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Right Align
Android Development
Text Formatting

Right align text in android TextView

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Introduction

To right-align text in an Android TextView, set android:gravity="right" (or end for RTL support) in XML, or call setGravity(Gravity.END) in code. The gravity attribute controls the alignment of content within the view's bounds, while layout_gravity controls the view's position within its parent. For proper right-to-left (RTL) language support, prefer end over right — end adapts automatically based on the layout direction.

XML: gravity Attribute

xml
1<!-- Right-align text within the TextView -->
2<TextView
3    android:layout_width="match_parent"
4    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
5    android:gravity="right"
6    android:text="Right aligned text" />
7
8<!-- RTL-aware: use "end" instead of "right" -->
9<TextView
10    android:layout_width="match_parent"
11    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
12    android:gravity="end"
13    android:text="Right aligned text" />
14
15<!-- Vertical and horizontal alignment -->
16<TextView
17    android:layout_width="match_parent"
18    android:layout_height="100dp"
19    android:gravity="end|center_vertical"
20    android:text="Right and vertically centered" />

The TextView must have enough width for alignment to be visible. With wrap_content width, the view is only as wide as the text, so alignment has no visible effect.

Programmatic: setGravity()

kotlin
1// Kotlin
2val textView = findViewById<TextView>(R.id.myTextView)
3textView.gravity = Gravity.END  // RTL-aware right alignment
4
5// Right + vertically centered
6textView.gravity = Gravity.END or Gravity.CENTER_VERTICAL
java
1// Java
2TextView textView = findViewById(R.id.myTextView);
3textView.setGravity(Gravity.END);
4
5// Right + vertically centered
6textView.setGravity(Gravity.END | Gravity.CENTER_VERTICAL);

gravity vs layout_gravity

These two attributes serve different purposes:

xml
1<!-- gravity: aligns CONTENT inside the view -->
2<TextView
3    android:layout_width="match_parent"
4    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
5    android:gravity="end"
6    android:text="Text is right-aligned inside the full-width view" />
7
8<!-- layout_gravity: positions the VIEW inside its parent -->
9<TextView
10    android:layout_width="wrap_content"
11    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
12    android:layout_gravity="end"
13    android:text="View itself is positioned at the right of parent" />

For text alignment within the TextView, use gravity. For positioning the TextView within a FrameLayout or LinearLayout, use layout_gravity.

textAlignment Attribute (API 17+)

textAlignment provides finer control and is specifically for text alignment:

xml
1<TextView
2    android:layout_width="match_parent"
3    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
4    android:textAlignment="viewEnd"
5    android:text="Aligned to view end" />

Available values:

xml
1<!-- Inherit from parent -->
2android:textAlignment="inherit"
3
4<!-- Align to gravity (default) -->
5android:textAlignment="gravity"
6
7<!-- Align to start/end of text direction -->
8android:textAlignment="textStart"
9android:textAlignment="textEnd"
10
11<!-- Align to start/end of view -->
12android:textAlignment="viewStart"
13android:textAlignment="viewEnd"
14
15<!-- Center -->
16android:textAlignment="center"

textAlignment takes priority over gravity when both are set (API 17+).

Right-to-Left (RTL) Support

xml
1<!-- Enable RTL support in AndroidManifest.xml -->
2<application
3    android:supportsRtl="true"
4    ... >
5
6<!-- Use "start" and "end" instead of "left" and "right" -->
7<TextView
8    android:layout_width="match_parent"
9    android:layout_height="wrap_content"
10    android:gravity="end"
11    android:paddingStart="16dp"
12    android:paddingEnd="16dp"
13    android:text="Adapts to LTR and RTL layouts" />

In an LTR locale (English), end = right. In an RTL locale (Arabic, Hebrew), end = left.

In ConstraintLayout

xml
1<androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout
2    android:layout_width="match_parent"
3    android:layout_height="wrap_content">
4
5    <!-- Constrain to end of parent for right alignment -->
6    <TextView
7        android:layout_width="wrap_content"
8        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
9        android:text="Right aligned"
10        app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
11        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" />
12
13    <!-- Full width with gravity -->
14    <TextView
15        android:layout_width="0dp"
16        android:layout_height="wrap_content"
17        android:gravity="end"
18        android:text="Right aligned text"
19        app:layout_constraintStart_toStartOf="parent"
20        app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent"
21        app:layout_constraintTop_toTopOf="parent" />
22
23</androidx.constraintlayout.widget.ConstraintLayout>

Jetpack Compose

kotlin
1// Right-align text in Compose
2Text(
3    text = "Right aligned",
4    modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
5    textAlign = TextAlign.End
6)
7
8// Inside a Row
9Row(
10    modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
11    horizontalArrangement = Arrangement.End
12) {
13    Text("Right aligned")
14}
15
16// In a Column
17Column(
18    modifier = Modifier.fillMaxWidth(),
19    horizontalAlignment = Alignment.End
20) {
21    Text("Right aligned")
22}

Common Pitfalls

  • Using gravity on a wrap_content width TextView: If the TextView width is wrap_content, it is exactly as wide as the text. There is no extra space for alignment. Set width to match_parent or a fixed value for gravity to have a visible effect.
  • Confusing gravity with layout_gravity: gravity aligns content inside the view. layout_gravity positions the view inside its parent. Using layout_gravity="right" on a full-width TextView does nothing because the view already fills the parent.
  • Using right instead of end for RTL support: android:gravity="right" is hardcoded to the right side regardless of locale. For RTL languages (Arabic, Hebrew), use android:gravity="end" which flips automatically. Enable android:supportsRtl="true" in the manifest.
  • textAlignment overriding gravity: On API 17+, textAlignment takes precedence over gravity. If you set both to conflicting values, textAlignment wins. Either use one consistently or set textAlignment="gravity" to defer to the gravity attribute.
  • Right alignment in RecyclerView items: When a TextView inside a RecyclerView item has wrap_content width, right alignment requires setting the parent layout's gravity or constraints instead. Use ConstraintLayout with app:layout_constraintEnd_toEndOf="parent" on the TextView.

Summary

  • Use android:gravity="end" to right-align text content inside a TextView (RTL-aware)
  • Use textAlignment="viewEnd" for explicit text alignment (API 17+, overrides gravity)
  • The TextView width must be wider than the text for alignment to be visible — use match_parent
  • Prefer start/end over left/right for proper RTL language support
  • In Jetpack Compose, use textAlign = TextAlign.End with Modifier.fillMaxWidth()
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