Writing alt text for graphs

For graphs that are produced as images, alt text should include:

  • the type of graph used

  • a description of the main message that users are expected to derive from the graph.

Be brief and to the point. For example, you probably do not need to talk about each point on the graph. Graphs are intended to show the overall trend of the data, and this is what you should describe in the alt text:

Bar graph showing that pie sales increased rapidly from 2008, reaching 4,000 per year in 2013
not
Pie sales were 1,000 per year in 2008, 1,100 per year in 2010, 1,500 per year in 2011, etc

For more information, see Writing alternative (alt) text.

If a longer description or full data list is required, this might be better placed in another section of the document or website (see Dealing with lengthy alt text).

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