Sometimes it can be very useful rotate the computer screen. A quite peculiar and simple functionality, although also unknown by most users. In this article we will explain in detail how to do it.
However, you may be wondering how useful can it be to rotate the screen. Oddly enough, it can be a very practical solution in certain circumstances. For example, if we use the screen of our computer to project on it an external screen that has a different orientation. Or also if we need to place the monitor vertically for whatever reason.
The easiest methods to rotate the screen are of two types: through a series of keyboard shortcuts or using the menu "Settings" of the computer. Let's see what each of them consists of, both for Windows and for Mac:
On windows
The methods that we explain below are valid for a computer equipped with the Windows 10 version of the Microsoft operating system:
Keyboard shortcuts
Although it is true that some users have reported that this method sometimes fails, the truth is that it is still the most popular and the most used. There must be a reason. These are the key combinations (you have to press them simultaneously) that will help us achieve screen rotation in Windows 10. Choose the one that best suits the direction you want to give the screen:
- Ctrl + Alt + left arrow: the screen will rotate 90º, that is, it will remain in a vertical position.
- Ctrl + Alt + down arrow: in this way we will be able to turn the screen completely with a 180º turn and see the image upside down.
- Ctrl + Alt + right arrow
- : the rotation will be 270º, but the result will be the same as the first shortcut in the list: vertical position.
- Ctrl + Alt + up arrow. We must use this shortcut when we want to return to the initial position. It will serve to undo any changes we have made before.
From the Settings menu
Keyboard shortcuts are the most practical and simple method although, as we pointed out before, they can sometimes fail. If this happens, we always have the possibility to rotate the computer screen manually, via Windows Settings. These are the steps to follow:
First you have to enter the Settings menu, by clicking on the gear icon in the start menu. On the screen that opens, we go to the first option in the list: "System".
In the menu on the left column we select "Screen". Then, already in the central part, we go down a bit until we find the option called "screen orientation". There we can choose between the four positions in which it is possible to rotate the screen:
-
- Horizontal (normal position).
- Vertical
- Horizontal flipped.
- Vertical flipped.
And that's it. It is enough to choose the orientation for the computer to apply the changes immediately.
On Mac
If it is about rotating the computer screen and this is a Mac, the steps to follow are even simpler:
- On the Mac, we go first to the apple menu.
- There we select "System preferences" and, once inside the menu, the option «Screens».
- Then we select "Display Settings" and we choose the screen in the lateral bar.
- All you have to do is click on the drop-down menu "Rotation" to select how many degrees we want to rotate the image on the screen.
- Finally, in the next dialog box that is displayed, we click on "Confirm".
In the same way, if after making all the changes we want recover the original sense of the screen, all you have to do is click on the “Rotation” drop-down menu and select the “Standard” option from it.