Font Naskhd.shx May 2026

Before diving into Naskhd.shx specifically, it is crucial to understand why SHX fonts exist.

Naskhd.shx belongs to the SHX family. The "Naskh" portion of its name refers to Naskh (نسخ), one of the oldest and most widely used calligraphic styles for the Arabic language. The "d" typically stands for "Dual" or "Drawn," indicating that this font supports both Arabic and Latin characters in a single style.

In AutoCAD font naming conventions, suffix letters usually denote specific characteristics:

In the world of Computer-Aided Design (CAD), particularly within the Autodesk ecosystem (AutoCAD, Civil 3D, and Architectural Desktop), fonts are not just about aesthetics—they are about precision, file management, and cross-platform consistency. One of the most obscure yet essential font files for Middle Eastern and North African (MENA) region CAD users is Naskhd.shx. Font Naskhd.shx

If you have ever opened an AutoCAD drawing from a colleague or consultant only to see garbled text, squares, or question marks (???), you have likely encountered a missing SHX font. Naskhd.shx is a specialized "shape font" file designed to render Arabic script and complex bi-directional text within the constraints of DWG files.

This article explores everything you need to know about Naskhd.shx: its origins, technical specifications, installation processes, common error fixes, and alternatives.

Autodesk has not included Naskhd.shx by default in new installations since AutoCAD 2018 (ME version). Instead, they push users toward TrueType fonts like Arial (with Arabic supplement) or their own cloud-based Autodesk Text Services.

Nevertheless, three factors ensure Naskhd.shx will remain relevant for at least another decade: Naskhd

In 2024, a GitHub project called "SHXtoTTF" attempted to convert Naskhd.shx into a variable TrueType font, but the project stalled due to the complexity of mapping shape numbers to Unicode code points and preserving RTL shaping rules.

If you have a full AutoCAD installation with Middle Eastern (ME) or International (INT) language pack enabled, Naskhd.shx is usually located in:

C:\Program Files\Autodesk\AutoCAD 20XX\Fonts\

If you cannot find it there:

TrueType fonts rely on OS-level rendering engines (like GDI+ in Windows or FreeType in Linux). Output may vary between printers, PDF drivers, or even different versions of AutoCAD. SHX fonts, including Naskhd.shx, are rendered directly by AutoCAD’s built-in engine, guaranteeing identical output across platforms and devices—a non-negotiable requirement in engineering.