How to Curve Text in Illustrator

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Co-authored by Shari Fairclough and Darlene Antonelli, MA

Last Updated: July 29, 2024

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Using the Menu

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Using the Type on a Path Tool

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Video

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Expert Interview

This wikiHow will show you how to curve text in Adobe Illustrator using the Warp option in the Effects menu or by using the Type on a Path Tool on a computer. Unfortunately, the mobile app, Adobe Illustrator Draw, does not support the features used in this wikiHow.

How do you curve text in Illustrator?

Open your Illustrator project.
Select the text you want to curve.
Click the Effect tab.
Click the Warp tab.
Click Arc.
Click OK to apply those settings.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Using the Menu

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You can do this from the Illustrator “File” tab or you can find the file in your file browser, right-click, and select “Open With…” and “Illustrator.” This method is the easiest and works for both Mac and Windows computers.
You can create new text by clicking the text tool from the tool menu or pressing "T" on your keyboard.

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You'll see this either above your project area or along the top of your screen.
A menu will slide out to the side.
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Click Arc . A window will pop up.
- Click to select the box next to "Preview" so you will see the changes as you make them.
- You can play around with the percentages here to change the curve of your text, but the default settings provide a basic arc. ^{[1]
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If you had "Preview" enabled, you will see the same settings you had set in the dialog box applied.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Using the Type on a Path Tool

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You can do this from the Illustrator “File” tab or you can find the file in your file browser, right-click, and select “Open With…” and “Illustrator.” This method works for both Mac and Windows computers.
2
Draw a circle or shape with the Ellipse Tool. You'll see this in the tool menu. You can also press "L" to select the Ellipse tool.
- Drag and drop your mouse on the canvas to create a circle.
More options for the text tool will pop up to the side.
This is usually 3rd in the list.
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Click the circle to activate your cursor. As you type, the text will hug the circle. Although this method focused on writing on a circle, you can write on any shape.
- Click the Direct Selection tool from the tool menu (it looks like a cursor arrow) to edit your text. ^{[2]
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