or newer if available. The default pdfLaTeX compiler can also produce tagged PDFs, but LuaLaTeX is preferred for better support and compatibility.
  2. Use the latest ACM LaTeX/Overleaf template, if possible.
    From the ACM Primary Article Template page, use the latest Overleaf template (click Open as template). This template includes newer accessibility-related support and patches. Older templates may still compile with tagging enabled, but they may miss recent fixes or improvements.

Overleaf Template Edits 

Note: This guide is partially based on the LaTeX Project’s tagging usage instructions. You can refer to it at any time for more details.

  1. Add \DocumentMetadata before \documentclass.
    At the very beginning of the document, before \documentclass, add: 
\DocumentMetadata{
  lang        = en,   % document language; use en for English
  pdfstandard = ua-2, % targets the PDF/UA-2 accessibility standard
  tagging     = on    % enables PDF tagging
}
  1. Use the tagged ACM class (⚠️critical step).
    In your \documentclass line, replace acmart with acmart-tagged while keeping your existing options unchanged:
\documentclass[<your existing options>]{acmart-tagged}
  1. Check package compatibility.
    If you added packages beyond the ACM template, check if they are compatible with tagging. The LaTeX Project’s Tagging Status page lists current package support. Packages that change layout, create complex visual structures, or draw text may need extra attention.

Additional Accessibility Edits

After the setup above, most text content will be tagged automatically when the document is compiled. However, authors still need to provide accessibility information for some content, especially figures and tables.

Headings, lists, and links

Use standard LaTeX structures, as specified in the ACM Style Guide, rather than relying on manual visual formatting. These elements will generally be tagged automatically when inserted properly.

For example, instead of altering the font size, style, and numbering manually for section headers, you should rely on standard LaTeX structures:

\section{Method}
\subsection{Participants}
\subsubsection{Recruitment Criteria}

Similarly, use standard list environments such as \itemize, \enumerate, or other compatible environments.

For references and citations, use BibTeX or BibLaTeX with standard citation commands such as \cite{}. Use \footnote{} for footnotes.

Figures

To add alt text to a figure, include the alt key in the \includegraphics command:

\begin{figure}[h]
  \centering
  \includegraphics[
    width=\columnwidth,
    alt={A woman and a girl in white dresses sit in an open car.}
  ]{sample-franklin.png}
  \caption{1907 Franklin Model D roadster. Photograph by Harris \& Ewing, Inc. [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons. (\url{https://goo.gl/VLCRBB}).}
  \Description{A woman and a girl in white dresses sit in an open car.}
  \label{fig:sample-franklin}
\end{figure}

Note: For ACM papers, also include the same description in \Description{} so that TAPS can use it when generating the HTML version.

If a figure is purely decorative and does not add meaningful information, mark it as an artifact instead. This hides it from screen reader navigation:

\includegraphics[width=\columnwidth, artifact]{sample-franklin.png}

Tables

Tables created with tabular and other compatible table environments will generally be tagged automatically. However, you still need to identify table headers (<TH>). By default, cells will be tagged as regular table data cells (<TD>), so header rows should be specified manually. To do so, add \tagpdfsetup before the table:

\tagpdfsetup{table/header-rows={1}} % Use the first row as the header row
\begin{tabular}{c c}
  Item & Price \\
  Apple & \$1.50 \\
  Orange & \$2.00
\end{tabular}

More than one header row can be specified. For example:

\tagpdfsetup{table/header-rows={1,2}}

Use simple table structures whenever possible. Complex tables with merged cells, nested tables, or unusual visual formatting may require additional checking.