DocForensic

Reading Order Fixer

Review and fix a tagged PDF's screen-reader reading order - a numbered flow overlay shows the current sequence on each page, with drag-to-reorder for anything the automated check can't safely verify on its own.

This tool overlays a numbered flow line on each page showing the PDF's current tagged reading order, flags what it can reliably verify automatically (an element clearly out of place relative to a different element type, tagged elements that don't match what's actually on the page, and irregular table rows), and lets you drag elements into the right order for everything else. It only reads the file until you apply fixes; a new corrected copy is written.

This is deliberately a hands-on tool: reliably detecting order problems among several paragraphs or list items of the same kind needs information (MCID-to-content mapping) this tool doesn't extract, so most real correction happens through the drag-and-drop review, not full automation.

Simple workflow

How it works

  1. 1

    Add tagged PDFs

    Add one or more already-tagged PDFs to the list.

  2. 2

    Analyze

    Run the analysis to see the current flow order and any detected issues on each page.

  3. 3

    Review & apply

    Drag anything that needs correcting into place, then apply the fixes and download.

Frequently asked questions

My PDF has no tags at all - can this tool add them?

No. This tool only reorders an EXISTING tag structure - it can't create one from scratch. If your document isn't tagged yet, run PDF Accessibility Checker first to confirm what's missing, then tag the document (e.g. in Adobe Acrobat) before using this tool.

Why doesn't it automatically fix the order of my paragraphs?

Reliably identifying which physical paragraph on the page a given tag actually refers to (when there are several of the same kind) needs information this tool deliberately doesn't extract - see the tool's own description. It automatically fixes what it can verify with confidence (e.g. a figure tagged before a heading that's actually above it) and leaves same-kind reordering to the drag-and-drop review, which is the same information a human would use to check it anyway.

Are the positions shown on each page exact?

They're a close approximation, matched by element type and position rather than an exact per-element lookup - reliable enough to see roughly where something is and drag it into place, but treat the numbers as a guide rather than pixel-perfect coordinates.

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