HP laptop screen rotated 90 degrees

Most laptop or PC applications work perfectly well in landscape mode. But occasionally, the position of the screen can hinder your productivity especially if you want to work with information in a tall and thin window.

In those situations assuming you have a monitor that you can pivot to portrait mode it may be worth spinning your working window around 180 degrees. This quick guide will explain how to spin your desktop on its side to keep you working productively.

Sometimes, its useful to flip screens to help employees remember to lock them as they walk away. Whatever the reason even if youre the recipient of an office gag carried out by an unkind colleague rotating your screen 90° is an easy task, and here weve covered a couple of ways to do it.

How to Rotate a Laptop or PC Screen in Windows

Lets cover the various ways to rotate the screen in Windows.

How to Rotate a Laptop or PC Screen Using Your Keyboard

If youre running Windows 7, 8, or 10 you may be able to quickly rotate your screen 90°, 180°, or 270° at any time by pressing three keys.

1. Simply hold down Control + Alt and then select the arrow key for which way you want your laptop or PC screen to face.
2. Your monitor will then go blank briefly and return in a few seconds facing a different orientation. To restore this back to the original settings, press Ctrl + Alt + the up arrow.

This keyboard combination will rotate your entire screen and all of the open apps on it.

This feature is only available on devices that support it, you can check your Intel Graphics Settings to check if your device does.

How to Check Intel Graphics Settings on Windows

1. Right-click anywhere on your Desktop and select Intel Graphics Settings.

2. Youll want to select Options and Support.

3. Next, select Hot Key Manager.

4. Youre looking for the screen rotation shortcuts, if not present, then your device doesnt support it.

If this doesnt work, youll need to use one of the methods below.

How to Rotate a Laptop or PC Screen Via Control Panel

You can access the control panel to flip your screen but beware, it will be awfully difficult to switch it back as not only the appearance will be flipped but so will the mouse movements.

1. Another way to rotate your screen is to right-click the Windows desktop and select Display Settings from the dropdown menu that appears. Changing the screen orientation via Control Panel is equally simple. Press the Windows key and type in Screen Resolution then press Enter.

Alternatively, if youre using Windows 7, you can click Start > Control Panel > Display > Screen Resolution.

2. From here select the monitor that you wish to rotate from the Display drop-down box and then finally select Portrait or Landscape in the Orientation field.

3. You can also access these settings by using the Win + I keyboard shortcut and then clicking on System. From here, you can choose the orientation of your display.

How to Rotate a Laptop or PC Screen Using Intel Graphics and Media Control Panel

You can also rotate a display using your graphics cards control panel. [Note that there are too many different software suites to list each one individually, so treat this as a general guide.]

1. A shortcut to your graphics control panel can be found in a couple of places. Right-clicking the desktop and selecting the appropriate option will give you access to the Intel, Nvidia, or AMD graphics card control panels, but the graphics drivers and software often add icons to the system tray on the right-hand side of your taskbar. Double-clicking these icons, or right-clicking thereon, will normally give access to the control panel, and also often a wide range of other options, too. Handily, some also permit you to right-click their respective icons and select screen rotation from a dropdown menu.
2. Once the relevant control panels are open, youll need to peruse the display or desktop menus to find the rotation option for your monitor. The exact location varies from manufacturer to manufacturer, so a quick hunt around will soon locate the option you need.

Locking Your Screen

You can lock your screen so that it does not rotate. If youve been the recipient of too many office jokes, or you just want to prevent a new end-user from accidentally flipping their screen, simply lock the screen rotation.

To do this:

1. Click the Action Center Icon.

You can also click the Windows + A keys to open the Action Center.

2. Next, click Rotation lock.

Once youve done this the same steps must be taken to unlock the screen rotate functions.

Screen Orientation is Stuck

Several users have stated that their screen becomes stuck in one orientation. The hotkeys dont work to fix it and many times the user cant even input their password to gain access to their PC. Lets review some options if your screen is stuck in one orientation and the above methods arent working for you.

Aside from powering down your PC [which likely wont work because your system will remember its last orientation], you can try unplugging your peripherals, wait a couple of minutes, then plug them back in. This may force the system to reboot with the correct orientation.

1. If screen rotation isnt working you can go into your systems Registry by using the Win + R keyboard shortcut.
2. Next, type regedit in the box and hit Enter to open a new window.
3. From here, follow the path: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE/SOFTWARE/Microsoft/Windows/CurrentVersion/AutoRotation.

4. Double-click LastOrientation and enter 0 in the value box. This should help you to reset your screen orientation. This process is incredibly difficult to follow if your screen is upside down or even sideways. If nothing else works, physically rotate your monitor to make following these steps easier.

How to Rotate a Laptop or PC Screen on a Mac

Heres a quick rundown of how to rotate the screen on a Mac.

1. Click on the Apple Menu and select System Preferences.
2. Now, click on Displays > Display Settings.
3. Then, select your display.
4. Next, click on the Rotation pop-up menu and select the amount of desired rotation.
5. Select Confirm in the window that appears.
6. You can easily undo the rotation by selecting Rotation > Standard.

Frequently Asked Questions

Here are some answers to your most frequently asked questions:

Will the Screen Rotate Back if I Turn Off My Computer?

No, in most cases it will reboot with the same orientation you last used. The only way to rotate it back would be to use one of the methods above.

My Screen is Stuck and Will Not Rotate After the Newest Updates. What Can I Do?

If your screen no longer rotates after the update, check first that the rotate function isnt locked. If it isnt, then follow the steps above using the Intel Control Panel.

My Screen Still Wont Rotate, What Else Can I Do?

If the rotate lock function is off and youve tried the control panel, you should power cycle your device to see if the problem corrects itself. If not, then try disconnecting your peripherals and reconnecting them.

Lastly, use Microsofts built-in troubleshooting software to check your sensors. If your computer is having a driver issue it may cause the screen orientation on your computer to stop working properly. You can change the driver yourself, check for a manufacturers warranty, or contact a repair shop for further assistance.

What if I Have Two Screens and Only One of Them is Flipped?

In most cases, you can click on the screen that needs adjusting and use the keyboard to fix the issue for that one screen. The alternative would be to head over to the control panel, select the screen thats needs rotated, and choose the orientation.

If the issue is not immediately corrected try to unplug the peripherals and plug the monitor back into your computer.

The Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Key Doesnt Work, Why?

If the above-mentioned hotkeys arent working for you its likely because your PCs graphics card doesnt support the function. You can check the functions by using the Ctrl + Alt + F12 keyboard shortcut and selecting Options & Support. Next, click on the Hotkey manager and browse for your keyboard shortcut.

Rotating Your Screen

As youve now seen, the method to rotate your PC or laptop screen depends on the OS and also the graphics card youre using. If youre rotating your screen a lot, then its useful to learn the shortcut keys used to get it done.

Were you able to rotate your screen? Is your screen locked and youve tried all of the suggestions? Feel free to share your thoughts in the comments below.