How to Type Arabic on Windows, Mac, iPhone and Android

Quickest option: type Arabic online

If you only need a few words, or you are on a computer where you cannot change settings, open the online Arabic keyboard. Type on your normal keys — each one produces the Arabic letter in the same position on a standard Arabic keyboard — or tap the on-screen letters, then press Copy text and paste wherever you need it. Nothing is installed and your text stays in your browser.

If you write Arabic every day, add the Arabic keyboard to your device using the steps below. It is free and built into every system.

Windows 11

1. Open Settings › Time & language › Language & region.
2. Next to Preferred languages, select Add a language.
3. Type Arabic and choose a country, for example Arabic (Saudi Arabia) or Arabic (United Arab Emirates). Select Next.
4. Untick Set as my Windows display language if you want to keep English menus, then select Install.
5. Windows adds the Arabic (101) keyboard, the standard layout. A language indicator (ENG / ARA) appears on the taskbar.

Switch languages: press Windows key + Space, or Left Alt + Shift, or click the language indicator on the taskbar.

Windows 10

1. Open Settings › Time & Language › Language.
2. Select Add a language, search for Arabic, pick your country and select Next.
3. Untick the display language option if you want to keep English menus, then select Install.

Switch with Windows key + Space or Left Alt + Shift, the same as Windows 11.

Mac

1. Open System Settings › Keyboard.
2. Under Text Input, next to Input Sources, select Edit….
3. Select + at the bottom left, choose Arabic, then pick a layout and select Add.
4. Turn on Show Input menu in menu bar so you can see which language is active.

Which layout? Arabic – PC matches the standard Windows and printed Gulf keyboards. Arabic – QWERTY places letters by their English sound, which some learners find easier.

Switch languages: press Control + Space, or the 🌐 Globe / fn key on newer Mac keyboards, or use the Input menu in the menu bar.

iPhone and iPad

1. Open Settings › General › Keyboard › Keyboards.
2. Tap Add New Keyboard… and choose Arabic.
3. In any app, tap the 🌐 globe key at the bottom of the keyboard to switch. Touch and hold it to pick a language from the list.

Android

Menu names differ slightly between phone makers, but the steps are the same.

Gboard (Google keyboard)

1. Open the keyboard in any app, tap the ⚙ settings icon (or open Gboard from your phone’s Settings).
2. Tap Languages › Add keyboard, search for Arabic (العربية) and select it.
3. Choose a layout and tap Done.
4. Switch by tapping the 🌐 globe key, or touch and hold the space bar.

Samsung Keyboard

1. Open the keyboard’s ⚙ settings, then Languages and types › Manage input languages.
2. Download Arabic (العربية) and turn it on.
3. Switch by swiping left or right on the space bar.

Typing vowel marks (tashkeel)

On the standard layout, vowel marks are on the Shift layer of the top-left letter keys. Type the letter first, then the mark:

• Shift + Q fatha َ · Shift + E damma ُ · Shift + A kasra ِ · Shift + X sukun ْ
• Shift + W fathatan ً · Shift + R dammatan ٌ · Shift + S kasratan ٍ
• Shift + ` (the key left of 1) shadda ّ

On phones, touch and hold a letter or look for a marks key on the Arabic keyboard. To remove marks from text you already have, paste it into the Arabic text editor and use Remove tashkeel.

Learning the layout

The standard layout does not follow English sounds, so it takes a little practice. The virtual Arabic keyboard shows the English key under every Arabic letter, and the Arabic alphabet page lists all 28 letters with their names and sounds. For digits like ١٢٣, use the Arabic numbers converter.