Sam stared at the Adobe Illustrator interface. He’d spent years mastering the Pen tool and the Pathfinder, but the underline feature was one of those things he always forgot was tucked away. He selected the word "Creme Brulee" with his Type Tool. He knew the shortcut for Microsoft Word, but Illustrator was a different beast.
: If you don’t see an underline icon, click the hamburger menu (three horizontal lines) in the top-right corner of the panel and select Show Options .
: Some versions of Illustrator or related Adobe apps like InCopy allow you to access Underline Options from the panel menu. Here, you can adjust the Weight (thickness), Offset (distance from the baseline), and even the Color independently from the text.
It draws a line exactly at the baseline of the font at the exact weight of the font’s stem. Why it fails: It doesn't scale well. It ignores ascenders and descenders. If you have a lowercase 'g' or 'y', the line will slice right through the tail. underline text in adobe illustrator
Yes, it exists. Open your Character panel (Window > Type > Character) and click the "Underline" icon (the T with a line under it).
Your font size + Offset = Total distance. If your font is 48pt and your Offset is 6pt, the line sits 54pts below the baseline.
The morning sun hit Sam’s monitor, highlighting a deadline that felt way too close. He was designing a sleek, vintage-inspired menu for a new bistro, and his client had one final, "simple" request: "Can we underline the daily specials? It needs to look intentional, not just like a basic word document." Sam stared at the Adobe Illustrator interface
By using one of these methods, you can easily add underlines to your text in Adobe Illustrator.
He decided to go a step further. Instead of using the automated button, he grabbed the . He drew a custom stroke beneath the specials, giving it a slightly textured brush finish to match the bistro’s rustic vibe. He opened the Stroke Panel , rounded the caps, and lowered the opacity.
If you are underlining more than one block of text, you are losing time. He knew the shortcut for Microsoft Word, but
If you need to do this yourself, here are the two main ways: Select your text with the Type Tool (T) . Open the Character Panel (Window > Type > Character). Click the More Options (hamburger menu or three dots). Click the Underline icon. The Pro Way (Custom Line) Select the Line Segment Tool () .
Underlining text in Adobe Illustrator isn’t as front-and-center as it is in word processors, but it’s a vital tool for emphasizing headers or creating specific UI designs. While Illustrator doesn't have a single-click button on the main toolbar, you can easily apply this formatting through the or use more flexible design-oriented workarounds. 1. The Standard Method: Character Panel
Draw a line under your text while holding for a straight line.