How to rotate or flip text in Illustrator
Select the text and drag a corner handle with the Selection tool, or use Object › Transform › Rotate for an exact angle. Flip with Object › Transform › Reflect. To rotate single letters, use the Touch Type tool.
The manual way, in Illustrator
- Select the text; hover just outside a corner handle until the cursor becomes a curved arrow, then drag. Hold Shift for 45° steps.
- For an exact angle: Object › Transform › Rotate…, enter the degrees.
- To mirror: Object › Transform › Reflect…, choose Vertical or Horizontal.
- For one letter: choose the Touch Type tool (Shift+T), click the letter, drag the top handle.
Rotating with the Type tool active edits characters, not the object; switch to the Selection tool first.
Menu paths checked against Adobe's current Illustrator documentation; hands-on verification and screenshots are still to come.
One effect in JuicyType
Party! rotates every letter at once, seeded, so a Reroll gives a new arrangement instead of twenty Touch Type edits.
- Party!Rotate 8–20°, Random off for alternating tilt or on for a scatter, other amounts at 0
Common questions
How do I make vertical text?
Choose Type › Type Orientation › Vertical, use the Vertical Type tool from the Type tool group, or rotate the object 90°. To turn single characters by a number instead of by hand, the Character panel has a Character Rotation field.