VoiceOver doesn't work well for accessing PDFs/forms with tables

I have been working to remediate PDFs for a client. The documents/forms have many tables. When I correctly tag a table, using Foxit Editor Pro, it works beautifully on a PC reading it with NVDA. On Mac using VoiceOver the table isn't accessible. It doesn't matter if I try to read it in Adobe Acrobat, Foxit, or Preview. The reader often says the document is empty, omits column headers, and/or associates the wrong header with the column data.

The documents have essentially the same coding behind them as for the web. Why is it they perform so well on a PC with NVDA, but so poorly with Mac VoiceOver? I am a Quality Assurance Specialist. I review websites apps, and documents for accessibility. Why can't I do my job using only my Mac system?

As a Mac user, it frustrates me that I can't use my preferred system for checking documents to see if they are accessible because VoiceOver doesn't work well. I actually have to recommend to my clients and their customers that they need to use a PC with NVDA or Jaws for these documents to be able to get all the information. Unfortunately, most people aren't able to have, or maintain, both systems. Overall, Mac products are very high quality. This, and other issues with VoiceOver, seems to be a large gap in Apple's offerings and functionality.

I would appreciate a human response to the original email I sent about this on 7/30/2025.

Answered by DTS Engineer in 851411022

Hello. Please consider filing a bug about this problem.

Bug Reporting: How and Why? has tips on creating your bug report.

Hello. Please consider filing a bug about this problem.

Bug Reporting: How and Why? has tips on creating your bug report.

VoiceOver doesn't work well for accessing PDFs/forms with tables
 
 
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