Add Arabic on ChromeOS
- 01
Open Settings
Click the clock in the bottom-right corner, then the gear icon. (Or open the launcher and search for "Settings.")
- 02
Go to Languages and inputs
In the sidebar, click Languages and inputs, then open Inputs (on some versions it's Inputs and keyboards). Menu names drift between ChromeOS versions, which is mildly annoying; the search box at the top of Settings finds "input" either way.
Fig. chromeos settings → languages and inputs - 03
Add input methods
Under Input methods, click Add input methods.
- 04
Pick Arabic
Search for "Arabic," tick Arabic keyboard, and click Add.
Fig. add input methods dialog with arabic selected - 05
Check the shelf
With more than one input method installed, a small indicator (US, AR) appears on the shelf next to the clock. Click it any time to switch with the mouse, or use the shortcut below.
How to switch between English and Arabic
Ctrl + Shift + Space cycles through your input methods. Ctrl + Space jumps straight back to the last one you used, which makes it a perfect toggle when English and Arabic are all you've got installed. The shelf indicator reads US or AR so you always know where you are, and clicking it switches too.
Typing goes right-to-left
The moment you switch to Arabic, the cursor moves to the right side of the field and text flows right-to-left. That's how Arabic is written, not a glitch. Mixed lines (an Arabic sentence with an English word in the middle) can make the cursor look like it's jumping around; it settles as soon as you finish the word.
The Arabic 101 keyboard layout
ChromeOS's Arabic keyboard follows the standard Arabic 101 layout, the same arrangement as Windows and the Arabic – PC source on Mac. Your key caps still show English letters; the chart below fills that gap.
ChromeOS Arabic keyboard questions
Do I need an extension from the Chrome Web Store?
No. Arabic is one of the input methods built into ChromeOS, so everything happens in Settings. Extensions that promise an Arabic keyboard only work inside the browser, which is a worse deal than the system one.
I cannot find Languages and inputs in Settings.
Menu names drift between ChromeOS versions, and this one has been called Languages and inputs, Inputs, and Inputs and keyboards at various points. Type "input" into the search box at the top of Settings and it will take you there whatever your version calls it.
What is the shortcut for switching to Arabic on a Chromebook?
Ctrl + Shift + Space cycles through your input methods. Ctrl + Space jumps back to the previous one, which makes it a clean toggle when English and Arabic are the only two installed. The shelf indicator next to the clock reads US or AR.
My cursor jumps around when I mix Arabic and English.
That is bidirectional text doing its job. Arabic runs right to left and English runs left to right, so on a mixed line the cursor has to hop between the two directions. It settles as soon as you finish the word, and the text itself is stored in the order you typed it.
If the keyboard is step one of learning the language itself, our sister site Tfaddalu picks up from there: spoken Palestinian Arabic, taught at the same unhurried pace as this site.