One of the most powerful is the . This utility was specifically designed to solve the challenges of writing Arabic text in AutoCAD using XARB or Sosa fonts.
This public link is valid for 7 days and shares a thread, including any personal information you added. This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted. If you share with third parties, their policies apply. Can’t copy the link right now. Try again later.
Close AutoCAD. Navigate to your AutoCAD installation folder, typically located at: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 20xx\Fonts . xarabshx autocad font
Unlike standard Western fonts that read left-to-right with independent characters, Arabic text features cursive, connected scripting read from right-to-left. Because early legacy versions of AutoCAD lacked native support for complex right-to-left languages, third-party developers created custom SHX fonts like Xarabshx to correctly map and connect Arabic letters within the CAD environment. Why is the Xarabshx Font Missing in My Drawing?
The primary and critical function of the XARABSHX font is to enable the correct display of Arabic script within AutoCAD drawings. The core challenge it solves is that Arabic is a right-to-left (RTL) script with complex, context-sensitive character shaping, which base versions of AutoCAD have historically struggled with. Because it was purpose-built to handle these complexities, XARABSHX is frequently encountered as a missing font in many engineering drawing files, especially those originally created in countries where Arabic is the primary language. One of the most powerful is the
: Once the program is reopened, it should automatically recognize the font and display the Arabic text correctly. Autodesk Community, Autodesk Forums, Autodesk Forum Modern Alternatives is still in use, modern workflows often prefer TrueType Fonts (TTF)
If the drawing is already open and showing question marks, you can force the text to use a different font: Type STYLE in the command line and press . This link or copies made by others cannot be deleted
As an SHX (compiled shape) file, it consists of individual pen strokes rather than filled outlines, making it lightweight and fast for AutoCAD to process compared to TrueType (TTF) fonts.
This is the most common sign that a drawing you've received is looking for a font that is not on your system.
If you open a drawing and see scrambled text or question marks where Arabic should be, it usually means the XARAB.SHX file is missing from your system's font library. How to Install XARAB.SHX
Expand the node by clicking the + icon. Click Add , then click Browse .