Whether you have mistakenly rotated your screen or you want to do it intentionally for reading or doing something while having a screen in portrait or flipped form, it is important to know how to rotate a laptop screen.
Unlike smartphones, laptop screens don’t come with automatic rotation sensors. So, even when you physically turn the laptop, it might not always rotate the screen.
In this article, I will be sharing detailed instructions that will help you rotate your screen in the easiest manner.
Rotating screens has a lot of applications. You might find it more handy when writing a book or article, editing portrait photos, or writing code. Or, you might need it for some other reason.
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Contents
Rotating Laptop Screen From Display Settings
Rotating a laptop’s screen is easy as it can be done in just a few simple steps. Whether you are working across multiple screens or just one, you can rotate any of them simply by going to display settings.
The process is similar on both Windows 10 and 11. Here’s what you have to do:
- First of all, go to Display Settings directly from the Desktop. Right-click on an empty space on the desktop and click on Display Settings.
- You will see a Display Orientation section with a drop-down menu. You can change the screen orientation from here by selecting Portrait, Flipped Portrait, Flipped Landscape, or Landscape (Default).
- Select whichever you prefer. Once you do that, the changes will be applied and you will get a prompt asking whether you want to keep these changes or revert back to the original settings.
- Click on Keep Changes. That’s all.
- On the other hand, if you have multiple displays connected, you can select the display for which you want to alter the settings and then change its orientation accordingly.
Now, you have successfully rotated your screen. To rotate it back, you need to go to the same settings and select Landscape.
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You can also do this process from Settings if for some reason you don’t want to go through the normal process.
To do this:
- Go to the Settings by clicking on the Gear Shaped button in the Start menu. It will be in the bottom left corner.
- Once the Settings window opens, click on Display to access Display Settings.
- Now, you will have the same window in front of you that you would have gotten if you had gone through the above process.
- Select the orientation of the screen from the Display Orientation selection as per your desired preferences.
- Once you select a setting, a prompt will appear. Click on Keep Changes and you will have successfully rotated your Display Screen.
Rotating Laptop Screen – Keyboard Shortcut
If you have accidentally rotated your laptop screen and are now wondering how did it happen in the first place, there is a keyboard shortcut that led to it.
You might have pressed it accidentally, but now you can learn about it and use it to your advantage.
The command is simple. All you have to do is press the “CTRL + ALT + Arrow Key” together to rotate your screen. The arrow keys will work as the directional points.
For example, pressing the right arrow key will rotate the screen 90 degrees to the right, and pressing the left one will rotate it to the left.
Similarly, pressing the downwards arrow key will flip the screen horizontally, and pressing the upwards arrow key will return it to normal.
These shortcuts are managed under the hotkeys of your graphics card.
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Is The Above Process Not Working?
Not all laptop screens are made to be rotated. Even if you have the latest Windows 11, you might not be able to rotate your laptop screen into portrait if the make and model of your laptop don’t support it.
However, if you have connected additional monitors with your laptop, you can always rotate them.
Monitors are made to support the vertical alignment feature and can be used in portrait form. As I have mentioned above as well, you can easily change the screen orientation by selecting the monitor while in Display Settings.
However, in the case of your laptop, you might not always have the option of rotating the screen.
Hence, if you cannot alter the settings to switch your laptop to portrait, it was made to be so and there is nothing that can be done about it.
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Frequently Asked Questions
Why can’t I rotate my laptop screen?
There can be a number of reasons why you are unable to rotate your laptop screen. It might be disabled in the settings or in your graphics card settings. Or your laptop might just be made to not support this feature.
Can I rotate multiple monitors connected to my laptop?
Yes, you can manually rotate all the monitors that are connected to your laptop. To do so, all you have to do is go to Display Settings, select the monitor you want to rotate, and then select the orientation you want for that monitor.
What is the shortcut key for rotating the screen instantly?
The shortcut key command for rotating the screen is “Ctrl + Alt + Arrow Key”. You can press the arrow key in the direction in which you want to rotate the screen. I have discussed the process in more detail in the above guide.
Why is the shortcut key not working for the rotating screen?
There can be two reasons why the shortcut keys are not working. The shortcut key command might be disabled or altered from the Graphics Properties of your graphics card or the feature might not be available in your current laptop.
Wrapping Up!
Summing it all up, rotating a laptop screen is a necessary skill that everyone needs to know about. Whether it has happened accidentally or you want to do it intentionally, knowing it can come in handy at a number of places.
The above guide discusses in detail how you can rotate a laptop screen. You can do it directly from the desktop, by accessing Settings or through a shortcut command.
However, you might not be able to rotate the screen of every laptop as all laptops do not come with this feature. I hope the guide helps you with your problem. Good Luck!