macOS has built-in support for Arabic input, and setting it up takes just a couple of minutes. Here’s how to enable it, plus the quickest alternative if you prefer not to change system settings.
Quickest Option: Use an Online Keyboard
If you only occasionally need Arabic text, using keyboard-arabic.org in Safari, Chrome, or Firefox is the fastest option. Type your text online, copy it, and paste it anywhere — no Mac configuration needed.
Add Arabic Keyboard in macOS
- Open System Settings (macOS Ventura and later) or System Preferences (earlier versions).
- Click Keyboard.
- Click the Edit button next to “Input Sources.”
- Click the + button.
- In the left column, scroll to Arabic and select it.
- Choose Arabic (standard) from the right pane and click Add.
The Arabic keyboard will now appear in the input menu in your menu bar (top right of screen). Enable Show Input menu in menu bar if it’s not already visible.
Switching Between Keyboards on Mac
Press Ctrl + Space to toggle between your active keyboard layouts, or click the input menu icon in the menu bar and select Arabic. The menu bar icon shows a flag corresponding to the current input language.
Show the Keyboard Viewer
macOS includes a floating Keyboard Viewer that shows which key maps to which Arabic letter. Go to the input menu → Show Keyboard Viewer. The floating keyboard will update in real time as you press keys, making it easy to learn the Arabic layout.
Arabic on iPhone and iPad
On iOS and iPadOS, go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Keyboards → Add New Keyboard and select Arabic. You can then switch to the Arabic keyboard while typing by tapping the globe icon on the keyboard.
The Arabic Keyboard Layout on Mac
The macOS Arabic keyboard uses the same standard layout as our virtual keyboard. Practising on keyboard-arabic.org will directly transfer to muscle memory for the macOS Arabic keyboard.