My multi-column layout flagged dozens of issues.

Two-column layouts will appear as "out of order" because tag order goes column 1 top-to-bottom, then column 2 top-to-bottom — but raw y-coordinates would interleave the columns. This is usually a false positive; the structure tree IS correct. Inspect the report and decide based on the layout.

PDF Reading Order Audit

Compare a PDF's structure-tree reading order against the visual top-to-bottom layout of its content. Flag pages where the tag sequence diverges from visual order.

Your files never leave your browser. All processing happens on your device — nothing is uploaded.

1. Upload your file

Drop a PDF file here

or click to browse

How does the PDF Reading Order Audit work?

Audit a tagged PDF's reading order: does the structure tree's tag sequence (which screen readers follow) match the visual top-to-bottom flow of the page? Mismatches indicate the document was tagged in a different order than it visually reads, causing screen-reader users to hear content in the wrong sequence. The tool walks pages, samples the structure tree's text-bearing tags, infers their visual position, and flags pages where the tag order significantly diverges from top-to-bottom order. Per WCAG 2.2 SC 1.3.2 and PDF/UA-1 §7.1.

🔒 Security & Privacy

All processing happens on your device. Your files never leave your browser, never touch our servers, and are not stored anywhere. Close the tab and the file is gone.

📱 Use it on any device

Works in any modern browser — Mac, Windows, Linux, iPhone, Android, and tablets. No installation, no app to download. Just open the page and start.

⚡ Quick & easy

Drag, drop, click. Most files process in seconds, not minutes. No watermarks added to your output, no per-day limits, and the tool always shows the result before asking you to download.

🎁 Always free, no signup

Free to use, every time. No account creation, no email required, no “trial” that converts to a paid plan. We make money from ads so you don’t have to pay.

Frequently asked

Each tag with content (P, Span, Heading, Figure, etc.) references the page content stream via /MCID. We compute the bounding box of each tagged content fragment, then check whether the tag sequence sorts top-to-bottom by y-coordinate.