Rotate your display back to normal in seconds

A sideways screen usually means your display rotation setting has been changed, either by accident or by a keyboard shortcut. The fix depends on your operating system and graphics card, but most of the time you can correct it in under a minute without restarting your computer.

The most common cause is pressing Ctrl + Alt + Arrow Key on Windows, which rotates the screen 90 degrees. On a Mac, the rotation is less likely to happen by accident, but it can occur if you have changed accessibility settings. Some graphics cards also include their own rotation software that can override your system settings.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows users can rotate the screen back by pressing Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow, or by right-clicking the desktop and selecting display settings.
  • Mac users should check System Preferences under Displays and look for a rotation dropdown menu if their graphics card supports it.
  • If keyboard shortcuts do not work, your graphics card control panel (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel) may have its own rotation tool that is overriding your system settings.
  • Restarting your computer will not fix a rotated screen unless a driver update is pending, but it can help if the display settings are stuck.

Windows: Using keyboard shortcuts to rotate back

The fastest way to fix a sideways screen on Windows is to use the keyboard shortcut that caused it. Press Ctrl + Alt + Up Arrow to rotate the display back to landscape (normal) orientation. If your screen is rotated 90 degrees to the right, you may need to press Ctrl + Alt + Left Arrow instead, depending on which direction it rotated.

If the keyboard shortcut does not work, your graphics driver may not support this feature, or it may have been disabled. Move to the display settings method instead.

Windows: Rotating through display settings

Right-click on an empty area of your desktop and look for an option that says Display settings, Graphics options, or Screen resolution. The exact wording depends on your graphics card and Windows version.

Once you open display settings, scroll down until you see Display orientation or Rotation. This dropdown menu will show options like Landscape, Portrait, Landscape (flipped), and Portrait (flipped). Select Landscape to return to normal. Click explore and then Keep changes when Windows asks you to confirm.

If you do not see a rotation option in display settings, your graphics card may be controlling the rotation instead. Move to the graphics card control panel section below.

Mac: Checking System Preferences for rotation

On a Mac, sideways screens are less common because the system does not have a built-in keyboard shortcut for rotation. However, some graphics cards and external displays do support rotation through System Preferences.

Click the Apple menu and select System Preferences (or System Settings on newer Macs). Open Displays and look for a Rotation dropdown menu. If it exists, change it from Portrait or Rotated back to Standard. If you do not see a rotation option, your Mac does not have rotation enabled for that display.

Graphics card control panels: NVIDIA, AMD, and Intel

If your display settings do not show a rotation option, your graphics card may have its own control panel that is overriding the system setting. Right-click on your desktop and look for NVIDIA Control Panel, AMD Radeon Settings, or Intel Graphics Settings, depending on which card you have.

In NVIDIA Control Panel, navigate to Display and then Rotate display. Select 0 degrees to return to normal orientation. In AMD Radeon Settings, go to Display and look for Rotation. In Intel Graphics Settings, open Display and find the rotation dropdown. Each control panel works differently, but they all have a rotation setting somewhere in the display menu.

If you cannot find your graphics card control panel on the desktop, search your Start menu (Windows) or Applications folder (Mac) for the card name. You can also check your Device Manager to confirm which graphics card you have.

What to do if nothing works

If the keyboard shortcut, display settings, and graphics card control panel all fail to rotate your screen, a driver update or restart may help. Restart your computer and check whether the screen returns to normal on startup. If it does not, visit the website of your graphics card manufacturer (NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel) and read the latest driver for your card model.

Before you install a new driver, note your current screen orientation so you can navigate the installation process. You may need to use keyboard navigation if your mouse does not respond correctly to the rotated display. After the driver installs, restart your computer and try the rotation steps again.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a virus or malware rotate my screen?

Malware can change display settings, but a rotated screen by itself is almost always a keyboard shortcut or graphics setting. Run a malware scan if you notice other unusual behavior like missing files or unexpected programs, but a sideways screen alone is not a sign of infection.

Why does my screen rotate every time I restart?

If rotation happens repeatedly, a graphics driver may be corrupted or a setting may be saved incorrectly. Update your graphics driver and check both your display settings and graphics card control panel to make sure rotation is set to 0 degrees or Landscape. If the problem persists, try resetting your graphics driver to factory defaults.

Does rotating the screen damage my monitor?

No. Rotating the display is a software setting that does not affect your monitor hardware. It straightforward changes how the image is displayed on the screen. You can rotate back and forth as many times as you want without any risk to the monitor itself.

What if my external monitor is sideways but my laptop screen is normal?

Right-click your desktop and open display settings. You should see two displays listed. Click the one that is rotated and change its orientation separately from the other. Each monitor has its own rotation setting, so you can fix one without affecting the other.