Xarab.shx Autocad Font May 2026

If you have the font installed, you will typically find it in: C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD [Version]\Fonts\ OR C:\Autodesk\AutoCAD [Version]\Support\Fonts\

Many surveying programs (especially older versions of CivilCAD and Carlson) export boundary descriptions and owner names using SHX fonts for compatibility. In the Middle East, the default export font is often Xarab.shx.

If you must stay within the SHX ecosystem (for speed in massive 500MB drawings), you can compile your own replacement using the SHX Compiler (shape manager). However, this is only recommended for advanced programmers. Xarab.shx Autocad Font

You will rarely create a drawing using Xarab.shx if you work in an English-only environment. However, you will inevitably receive one.

Xarab.shx is a compiled shape definition file used by Autodesk AutoCAD. The name is a portmanteau derived from "X" (often used in AutoCAD font naming conventions for standard styles, such as Txt.shx or Monotxt.shx) and "Arab" (denoting Arabic script). If you have the font installed, you will

Unlike TrueType fonts (TTF) which are vector-based outlines used across Windows applications, .shx files are specific to AutoCAD. They are compiled from .shp (shape definition) source code into a binary format that AutoCAD can read rapidly.

The Core Function: Xarab.shx was designed to allow Arabic text to be displayed natively within the classic AutoCAD environment. Before AutoCAD integrated full Unicode support and Bi-Directional (Bi-Di) text handling, standard fonts could not render Arabic characters correctly because they could not handle: If you must stay within the SHX ecosystem

Xarab.shx was engineered to bypass these engine limitations by hard-coding these behaviors into the shape definitions.

To understand the font, break down its name:

Thus, Xarab.shx = Extended Arabic Shape File. It is the standard SHX font used for single-line text (DTEXT) and multi-line text (MTEXT) when creating engineering drawings in Farsi, Urdu, or Arabic.