Underline Text In Adobe Illustrator <2025-2027>

Underlining in Illustrator is broken by default. But that is actually a gift.

If you’re migrating from Microsoft Word or Google Docs, Adobe Illustrator feels like a betrayal. You highlight your text, you look for that magic U button... and it isn’t there. Or, if you find it, it looks like a razor-thin wire sitting two miles away from your words. underline text in adobe illustrator

Here is how to master the three distinct philosophies of underlining in Illustrator, and why you should probably never use the default "Underline" option again. Yes, it exists. Open your Character panel (Window > Type > Character) and click the "Underline" icon (the T with a line under it). Underlining in Illustrator is broken by default

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. You highlight your text, you look for that magic U button