Adjust diacritical marks and coloring in Arabic text

Last updated on Jun 2, 2026

Learn how to use Character panel controls to reposition marks and Find/Change to modify their colors in Adobe InDesign.

Arabic diacritical marks indicate pronunciation and can be adjusted for better readability or styled for emphasis. These changes apply to text that already includes diacritics. Use OpenType Arabic fonts for best results. Position can be adjusted for selected text, and color can be modified using Find/Change.

Adjust diacritical mark position

Use the Type tool to select the Arabic text containing diacritical marks.

Select Window > Type & Tables > Character.

Select the panel menu icon, then choose Diacritic Positioning.

Select the required diacritic positioning setting from the drop-down: OpenType (adjustment from base character), OpenType (positive adjustment is up), None, Loose, Normal, Tight.

In the Horizontal field, enter a positive value to move marks right or a negative value to move them to the left.

In the Vertical field, enter a positive value to move marks up or a negative value to move them down.

Change diacritical mark colors

Select Edit > Find/Change.

From the Query drop-down menu, select Change Arabic Diacritic Color.

Select Specify attributes to change in the Change Format section.

Configure your desired colors from the Character Color options and select OK.

Select Change All to replace all diacritical mark colors in the document or Change to replace individual instances.

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