How to Rotate a Computer Screen: A Step-by-Step Guide

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Learn shortcuts to rotate your computer screen

Written by Travis Boylls

Last Updated: December 24, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using Windows Display Settings

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Alternate Methods (Windows)

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Using Mac

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Using Chromebook

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Video

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Q&A

Rotating your computer's display allows you to view your monitor in portrait mode, or flip it upside down. This can be great for reading documents or eBooks, or for mounting monitors in hard-to-reach places. Rotating the display in Windows, Mac, or Chromebook is usually fairly straightforward, but sometimes computer manufacturers make things more difficult. This wikiHow article teaches you how to rotate your computer display.

Quickly Rotate a Computer Screen

On Windows, go to “Screen Resolution” or “Display Settings,” find the “Orientation” menu, then select the orientation you want to use. Or, use Ctrl + Alt + an arrow key as a shortcut. On Mac, go to “Display” in System Settings, and make your selection from the “Rotation” menu.

Section 1 of 4:

Using Windows Display Settings

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This is a quick way to open the Display Settings menu.
If you have more than one display connected to your PC, you’ll see the displays and their position in the diagram at the top of the menu. Click the screen you want to rotate.

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Find the "Orientation" menu. This should be located towards the bottom of the menu. There will be a drop-down menu next to it. By default, it will say "Landscape" for most computers. Most graphics cards will allow you to rotate the screen using this menu.
- If you don't see this menu, there may be something wrong with your drivers or your computer manufacturer may have disabled the option. Skip down to Step 4 for more ways to rotate the screen.
4
Select the orientation you want to use. There will be four options to choose from:
- Landscape - This is the default option for standard monitors.
- Portrait - This will rotate the display 90° to the right so that the right edge of the monitor is now the bottom of the display.
- Landscape (flipped) - This will flip your screen upside down so that the top edge of the monitor is now the bottom.
- Portrait (flipped) - This will rotate the display 90° in the opposite direction, so that the left edge becomes the bottom of the display.

Section 2 of 4:

Alternate Methods (Windows)

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1
Try the shortcut keys (Intel). Some graphics card adapters support shortcuts to change the display orientation. You can use these shortcuts to quickly switch between orientation modes. These shortcuts are most likely to work if you are using an Intel integrated graphics adapter. For many users of Nvidia or AMD cards, these shortcuts will not work.
- Ctrl+Alt+↓ - Flip the screen upside down.
- Ctrl+Alt+→ - Rotate the screen 90° to the right.
- Ctrl+Alt+← - Rotate the screen 90° to the left.
- Ctrl+Alt+↑ - Return the screen to the standard landscape orientation.
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Check your video card's control panel. Nvidia, AMD, and Intel graphics adapters typically install a control panel program that allows you to make adapter-specific adjustments. You can usually access this control panel from the menu that appears when you right-click the desktop, but you may have to find it in the Start Menu or the Windows Control Panel.
- Look for the "Rotate" or "Orientation" option In the Nvidia control panel, look for the "Rotate display" option in the left menu. In the AMD Catalyst Control Center, you can find the "Rotation" menu in the Desktop Properties section. For Intel, you can find the "Rotation" selector in the "Display Settings" menu.
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Create rotation shortcuts (AMD). If you are using an AMD or ATI card, the Catalyst Control Center software allows you to create keyboard shortcuts for screen rotation.
- Right-click on your desktop and select "Catalyst Control Center".
- Click the "Preferences" button and select "Hotkeys".
- Select "Display Manager" from the drop-down menu, and then set the key combinations you want to use for the different rotation options. The key combinations in Step 4 are not typically used for other functions, making them a good choice.
- Make sure to check the boxes to enable your new hotkeys.
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Update your drivers if you don't have any rotation options. If you aren't seeing any rotation options and the shortcut keys aren't working, you may be able to enable the function by updating your video card drivers. You'll want to download the latest drivers directly from the manufacturer instead of using Windows Update.
- AMD and Nvidia have hardware detection tools that will automatically detect the graphics card you are using and provide the latest drivers. You can run these tools from their driver download pages, or you can search for your specific model if you know it.
- If you want to look up what model graphics adapter you have, press ⊞ Win+R and type dxdiag. Click the "Display" tab to see your graphics adapter manufacturer and model.
This option is not actually provided by Windows; it is up to the hardware manufacturer to enable it. Most computers have it enabled, but your computer may not support rotating the screen. Laptops are the most common victims of losing the ability to rotate the screen.

Section 3 of 4:

Using Mac

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1
Click the Apple menu and select System Settings. You can also click the icon that resembles two gears in the Dock at the bottom of the screen.
- If you are using an older version of macOS, click System Preferences instead.
The Rotate option isn’t available for all displays, but holding the Option key when you click Displays will force it to appear.^{[1]
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If you have more than one display connected, click the display you want to rotate in the diagram at the top.
Click the drop-down menu next to “Rotation.” You can select Standard, 90°, 180°, or 270°. These represent how many degrees the display will rotate to the right.^{[2]
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If all of your screens rotate when you enable rotation on one of them, mirroring may have been enabled. This makes all of the screens mimic each other. Click the "Arrangement" tab and uncheck the "Mirror Displays" box.
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Attempt to rotate a built-in monitor (OS 10.9 and below). If you are using Mavericks or earlier, you can attempt to force a built-in display to rotate by opening a special version of the Displays menu. Make sure System Preferences is closed before proceeding. Do not attempt this in OS X 10.10 (Yosemite) or later, as it can result in a serious error.^{[3]
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- Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences.
- Press and hold ⌘ Cmd+⌥ Opt and click the "Displays" option.
- Your built-in display should have a rotation menu available.^{[4]
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Section 4 of 4:

Using Chromebook

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1
Press Ctrl+⇧ Shift+Refresh. You can quickly rotate the screen on a Chromebook by using the keyboard shortcut. The refresh key generally has an icon that resembles a circular arrow.
- If you have more than one display connected, move your mouse cursor over to the display you want to rotate.
To do so, click the time in the lower-right corner. Then click the Gear/Settings icon in the pop-up menu.
It is under the “Device” heading. This opens the Display menu.
It’s below the header with your display name. If you have more than one display connected, select the drop-down menu below the display you want to rotate.
You can select 0% (default), 90°, 180°, or 270°. These represent how many degrees the display will rotate to the right.^{[5]
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Community Q&A

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Question

How do I rotate my screen so that it's oriented correctly?

Community Answer

Click Ctrl-Alt and the arrow that is the same way that you want your screen.

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Question

I keep getting my family's computer stuck sideways. What can I do?

Community Answer

Try carefully (and temporarily) rotating the monitor to a portrait position, and following the instructions for that specific computer.

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Question

How do I rotate the screen on an iPad?

Community Answer

Flip your iPad the way you want it to turn. It will not turn if your screen rotation lock is on. To unlock it, swipe up until you see a menu, and click on the lock with the arrow around it.

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