Arabic in Photoshop: The Complete RTL Fix & Text Setup Guide
Arabic letters appearing reversed or disconnected in Photoshop? This step-by-step guide fixes Arabic text rendering and enables proper RTL support.
Arabic text in Photoshop presents a common challenge for designers: by default, Photoshop's standard text engine does not correctly render Arabic script. Letters may appear isolated (not connected), reversed, backwards, or in the wrong order. The fix is enabling the Middle Eastern text engine — and this guide shows you exactly how to do it, plus everything else you need for Arabic design in Photoshop.
Why Arabic Looks Wrong in Photoshop
Photoshop's default text engine is designed for Latin scripts (LTR). Arabic requires a special engine because:
- Arabic letters change shape depending on position in a word (initial, medial, final, isolated forms)
- Text direction is right-to-left, not left-to-right
- Letters must connect (join) to adjacent letters based on complex joining rules
- Special ligatures (like لا) must be created when specific letter combinations occur
Without the Middle Eastern engine, Photoshop cannot perform these operations correctly, so Arabic appears broken.
Step 1: Enable Middle Eastern Text Engine
This is the critical first step — must be done before anything else.
- In Photoshop, go to Edit (Windows) or Photoshop (Mac) in the menu bar
- Click Preferences
- Select Type...
- Find the "Choose Text Engine Options" section
- Select "World-Ready Layout" (This is the Middle Eastern engine)
- Click OK
- Restart Photoshop for the change to take effect
Note: In older Photoshop versions (CC 2014-2018), the option may be labeled "Middle Eastern Text Engine" instead of "World-Ready Layout."
Step 2: Set Text Direction to RTL
After restarting Photoshop with the World-Ready engine:
- Select the Type Tool (T)
- In the menu, go to Window → Paragraph to open the Paragraph panel
- In the Paragraph panel, click the RTL (Right-to-Left) direction button
- Also check the text alignment — set to Right Align for Arabic text
Alternatively, after placing a text layer, right-click the text layer and look for "Text Direction" options.
Step 3: Choose an Arabic-Compatible Font
Not all fonts support Arabic script. When you switch to Arabic in a non-Arabic font, Photoshop uses a fallback font that may not match your design. Choose from these commonly available Arabic fonts:
| Font Name | Style | Included In |
|---|---|---|
| Adobe Arabic | Modern text | Adobe CC subscription |
| Traditional Arabic | Classical serif | Windows pre-installed |
| Simplified Arabic | Clean text | Windows pre-installed |
| Myriad Arabic | Modern sans | Adobe CC subscription |
| Noto Naskh Arabic | Neutral Naskh | Free download (Google) |
| Cairo / Tajawal | Modern sans | Free download (Google Fonts) |
Step 4: Type Your Arabic Text
- With the Type Tool selected and RTL set in the Paragraph panel, click to create a text frame
- Switch your OS keyboard to Arabic (Win+Space on Windows, Ctrl+Space on Mac)
- Type your Arabic text — letters should appear correctly joined and in RTL order
- Alternatively: type in our Arabic Keyboard, copy, then paste into Photoshop
Common Arabic Photoshop Problems & Fixes
| Problem | Fix |
|---|---|
| Letters appear isolated/disconnected | Enable World-Ready Layout in Preferences → Type, then restart |
| Text types left-to-right | Set Paragraph direction to RTL in the Paragraph panel |
| Arabic option missing in Paragraph panel | World-Ready Layout not enabled or Photoshop not restarted after enabling |
| Wrong font rendering Arabic glyphs | Select an Arabic font (like Adobe Arabic or Traditional Arabic) explicitly |
| Harakat (vowel marks) missing | Use a font that includes harakat (Amiri, Traditional Arabic, Noto Naskh Arabic) |
| Text cursor moves wrong direction | Normal — Arabic cursor moves RTL. If severe, your keyboard may not be in Arabic mode |
Alternative: Create Arabic Graphics with Our Web Keyboard
For Arabic text designs where you need specialized calligraphy styles or font effects without dealing with Photoshop's Arabic setup complexity:
- Type your Arabic text in our Arabic Keyboard
- Apply a decorative font style using the Font Generator
- Export as a high-resolution PNG
- Import the PNG into Photoshop as a Smart Object for further composition
This workflow bypasses the Photoshop Arabic text engine entirely and gives you pixel-perfect Arabic text as a graphic element.
🔤 Create Arabic Graphics Online — Then Import to Photoshop
Type Arabic, apply decorative styles, export as PNG.
Open Font GeneratorFrequently Asked Questions
Generally no — the World-Ready Layout is backward compatible with existing text layers. However, you may notice slight differences in how some text is rendered after switching, particularly with complex ligatures in non-Arabic scripts. If you want the option to switch back, note that changing this preference requires restarting Photoshop each time.
Yes — Illustrator has the identical issue and the identical fix. In Illustrator, go to Edit (Windows) or Illustrator (Mac) → Preferences → Type → Show Indic Options, and also set the paragraph direction to RTL. Adobe also offers a separate Middle East Edition (ME) of both Photoshop and Illustrator with better native Arabic support for professional Arabic design workloads.
Yes. Type your Arabic text in our web keyboard, copy it, then paste directly into a Photoshop text layer (with the World-Ready engine enabled and RTL set in the Paragraph panel). The Arabic text will paste correctly with proper letter joining and right-to-left direction. This is often the fastest workflow for designers who occasionally need Arabic text.