Edit and view text from right to left

Right-to-left controls turn on automatically when you open a document, spreadsheet or presentation with right-to-left text, or when you add text in a right-to-left language. You can also turn on right-to-left controls manually.

Turn on right-to-left language controls

To set up Google Docs, Sheets and Slides for right-to-left languages:

1. On your computer, go to a Google Docs, Sheets or Slides Home screen.
2. At the top left corner, click Menu Settings.
3. Click the box next to 'Always show right-to-left controls'.
4. Click OK. The setting now applies to Google Docs, Sheets and Slides.

Use right-to-left language controls

After you turn on right-to-left controls, you can change the layout of documents with text in a right-to-left language. 

Google Docs

Change paragraph direction

1. On your computer, go to Google Docs.
2. Open a document containing text with text in a right-to-left language.
3. To change paragraph direction, on the toolbar, click Paragraph direction .

Change table direction (column order)

1. On your computer, go to Google Docs.
2. Open a document.
3. Click Format  Table  Table properties.
4. In the 'Column order' section, choose Right-to-left or Left-to-right.

Google Sheets

Change the direction of the columns for a particular sheet

1. On your computer, go to Google Sheets.
2. Open a spreadsheet with text in a right-to-left language.
3. On the toolbar, click Direction .

Note: This change will only apply to the current sheet, not all sheets in the spreadsheet.

Change the direction of text inside a cell

1. On your computer, go to Google Sheets​.
2. Open a spreadsheet with text in a right-to-left language.
3. Click the text that you want to change.
4. On the toolbar, click Cell direction .

Note: If you type text into a cell using a right-to-left language, Google Sheets will automatically change the text direction to right-to-left. It will switch back if you start to type in a left-to-right language.

Google Slides

Change paragraph direction

1. On your computer, go to Google Slides .
2. Open a presentation with text in a right-to-left language.
3. Click the text that you want to change.
4. On the format toolbar, click Paragraph direction .