Adobe Illustrator Arabic Text Problem [Fix]

Adobe Illustrator is widely used for creating logos, posters, advertisements, social media graphics, packaging designs, and other professional artwork. However, users who work with Arabic text may sometimes notice that the letters appear disconnected, reversed, displayed from left to right, or positioned incorrectly.

These problems usually happen because Arabic is a right-to-left language and its letters change shape depending on their position within a word. Illustrator therefore needs to use the appropriate text direction and Arabic text shaping features to display the language correctly.

If Arabic text is appearing incorrectly in Illustrator, there is no need to recreate your design from the beginning. You can usually fix the problem by changing the paragraph direction, enabling the appropriate Middle Eastern and South Asian text features, selecting a suitable Arabic font, or adjusting the way the text is entered.

This guide explains how to fix the Adobe Illustrator Arabic text problem step by step.

Adobe Illustrator Arabic Text Problem [Fix It]

If Arabic text is reversed, disconnected, displayed incorrectly, or written from left to right in Adobe Illustrator, check the text direction and paragraph settings first. Then make sure Illustrator is using appropriate Arabic text support and an Arabic-compatible font. If the problem continues, recreate the text after changing the settings, check the font, and verify that the Arabic text was copied correctly. 

Let’s explore the steps in detail!

Step 1: Check Whether Illustrator Supports the Required Arabic Text Features

Before changing individual text settings, check which version of Adobe Illustrator you are using.

Open Illustrator and create a new document. Select the Type Tool from the toolbar or press T on your keyboard.

Create a text box and type a simple Arabic word or paste Arabic text into it.

Look at how the letters appear. If the letters are displayed separately instead of connecting naturally, or if the entire sentence is flowing in the wrong direction, Illustrator may not be using the appropriate Arabic and right-to-left text settings.

Recent versions of Illustrator provide improved support for right-to-left languages, but the exact location and availability of some options can depend on the Illustrator version and installed language features.

If you are using an older version, updating Illustrator can also be helpful.

Step 2: Enable Right-to-Left Paragraph Direction

One of the most common causes of Arabic text problems is an incorrect paragraph direction.

First, select the Arabic text using the Type Tool.

Open the Paragraph panel. If you cannot see it, go to Window > Type > Paragraph.

Look through the paragraph controls for the right-to-left paragraph direction option. Depending on your Illustrator version and workspace, this may appear as a right-to-left direction button or an equivalent text-direction control.

Select the right-to-left direction option.

Your Arabic text should now flow from the right side toward the left side, which is the natural writing direction for Arabic.

If the text was already typed before changing this setting, select the entire paragraph and apply the direction again.

This step is particularly important when Arabic text appears correctly letter by letter but the complete sentence is positioned or ordered incorrectly.

Step 3: Use an Arabic-Compatible Font

The font you choose can have a major effect on how Arabic text appears.

Select your Arabic text and open the Character panel by going to Window > Type > Character.

Click the font menu and choose a font that properly supports Arabic characters.

Examples of commonly available Arabic-supporting fonts include Arial, Tahoma, Times New Roman, and other fonts specifically designed to support Arabic writing.

After selecting the font, look at the text again.

If the letters are now connected correctly, the previous font was likely missing proper Arabic glyph support.

Do not assume that a font that works perfectly with English will automatically work correctly with Arabic. Arabic requires additional character forms because a letter may change its appearance depending on whether it occurs at the beginning, middle, or end of a word.

Step 4: Make Sure Arabic Letters Are Not Being Treated as Separate Characters

Arabic letters normally connect to one another when the language and font support it. If you see individual characters separated from each other, check how the text was entered.

Select the text and try deleting a small portion of the affected word. Then type the Arabic word directly into Illustrator again.

If the newly typed word connects correctly while the copied text does not, the problem may be related to the way the original text was copied.

Copying Arabic text from certain applications, websites, PDFs, or other design programs can sometimes introduce unexpected formatting or character-order problems.

For testing purposes, type a short Arabic phrase directly into Illustrator. If it works correctly, you can then investigate the original text source.

Step 5: Check the Character Panel Settings

Unusual character settings can make Arabic text appear strange even when the language direction is correct.

Select your Arabic text and open Window > Type > Character.

Check the font size, tracking, kerning, and other character-related settings.

If the letters appear unusually separated, check the tracking value. Excessive character spacing can make connected Arabic writing look incorrect.

Return the spacing settings to normal values and see whether the text improves.

Also make sure that you have not accidentally applied unusual horizontal or vertical scaling.

For a beginner, the safest approach is to start with a normal font size and default character spacing. Once the Arabic text displays correctly, you can gradually apply your desired formatting.

Step 6: Create a New Text Box and Test Arabic Text

Sometimes an existing text object contains formatting that makes troubleshooting difficult.

Instead of repeatedly changing the same text box, create a new one.

Select the Type Tool, click on an empty area of the Illustrator document, and type a short Arabic word or sentence.

Apply an Arabic-compatible font and select the right-to-left paragraph direction.

Now compare the new text with the original text.

If the new text works correctly, the problem is probably related to the formatting or settings of the original text object.

You can then recreate the original text box using the correct settings instead of spending a long time trying to repair every formatting attribute individually.

Step 7: Check Illustrator’s Language and Installation Options

If Arabic text is consistently displayed incorrectly throughout Illustrator, check whether the appropriate language-related features were included with your Illustrator installation.

Adobe applications can provide different language and writing-system support depending on the application version and installation configuration.

Open the Creative Cloud application and check your Illustrator installation and available language options.

If your Illustrator version provides an option related to Middle Eastern and South Asian language support, make sure the appropriate configuration is installed or selected.

After making changes, restart Illustrator and test Arabic text again.

Do not remove Illustrator just because Arabic text is not working correctly. First, check the application’s available language support and update options.

Step 8: Update Adobe Illustrator

An outdated Illustrator installation may have compatibility problems or bugs that affect text handling.

Open the Creative Cloud application and check whether an update is available for Illustrator.

If an update is available, install it and restart Illustrator.

After the update, create a new document and test Arabic text again.

It is important to test the text in a new document because an older document may contain formatting or text objects created under different settings.

If Arabic text works correctly in a new document after the update, the problem may be specific to your previous document rather than Illustrator itself.

Step 9: Paste Arabic Text Without Unwanted Formatting

If you are copying Arabic text from a website, Word document, PDF, email, or another application, unwanted formatting may come along with it.

Try copying a short Arabic sentence and pasting it into Illustrator.

If the text appears incorrectly, undo the paste and try entering the text manually.

You can also paste the text into a simple plain-text application first, then copy it from there and paste it into Illustrator. This can help remove some formatting information from the original source.

After pasting, apply your Arabic-compatible font and right-to-left paragraph direction again.

This is especially useful when the Arabic text looks correct in the original application but becomes reversed or incorrectly spaced after being pasted into Illustrator.

Step 10: Check the Text Direction of Individual Text Objects

If only some Arabic text objects are displaying incorrectly, compare their settings with a text object that works correctly.

Select the correctly displayed Arabic text and examine its Paragraph and Character settings.

Then select the problematic text and compare the settings.

Pay particular attention to paragraph direction, font, tracking, alignment, and text box settings.

If the two objects have different settings, apply the working object’s formatting to the problematic text.

This comparison method is useful for beginners because you do not need to understand every Illustrator typography option. You can simply identify what is different and correct it.

Step 11: Check the Arabic Text Outside Illustrator

If nothing seems to fix the problem, determine whether the problem is actually with the Arabic text itself.

Copy the same Arabic text into another application that supports Arabic, such as a modern word processor or text editor.

Check whether the sentence appears correctly there.

If it is also incorrect outside Illustrator, the original text may contain unusual characters, incorrect ordering, or formatting problems.

Try obtaining the text again from the original source or type it manually.

If the text displays correctly elsewhere but incorrectly in Illustrator, focus your troubleshooting on Illustrator’s text settings, font, and language support.

Step 12: Recreate the Problematic Text as a Last Resort

If a particular text object remains corrupted after trying the previous methods, recreating it may be the quickest solution.

First, copy the Arabic text somewhere safe so you do not lose it.

Delete the problematic text object from Illustrator.

Create a new text box using the Type Tool. Select an Arabic-compatible font, apply right-to-left paragraph direction, and then enter or paste the Arabic text.

Check the result before applying additional effects.

Once the text is displaying correctly, apply your desired font size, alignment, color, spacing, and other formatting.

If the text is part of an important design, save the document under a new filename before making major changes. This gives you a backup of the original artwork.

FAQs

Why is Arabic text reversed in Adobe Illustrator?

Arabic uses a right-to-left writing direction. If Illustrator is treating the text as left-to-right, the sentence can appear reversed or arranged incorrectly. Check the paragraph direction and select the right-to-left option.

Why are Arabic letters disconnected in Illustrator?

Disconnected letters can occur when the selected font does not properly support Arabic or when the required Arabic text features are not being used. Try an Arabic-compatible font and check Illustrator’s language and paragraph settings.

Why does Arabic text work in Word but not Illustrator?

Word and Illustrator may handle Arabic text using different language and typography settings. If Arabic works correctly in Word but not Illustrator, check Illustrator’s font, paragraph direction, and available Arabic language support.

Which fonts can I use for Arabic in Illustrator?

Use fonts that explicitly support Arabic characters. Common examples include Arial, Tahoma, and Times New Roman, although the exact appearance depends on the font and Illustrator version.

Can I fix Arabic text without reinstalling Illustrator?

Yes. In most cases, reinstalling Illustrator should not be your first step. Start by checking the right-to-left direction, Arabic-compatible font, character spacing, text source, and Illustrator updates.

Why does copied Arabic text look different in Illustrator?

Arabic text copied from websites, PDFs, or other applications may contain formatting or character-order information that Illustrator handles differently. Try typing the text directly into Illustrator or passing it through a plain-text application before copying it again.

Summary

The Adobe Illustrator Arabic text problem is usually related to right-to-left text direction, font compatibility, language support, or formatting carried over from another application.

Start by checking the Paragraph panel and applying the appropriate right-to-left direction. Then select an Arabic-compatible font and check the character spacing. If the problem continues, create a new text box, test manually typed Arabic text, check Illustrator’s language configuration, and install available updates.

When copied Arabic text behaves differently from manually typed text, the source may be responsible. In that situation, try copying the text without formatting or recreate the text directly in Illustrator.

By checking these settings one at a time, even a beginner can usually identify why Arabic text is appearing incorrectly and restore proper Arabic shaping and right-to-left text flow in Illustrator.