Versions and Release Notes (CommonLook Office)

Modified on Fri, 2 Jan at 5:28 PM

CommonLook Office - Latest Version

CommonLook Office 2.1.23

December 24, 2025

Features

None

Enhancements

None

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue with headers generated with empty spans .
Fixed an issue with reference links leading to wrong places in the document.
Fixed an issue with an additional border being added to the chart-image after generating file.
Fixed an issue when a character was removed after generating file.
Fixed an unsupported feature error when generating file.
Fixed an issue where the form tags are placed directly under tag tree.
Fixed an issue where an extra footer is created after generating file.

CommonLook Office - Version History

CommonLook Office 2.1.22

October 22, 2025

Features

None

Enhancements

Updated checkpoint order in PowerPoint so that Grouping now appears before the Image Alt Text checkpoint when running WCAG 2.2.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where certain documents triggered an “unsupported features” error during PDF generation.
Fixed an issue where PDFs could display page numbers even when none existed in the source Word file.
Fixed an issue where figure paths were artifacted instead of being properly tagged with Alt text.
Fixed an issue where text content was incorrectly artifacted after PDF generation.
Fixed tagging issues in generated PDFs, including incorrect TOC tagging and inconsistent tag structures across pages.
Fixed an issue where some document content was missing from generated PDFs.
Fixed an issue where the “1.3.1 Information and Relationships – Define Headings and 2.4.6 Descriptive Headings” checkpoint in Word was incorrectly marked as Not Applicable; it now always runs as expected.
Fixed an issue where PDF generation could merge unrelated tag content, causing structural and accessibility errors.
Fixed an issue where uninstalling CommonLook Office did not remove all related registry entries, leaving residual data that required manual cleanup.

CommonLook Office 2.1.21

September 9, 2025

Features

CommonLook Office will always ask the user to verify the bookmarks checkpoint in standards.

Enhancements

None.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where OpenType ligatures were dropped during PDF generation, causing words to appear with missing letters.
Fixed an issue where the Up/Down arrow keys did not navigate entries in the Alt Text checkpoint when reviewing specific PPT files.
Fixed an issue where generating the PDF could fail with an “unsupported feature” error in certain documents.
Fixed an issue where masked or semi-transparent graphics could be rendered incorrectly during PDF export, causing circular crops to appear as rectangles in certain documents.
Fixed an issue where generated PDF files could render backgrounds, fonts, or details in certain documents.
Fixed an issue where Word Heading styles have missing content in certain cases.
Fixed an issue where paragraph tags in generated PDFs could become misaligned, causing missing or duplicated content in certain documents.
Fixed an issue where keyboard navigation in the Contrast checkpoint did not work properly, preventing the Down arrow key from moving through listed items.
Fixed an issue where Word Heading 2 styles could be incorrectly tagged as paragraph elements.
Fixed an issue where errors trigger while generating PDF in certain documents.
Fixed an issue where editing certain tables in the Table checkpoint could cause an unhandled error
Fixed an issue where generating a PDF could create empty <Span> elements in specific scenarios.
Improved the activation error message to provide clearer instructions
Fixed an issue where the application does not define ListNumbering correctly.
Fixed an issue where converting Word files with pleading numbers to PDF could cause incorrect tagging, artifacted text, and empty tags.
Fixed an issue where the Checkpoints pane in CommonLook Office could rapidly refresh after selecting Create CommonLook PDF.
Fixed an issue where inline images were ordered incorrectly in the tag tree, placing headings before figures.
Fixed an issue where bookmark generation did not include special characters (like “&”) in headings, causing them to be omitted.

CommonLook Office 2.1.20

July 31, 2025

Features

License Agreement has been updated.

Enhancements

None.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where inline images positioned above the document title in Word were not correctly tagged as the first element in the generated PDF.
Fixed an issue where ampersand characters (&) in headings were omitted from generated PDF’s bookmarks.
Fixed an issue where an unintended leading slash (/) appeared in generated PDF’s bookmarks.
Fixed an issue where images placed at the top of the page in Word were not correctly tagged as the first element in the PDF.
Addressed issues with inconsistent tag structure and reading order in PDFs generated from complex Word documents.
Fixed a crash that occurred at the end of the PDF generation process when processing certain Word documents.
Fixed an issue where certain images were rendered at low quality in the generated PDF.

CommonLook Office 2.1.19

June 24, 2025

Features

None.

Enhancements

None.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where modifications to link textual descriptions are not carried to the generated PDF files.
Fixed an issue where bookmarks, in the generated PDF, have missing numbers.
Fixed an issue where the application crashes while generating certain PDF files.

CommonLook Office 2.1.18

May 19, 2025

Features

None.

Enhancements

Changed Color Contrast configuration entry to be in CommonLook Office Preferences window.
NOTE: The default behavior is disabled.
For more information, please refer to the "More" link regarding the Contrast Minimum checkpoint.

Bug Fixes

Resolved an issue where CommonLook Office failed to update to the latest version available.
Resolved a color contrast issue that could prevent PDF documents from being generated properly.
Resolved an issue where the CommonLook Office tab would not appear in Microsoft Office under certain installation conditions.
Resolved an issue where the application shows “This document contains unsupported features” for specific documents contents.
Resolved tagging structure issues in a specific scenario involving the following tags:
- Headings, References, Lists, and TOC.

CommonLook Office 2.1.17

January 30, 2025

Features

None.

Enhancements

None.

Bug Fixes

Resolved an issue where font substitutions dialog window does not open in certain cases.

CommonLook Office 2.1.16

December 20, 2024

Features

None.

Enhancements

CommonLook Office can now detect styles even when the MS Office display language is not English.

Bug Fixes

Resolved an issue where custom headings were not detected by the application.
Resolved an issue related to tagging form elements.
Resolved minor tagging issues.
Resolved a potential uninstallation issue.

CommonLook Office 2.1.15

May 9, 2024

Features

None.

Enhancements

Updated checkpoints descriptions, order, and help links across standards.
Upgraded browser version for CommonLook Office overview, and Guidelines for Accessible Word Document windows to use Microsoft Edge instead of Internet Explorer.

Bug Fixes

Fixed setup issues for specific environments.

CommonLook Office 2.1.14

April 16, 2024

Features

Introduced Web Content Accessibility Guidelines (WCAG) 2.2 standard in CommonLook Office.

Enhancements

Setup will ask users to close MS Word & PowerPoint before uninstalling the application.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue regarding encoding for French and Spanish documents.
Fixed an issue related to disabling auto-save and saving files in OneDrive root.
Fixed an issue on displaying MS Office cloud fonts on generated pdf documents.
Fixed an issue related to disappearance of page header in specific scenarios.
Fixed an issue related to disappearance of images in specific scenarios.

CommonLook Office 2.1.13

February 7, 2024

Features

None

Enhancements

None

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue related to UI-refreshing in setup.

CommonLook Office 2.1.12

December 21, 2023

Features

None

Enhancements

None

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where Font Base Encoding entries are missing for specific files.

CommonLook Office 2.1.11

December 19, 2023

Features

None

Enhancements

None

Bug Fixes

Fix an issue where the application does not open files stored in OneDrive.
Fix a tabbing issue in the setup in the key activation window.
Fixed Licensing issues.

CommonLook Office 2.1.10

June 14, 2023

Features

Unified installer for 32bit and 64bit, the installer will decide to install the appropriate bit version depending on the MS Office version.

Enhancements

Reduce time for loading tables in the application.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where The Table of Contents disappears upon opening the document using the application in specific documents.
Fixed content disappearance issues from generated PDF files.

CommonLook Office 2.1.9

October 26, 2022

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where the “Link Purpose” (Alternative text) checkpoint does not remove the alt-text users want to remove.
Fixed an issue where lists were not being read by screen readers in the generated PDF.
Fixed an issue where the application does not recognize custom text styles.
Fixed multiple issues causing graphics to be blurry in the generated PDF.
Fixed incorrect image tagging related to setting the placement as block or Inline.
Fixed an issue where list bullets disappeared in the generated PDF.
Fixed an issue related to the generated XML file placement in OneDrive.
Fixed an issue where the application counts links with anchors as repetitive links.
Fixed tagging issues related to Table of Tables, Table of Figures, and Table of Authorities.
Fixed an issue where references do not appear in the “Display Text” checkpoint.
Fixed tagging structure in specific scenarios:
- Link tagging issues,
- Endnote tagging issues,
- a List tagging issue,
- a Footnote tagging issue,
- a Paragraph tagging issue.
Fixed the “Unsupported feature error message” while trying to generate PDF.
Fixed an issue in forms where the application does not apply text field maximum length in generated PDFs.

Other changes

End-user license agreement has been updated.

CommonLook Office 2.1.8

April 25, 2022

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where graphical bullets Figure tags do not have alt-text in PowerPoint.
Fixed an incorrect tagging structure for specific French documents.
Fixed an issue where a user attempts to artifact objects in Styles checkpoint in PowerPoint.

CommonLook Office 2.1.7

February 8, 2022

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue in tagging structure for lists spanning multiple pages.

CommonLook Office 2.1.6

January 14, 2022

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where colors are missing for certain generated PDF files.
Fixed multiple “Unsupported feature” issues.
Fixed an issue where the application crashes while generating PDF files.
Fixed an issue where Role maps are not identified when users use custom styles in MS Word documents.
Fixed an issue where some files take a long time to generate PDF.
Fixed issues regarding incorrect tagging structure and reading order for generated PDF files.

CommonLook Office 2.1.5

September 7, 2021

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue in role mapping when the Locale is set to Dutch.
Improved accessibility of spin buttons.
General code cleanup.

CommonLook Office 2.1.4

July 18, 2021

Enhancements

Add an option in the preferences to generate tags either using standard tag names or office style names role-mapped to standards tags.

CommonLook Office 2.1.3.35

June 23, 2021

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue in specific files where the fonts change from Source Sans Pro to Arial in the generated PDF file.
Fixed an “Unsupported feature” message appearing when validating files in certain scenarios.
Fixed the issue in specific files (for example utilizing the Avenir font) where the physical view and fonts changed or simply did not appear in the generated PDF files.
Fixed an “Object reference error” while generating PDF files in certain scenarios.

CommonLook Office 2.1.2

January 26, 2021

Note: This version will not work with Auto updates. You need to uninstall the previous version and install this version.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where style names contain special characters.
Fixed an issue where the PDF fails to generate when content contains special characters.
Fixed an issue when users generate files containing OpenType fonts.
Fixed an issue when using certain locales.
Fixed an “unsupported feature” issue for certain types of local links.
Fixed an issue where fonts are installed for a specific user, not all users.

CommonLook Office 2.1.1

May 27, 2020

Enhancements

Change the order for the Style checkpoints to show fonts in alphabetic order.

Bug Fixes

Fixed an issue where some characters would not show when using the Corbel font.
Fixed TOC tagging issue in specific scenarios.
Fixed Link tagging issue in specific scenarios.
Fixed Reference tagging issue in specific scenarios.
Fixed Table caption role-mapping issue for specific scenarios.
Fixed typo in CommonLook Office compliance report.
Fixed a background color issue in the generated PDF from Microsoft PowerPoint.

CommonLook Office 2.1.0

March 29, 2020

Features:

Added a new feature “Warn user before updating TOCs” in the user preference window.
For more information read this article in our Knowledge Base about Tables of Contents and CommonLook Office.

Enhancements:

Rebranded graphical user interface.
Word documents with embedded fonts are now supported.
Improved support for high contrast view.

Bug Fixes:

Fixed tagging and display issues for certain lists in some documents.
Fixed issues in incorrectly changing the style of text in some generated documents.
Fixed empty figure tagging issues on certain generated documents.
Fixed “unsupported features” for specific files.
Fixed wording for the non-textual content checkpoint.
Fixed Actual text not being carried over to the generated PDFs when the figure is a “Shape” as opposed to an image.

CommonLook Office 2.0.11

October 3, 2019

Enhancements

Changed the Status in the Standard compliance report. Now the status shows “Passed by user name” instead of just “Passed.”
Preferences are now saved in the Settings file to enable a more streamlined control of their values.

Bug fixes

Fixed unsupported feature while generating PDF files in certain cases.
Fixed a content shifting issues that caused content to move from one page to the next due to inconsistent margin definitions.
Fixed incorrect page rotation in generated PDF files in certain cases.
Fixed untagged content issues in some generated PDF files.
Fixed Link alternative text displayed incorrectly when it contains the “&” character.
Fixed an issue of detecting broken secure hyperlinks (https://) for valid links checkpoint in HHS.
Fixed an issue where the application does not launch if there is a hyperlink on page header / footer.
Fixed an issue to ensure no hyperlinks are generated in artifacted running headers or footers.

CommonLook Office 2.0.10

September 2, 2019

Enhancements:

Improved the performance of tagging tables.

Bug Fixes:

Fixed incorrect table cell tagging in specific scenarios.
Fixed incorrectly prompting for “unsupported feature” message.
Fixed artifacting Paragraphs in a specific scenario.
Fixed incorrect tagging of Caption tag.
Fixed incorrect tagging for Heading 2 tag.
Fixed incorrect tagging for footers if they contain text boxes.
Fixed missing tagging of symbols in certain scenarios.
Fixed incorrect moving of images after generating PDF file in certain scenarios.
Fixed generating untagged content.
Fixed numbered headings being detected as List.
Fixed generating pdf without adding tooltips for form fields when clicking Next Checkpoint.
Fixed setup issues when using operating systems in foreign languages.
Fixed other minor issues.

CommonLook Office 2.0.9

Release Date: 3/3/2019

New features

Adding Update functionality allowing users to update to the latest version of CommonLook Office:

Update notification is available to all users.
Downloading/Installing is available to subscription, trial and concurrent user licenses.
Users may enable/disable checking for updates automatically from CommonLook Office Preferences.
Users may manually check for updates using the Check for Updates button on the CommonLook Office ribbon.

Bug Fixes

Resolved an incorrect behavior for Subscription/ trial keys expiring when opening CommonLook Office after multiple uninstalling /reinstalling.
Resolved an issue where Header artifacts are marked as Artifacts without specifying the Header subtype.
Resolved an issue where Reference tags are created even for external links.

CommonLook Office 2.0.8

Release Date: 1/15/2019

Enhancement:

Changed labels in Data Table checkpoints as follows:

Invalid Number of column header rows: Change to: Invalid Number of rows that contain column headers.
Invalid Number of row header columns: Change to: Invalid Number of columns that contain row headers.

Fixed Issues

Add-in is not signed causing it not to be loaded when the policy is not to load unsigned, untrusted add-ins.
Incorrect artifacting of table content in certain scenarios.
Empty figures issue under certain scenarios.
Issues highlighting images in alternative text checkpoints.
Content moved from page to page in certain scenarios.
Incorrect Table tagging in certain scenarios.
Incorrect bounding box calculation issue.
Incorrect Paragraph tagging order in certain scenarios.
Application could not identify header/footer structure in certain scenarios.
Incorrect tagging for Reference tag in certain scenarios.
Placement attribute incorrect settings for Figure tags if it’s not in line with text.
Placement attribute incorrect settings for Note tag.
Alternative text issue for Link tags.
Incorrect handling for Images with Links.
Incorrect tagging for table tag inside Paragraph tag under a certain scenario.
Resolved “Unsupported feature” issue in certain cases.
Issues in selecting tables type in Data Table checkpoint.
Incorrect linked headers assignment for tables in certain scenarios.
Missing background color in a certain scenario.
Incorrect tagging of headings in a certain scenario.
Incorrect headings style for a specific file.
Reader issues for Navigation links checkpoint.
Incorrect table caption tagging.
Incorrect tag IDs generated.
Incorrect help navigation for Data Tables checkpoint.
Incorrect cells span values assigned in certain scenarios.
Incorrect Form tagging in certain scenarios.
Incorrect physical view rendering in certain scenarios.
Incorrect text artifact issue.
Empty Paragraph tagging for a specific file.
Missing alternative text for Links inside TOC tag in certain scenarios.

CommonLook Office 2.0.7

Enhancements / changes:

Changed standards captions in select standard message box.
Added cancel button to cancel standard message and abort opening CommonLook Office plug-in.
Changed message order after generating pdf.

Fixes

Error while saving report.
Graphical issue after generating PDF for specific file.
Highlighting ActiveX controls issue.
Standards message graphical issue.
Alternative text inappropriate behavior in application.
Screen reader issue while using Color checkpoint in standards.
Figures tagging issue.
Forms tagging issue.
List tagging issue.
Tables not generate properly in specific files.
Exception thrown while opening CommonLook Office for specific files.

CommonLook Office 2.0.6

Enhancements:

Improved the format of concurrent licensing option in setup and made it consistent with Commonlook PDF.

Fixes

Table of contents missing annotations in certain scenarios.
Issues in tagging Reference tag.
Issues in tagging Lists
Issues in tagging Figures
Screen Reader mode switching between enabled / disabled randomly.
Issue in saving the report.

CommonLook Office 2.0.5

Enhancements / changes:

Added support for Subscription model.
Added Days remaining for the License on the About window.
Days remaining License message will only show up when the License has 7 days left or less.

Fixes

Crashes when generating certain files.
Formula checkbox incorrect behavior.
Linked headers
Activation message incorrect notification behavior when user tries to activate new key.
Incorrect tag order issues after generating PDF on PowerPoint.

CommonLook Office 2.0.4

New features:

None.

Enhancements:

Support generating from SharePoint folders.

Major Fixes:

Microsoft Word & PowerPoint tagging order issues.
Crashes while generating specific files.
Bookmarks issues.
Metadata issues.
Alternative text issues.
Form tagging issues.
Formula tagging issues.
Caption inside table issues.
Text inside Link tag issues.
Figure tagging issues.
Tagging issues for specific files.
Concurrent License key issues.
Calculating BBox Failed on some files.
Incorrect “Unsupported feature” error for specific files.
Other minor issues.

CommonLook Office 2.0

New features:

Full support for Section 508, WCAG 2.0 AA, PDF/UA and HHS including:

Alternative Description for Links through the Alt attribute for the Link tag (WCAG 2.0) and the Contents attribute (PDF/UA)
Detecting/fixing Broken Links (HHS).
Specifying Alt or Actual text for Figures (All standards).
Support for Vertical/Horizontal linearization of presentation table (All standards).
Support for specifying the Summary attribute for tables.
Improved support for table Captions.
Automatically generate linked headers for Complex tables (HHS)
Detecting/fixing table cell content spanning multiple pages (HHS).
Detecting/fixing table headers not repeating on all pages (HHS).
Detecting/setting document language and changes in language.
Automatically detecting/setting the ListNumbering attribute.

Fully accessible Graphical User Interface.
Support for CommonLook GlobalAccess new cloud license server.

Bug Fixes

Improved performance.
Fixed bugs related to layout, colors and tag order.

CommonLook Office 1.2.3

Resolved Issues

Resolved an issue with locales other than English.

CommonLook Office 1.2.2

Resolved Issues

Certain images not appearing or are resized.
Certain borders not appearing.
Unsupported tables.
Issues in activation when certain system metrics may not be obtained.
Data table editor does not work correctly when .NET extended is not installed.
Application doesn’t work in locales other than English.
Issue in Linked Headers.
Bookmarks are created nested according to their nesting levels (ones corresponding to an H3 are nested inside ones corresponding to H2).

New Features

Added a Meta data checkpoint and included Meta data in the generated PDF.

CommonLook Office 1.2.1

New Features

CommonLook Office-generated files are now detected by CommonLook PDF 4.2.4 and CommonLook Clarity 4.3.2.
Improved documentation, including instructions for Office 2010.
Support for Windows 8

Resolved Issues

Rotated images do not display correctly in the generated PDF.
Some fonts are replaced even when installed on the machine.
Deleting content while going through the Wizard causes exceptions.
Some lists are not tagged correctly.
Some elements not tagged as figures even though they are marked as Figures and alternative text is provided.
Certain WMF objects are not generated correctly.
Rotated text not generated or tagged correctly.
Some tables fail to generate.
Max Text Length for Form Fields is not maintained between verification runs.
Wizard hangs while processing documents with hidden form fields.
Background color is sometimes generated incorrectly.