NVDA and accessible readings of Tagged PDF in Firefox

[David Carlisle]

Just a note to encourage people to try reading Tagged PDF in Firefox.

Versions above 148 (currently beta) will pass the Tagged PDF structure tree including MathML to NVDA, so Firefox joins Acrobat and Foxit as viable readers for Tagged PDF.

This should reach the stable default Firefox distibution at the end of February.

A video recording of NVDA reading a LaTeX generated PDF in firefox is at

https://latex3.github.io/tagging-project/documentation/wtpdf/fulldoc#firefox-af

along with some notes on what works and does not work in this initial implementation.

David

(I have no involvement with Firefox other than sending a few bug reports testing this recently, all of which got fixed)

[Andrew Downie]

David, thanks for this, even if I am slow in responding.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well my current version of Firefox handled tagged PDFs.  I have since installed the beta.  A few issues follow:

If a table has row headings, correctly tagged with <th>, that info is not sent to the screen reader.  Column headings are handled well though.

One thing that disappointed me is that bookmarks which are created in the PDF when converting from Word are not recognised.  I have a PDF which was created, I think, from Libra Office Writer.  Using the sidebar in FF its major sections are presented and I can jump to the section.  That said, it is easy to navigate by headings at all levels with the screen reader.

I created a test Word file which includes headings, bulletted and numbered lists, a table, a graphic and an equation.  When converted to PDF, all is good except for the issues mentioned above.

The really nice thing about being able to use FF is that, unlike Acrobat/Reader, large PDFs (over 400 pages) load almost instantly without having to deliver one page at a time.

Another pleasant surprise was that when I opened my test file in Acrobat the equation was read correctly.  I thought that only worked in Foxit.  I have Access8Math as well as MathCat so should trying turning one of them off to see if that changes things.

I am fascinated as to how a PDF is created from LaTeX.  Any LaTeX tools I have used create very inaccessible PDFs.  Are you able to shed light on that?

Again, thanks for the info.

Andrew

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[David Carlisle]

On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 at 08:38, Andrew Downie <doveta...@gmail.com> wrote:

David, thanks for this, even if I am slow in responding.  I was pleasantly surprised at how well my current version of Firefox handled tagged PDFs.  I have since installed the beta.  A few issues follow:

Note I am not a Firefox dev, if latex pdf files have bad pdf tagging, you could report to the latex project tagging-project github (and I'd see it:-) , but if it's firefox not reading them correctly then please raise at

https://bugzilla.mozilla.org/buglist.cgi?quicksearch=tagged+pdf

 

If a table has row headings, correctly tagged with <th>, that info is not sent to the screen reader.  Column headings are handled well though.

One thing that disappointed me is that bookmarks which are created in the PDF when converting from Word are not recognised.  I have a PDF which was created, I think, from Libra Office Writer.  Using the sidebar in FF its major sections are presented and I can jump to the section.  That said, it is easy to navigate by headings at all levels with the screen reader.

I created a test Word file which includes headings, bulletted and numbered lists, a table, a graphic and an equation.  When converted to PDF, all is good except for the issues mentioned above.

 

The really nice thing about being able to use FF is that, unlike Acrobat/Reader, large PDFs (over 400 pages) load almost instantly without having to deliver one page at a time.

Another pleasant surprise was that when I opened my test file in Acrobat the equation was read correctly.  I thought that only worked in Foxit.  I have Access8Math as well as MathCat so should trying turning one of them off to see if that changes things.

Acrobat  (with NVDA+MathCat) can read mathematics embedded as MathML Structure elements or Microsoft's custom MSFT_MathML embedding as used by Word, it can not handle MathML embedded as Associated Files (Foxit and Firefox can handle MathML AF)

I am fascinated as to how a PDF is created from LaTeX.  Any LaTeX tools I have used create very inaccessible PDFs.  Are you able to shed light on that?

Again, thanks for the info.

LaTeX has been extensively re-written in recent years to enable tagged pdf accessible output see

https://latex3.github.io/tagging-project/

in particular

https://latex3.github.io/tagging-project/documentation/usage-instructions

is a quick start with interactive editable examples allowing you to generate tagged pdf even if you haven't got a local latex installation

David

 

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[Ahmad Ismat]

Hi Mustajba and friends,

Wishing all a wonderful weekend !

 

Ihave tried this latest nvda add on and honestly it does function smoothly with the latest Whatsapp Desktop.

Worth truying it out and I really look forward to some feedback !

Kindly find in this email attachment the installation file for your perusal.

Also below the link to the NVDA add on store page for the just released Whatsapp Desktop Enhancer nvda add on:

https://addonstore.nvaccess.org/?channel=stable&language=en&apiVersion=2025.3.2&addonId=whatsAppEnhancer

Happy trying !

 

Best Wishes,

Ismat,

Shah Alam, Malaysia

 

 

[Mujtaba Merchant]

Dear Ismat,

 

Thank you so much for sharing this add-on! I’ll definitely be giving it a try.

 

I visited the add-on store page, and while there wasn't a lot of detail there on how to use it, I was able to find plenty of information regarding the keyboard shortcuts within the NVDA Input Gestures dialog box. That helped me get a much better handle on what the specific functions are.

 

Thank you once again for sharing this with the group!

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[Snehashish Mahato.]

I couldn’t find what’s new in this update on its homepage. It would be helpful if someone could share the changelog here.

Snehashish.

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[Mujtaba Merchant]

Instal the add on, restart NVDA, open NVDA menu, Settings/ Input Gestures navigate to Whatsapp Enhancer, expand to see all the controls

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/nvaccess.org/d/msgid/nvda-users/CALm5Gvmo38bo41oCxuhmp25bMw1Pwb%2BhjLWDo2TZ-%2B4es_%3D75Q%40mail.gmail.com.

[Ahmad Ismat]

Dear Mujtaba,

 

Welcome its my pleasure!

I really appreciate your inputs and feedback!

 

My favorite shortcut command for this add on is CTRL + 1 this makes it really easy for me to go to the chat list!

Also the CTRL + SHIFT+ e command to to turn on and off the filtering of phone numbers !

 

Unfortunately I did not find the Whatsapp Desktop Enhancer in the input gestures list under the settings menu of nvda, just wondering did you manage to find it ?

 

Have a nice day !

Best Wishes

Ismat

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/nvaccess.org/d/msgid/nvda-users/002001dc933d%240002e4b0%240008ae10%24%40gmail.com.

[Andrew Downie]

David, a brief update.  In the page you referenced in your original post there were several mentions of incorrect pronunciation.  I am almost certain that is due to Firefox occasionally running words together when presenting to a screen reader.  I have filed a bug report.  I have also filed a bug report about row headings not being presented.

Still need to check out your link to PDF conversion from LaTeX.

Andrew

To view this discussion visit https://groups.google.com/a/nvaccess.org/d/msgid/nvda-users/CAEW6iOj4csvgkFKPngTM4P1gqe8TsuVTaTG7wrSTc5nns%2B5wFA%40mail.gmail.com.