How to:Rotate screen in Windows 7 by a shortcut.

original title: Rotate screen in Windows 7 by a shortcut. Other answers tell that Shift+Alt+Arrows must do the trick. Nevertheless, only "Control Panel - Display" dialog works for me. There are two reasons for shortcuting the task: 1. 2. Have you tried to rotate a GUI while GUI is being rotated? The option is supposed to utilize the rotatable monitors - some texts are easier to read in portrait, others in landscape. This suggests that flipping is supposed to take place tens of times every day.

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Answer Ronnie Vernon replied on September 19, 2010

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In reply to valtih1978 post on September 19, 2010 Hi That option does appear in the Screen Resolution dialog, but it only works if it is supported by the installed hardware/drivers. You apparently have a monitor that is capable of rotating and you're making assumptions that every system works like yours. Some graphic devices do support a keyboard shortcut to rotate the screen, notably nVidia, enables the Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Keys. Please post the details of your system, including the make and model of the monitor and graphics device. We may be able to find something that will work for you. Regards, Thank You for using Windows 7

Ronnie Vernon MVP

Windows Expert - Consumer Microsoft Windows MVP 1999 - Present

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Answer MAx1234Ita replied on November 21, 2011 In reply to PerrySummers post on August 1, 2011 Several months have passed since this thread was started, and many things happened. I had the same problem with an ATI Radeon adapter; Here's how I solved it: - Installed the latest version of Catalyst Control Center; - in the main screen you have the "Preferences" button; click it - Click the first option ("Hotkeys" or similar, I have it in Italian, don'know exactly what is the english name) - In the list, double-click the items you'd like to activate and assign a hotkey (i.e. CTRL-ALT+Cursor key). The ones meant to rotate the display are the first four. - Click OK; Total time taken: about 2 minutes. Enjoy ! :-) MAx - Italy Reply Reply with quote Report abuse

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Ronnie Vernon replied on September 19, 2010

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MCC: Content Creator

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There are two reasons for shortcuting the task: 1. 2. Have you tried to rotate a GUI while GUI is being rotated? The option is supposed to utilize the rotatable monitors - some texts are easier to read in portrait, others in landscape. This suggests that flipping is supposed to take place tens of times every day.

What do I miss?

Hi I'm not sure what your question is? Rotating the screen is a function of the Graphics Card driver and/or the Monitor, not the operating system. Regards, Thank You for using Windows 7

Ronnie Vernon MVP

Windows Expert - Consumer Microsoft Windows MVP 1999 - Present

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valtih1978 replied on September 19, 2010 In reply to Ronnie Vernon post on September 19, 2010 Are you joking me? How is it possible that the "Orientation" option (see Control Panel\Appearance and Personalization\Display\Screen Resolution) is exposed by a standard windows dialog, which means it is a video adapter-independent function likewise the resolution is, but creating a hot-key shortcut to it needs a video driver intervention???it's hilarious! My question was to find/make the shortcut to a Windows function. I feel it is extremely useful to change the orientation between Portrait/Landscape every time I rotate the monitor by hitting a key combination rather than doing a pile of mouse-clicking. If such shortcut is absent by default I may miss something important. Reply

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Answer Ronnie Vernon replied on September 19, 2010

MVP Community Moderator

MCC: Content Creator

MCC: Content Curator

In reply to valtih1978 post on September 19, 2010 Hi That option does appear in the Screen Resolution dialog, but it only works if it is supported by the installed hardware/drivers. You apparently have a monitor that is capable of rotating and you're making assumptions that every system works like yours. Some graphic devices do support a keyboard shortcut to rotate the screen, notably nVidia, enables the Ctrl+Alt+Arrow Keys. Please post the details of your system, including the make and model of the monitor and graphics device. We may be able to find something that will work for you. Regards, Thank You for using Windows 7

How to Turn Your Computer Screen Upside Down

There may be some reason your computer screen needs to be turned upside down. Perhaps you are mounting your monitor on the ceiling for example. Or maybe you just want to confuse a co-worker with an upside down computer prank. To turn your computer screen upside-down on a Windows or Mac, use one of the following methods.

Edit Steps
Windows Vista and 7

1.1
Press Ctrl+Alt+Down at the same time. If monitor rotation is enabled on your PC, pressing Ctrl, Alt, and any of the arrow keys should automatically flip your screen.

Push the key that points in the direction that you want the top of the screen to point. This means that pushing Ctrl+Alt+Up will return the screen to normal.

2.2
If this does not work, make sure screen rotation is enabled.

o o o

o o

Right-click your computer's desktop and select Graphics Properties. Click on the Display Settings menu. Look for the Rotation section and make sure Enable Rotation is checked (if applicable). Note that this might not be listed as one of your graphics options. Select 180 degrees and press Apply to test your changes. Note that this might also appear as Flipped Landscape or the equivalent. Confirm or cancel the settings (or wait for them to time-out). Press OK to accept, Cancel to reject, or, if youre having trouble navigating the new screen, allow it to revert to its upright position within 15 seconds. Note that, with rotation enabled, you should now be able to use the Ctrl+Alt+Down Arrow shortcut to flip the screen vertically.

Windows 7

1.1
Right-click a blank space on your desktop and select Screen resolution.

2.2

Under Orientation, select Landscape (Flipped).

3.3
To undo this, repeat steps but select Landscape instead.

Mac

1.1
Launch System Preferences.

2.2
Hold down Command+Option and click on the Display icon.

Note that the Option key is sometimes marked as Alt on Macs outside the US.

3.3
Look for the Rotation drop-down menu and apply the desired settings.

4.4
Confirm or cancel the settings (or wait for them to time-out). Press Confirm to accept, Reject to cancel, or, if youre having trouble navigating the new screen, allow it to revert to its upright position within 15 seconds.

Upside-Down Desktop Prank

1.1
Make a screenshot. Press Print Screen on Windows. On a Mac press Shift+Command+3.

2.2
Go to Paint in Windows. Go to Preview on a Mac.

3.3
Press Ctrl+V (Command+V on Mac) to paste.

4.4
Rotate the image upside-down. In Paint, for example, you would go to Image > Flip/Rotate, Flip Vertical.

5.5
Save the image and set it as a desktop background. In Windows, for example, you would go to your desktop, right-click a blank space, choose Personalize, select Wallpaper, select the directory of the upsidedown screenshot, and press OK.

6.6
Hide or move the desktop icons. You might, for example, cut and paste the icons into a safe folder somewhere that you can easily retrieve them later. In Windows, you can also right-click a blank space on your desktop, go to either View or Arrange Icons, and un-select "Show Desktop Icons".

7.7

Hide the task bar. In Windows, right-click your task bar, choose Properties, choose the Task bar tab, and check Auto-Hide the Task bar.

Edit Video

This video teaches PC and Mac users how to flip a computer screen upside down.

Edit Tips

For those unaware of this feature that is available, you can use the Ctrl+Alt+ (arrow key) to orient your screen in the proper direction. For most screens, you can press Ctrl+Alt+(Up) key to orient your screen in the orientation your computer monitor initially came to you set as. All others can be adjusted with Ctrl+Alt+(Left) and Ctrl+Alt+(Right), and if you want to be really spontaneous and look at your screen completely upside down, try Ctrl+Alt+(Down).

Edit Warnings

Not all graphics cards are equipped to rotate the monitor view. Be aware that these methods might not work on your system.

How to Literally Rotate Your Computer Screen

Rotating your computer screen can be an effective prank or even a useful tool when programming or creating digital art. To rotate your monitor display on a Windows or Mac, use one of the methods below.

Edit Steps
Windows

1.1
Hold down Ctrl and Alt at the same time.

2.

2
Push one of the arrow keys while keeping Ctrl and Alt held down. The left and right keys will rotate the screen 90 degrees, and the down key will flip the screen upside down.

Push the key that points in the direction that you want the top of the screen to point. This means that pushing Ctrl+Alt+Up will return the screen to normal.

3.3
If this does not work, you need to access the "Display" settings at the "Control Panel".
o

Click your computer's "Start Icon" and select Control Panel.

Look for the Display Settings Settings and Click on that.

Click on the Change Display Settings located at the left panel side.

Look for the "Orientation" drop down menu, Select the desired rotation and press Apply to test your changes.

Mac

1.1
Launch System Preferences.

2.2
Hold down Command+Option and click on the Display icon.

Note that the Option key is sometimes marked as Alt on Macs outside the US.

3.3
Look for the Rotation drop-down menu and apply the desired settings.

4.4
Confirm or cancel the settings (or wait for them to time-out). Press Confirm to accept, Reject to cancel, or, if youre having trouble navigating the new screen, allow it to revert to its upright position within 15 seconds.

Edit Tips

These actions will not result in any permanent setting or damage to a computer screen. They are completely reversible.

Edit Warnings

Not all graphics processors are equipped to flip the monitor display. The Windows method, for example, might not work on PCs older than Vista.

05 Jun 2009

Rotate Your Computer Screen in Windows 7

Multiple Monitors support in Windows 7 gets better. You can now rotate screen from portrait to landscape from the software itself. couch mode print story The standard orientation of our computer screens is generally horizontal (also known as landscape) but monitors placed in portrait mode (where height becomes greater than the width) can be pretty useful for performing tasks that require lot of scrolling (like reading lengthy web pages).

Windows 7 includes a new option under Display Settings that can help you flip the screen from portrait to landscape mode (and vice-versa) without requiring additional software. This may come very handy if you are using a dual monitor setup with Windows 7 where you want one screen in the default horizontal mode and other one in vertical mode for reading content. Youll still have to manually rotate the other monitor by 90 (as in this screenshot) but thats a one time task. Hat tip Marcus.

Related: LCD Screens for Multitasking