Select the type object with the Selection tool.
Last updated on
Sep 11, 2025
Learn how to transform text to adjust scale, rotate, or skew for better alignment with your design.
Selecting type for transformations
Do one of the following:
- To transform the type along with its bounding path, select the Rotate tool, and rotate the object and text.
- To transform the bounding path alone, drag the path using the touch type rotate icon that appear in the corners of the path.
Adjust the scale of type
You can specify the proportion between the height and width of the type, relative to the original width and height of the characters. Unscaled characters have 100% value. It’s generally preferable to use a font that is designed as condensed or expanded, if one is available.
Select the characters or type objects you want to scale.
Note
If you don’t select any text, the scale applies to new text you create.
Select Window > Type > Character.
In the Character panel, set the Vertical Scale or the Horizontal Scale.
Rotate type
Select the characters or type objects.
Do one of the following:
- To rotate the characters within a type object by a specific number of degrees, select Window > Type > Character, and configure the Character Rotation value in the Character panel.
- To change horizontal type to vertical type and vice versa, select Type > Type Orientation > Horizontal or Type > Type Orientation > Vertical.
- To rotate an entire type object (both the characters and the type bounding box), use the bounding box, Free Transform tool, Rotate tool, Rotate command, or Transform panel.
- To rotate multiple characters in vertical Asian text, select the Tate‑chu-yoko option to rotate multiple characters.
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