How to flip the image on the monitor

The need to flip the image displayed on the monitor arises quite often: when working with certain graphics settings, in games, when reading, or if you just accidentally pressed a key combination and now you don’t know how to correct the situation. The built-in capabilities of modern operating systems allow you to use several solutions at once.

How can you flip the image on your monitor?

This article considers the issue of settings only for laptops and desktop computers; when using mobile devices, you should refer to the recommendations of their manufacturer.

Using a keyboard shortcut

The most common and easiest way to rotate the image on the monitor when using the Windows operating system is to use the keyboard. Provided that the key combination switching functionality has not previously been disabled in the “Desktop” settings, the image is rotated 90 degrees using the combination Ctrl + Alt + arrow (right or left, depending on where you want to rotate the displayed image).

Important! If there is a need to rotate 180 degrees at once, then you need to use the same combination with the down key. All keys must be pressed at the same time!

If the combination does not work for some reason, then you must return the settings by pressing Ctrl + Alt + F8.If this did not work, or you have a different operating system, read the methods below.

Some laptop models and built-in utilities allow you to enable or disable screen rotation control using keys through their settings. In particular, this functionality is available for Compaq Mini. In this case, it is necessary to check the settings of these utilities if difficulties arise when using hot keys.

Using the capabilities of the operating system

For Windows, the easiest way to access the necessary options is to right-click on a free space on the “Desktop”, then select “Display Settings”, “Display”. You don’t need too complicated actions to turn the picture on the monitor upside down.

Attention! Some older monitor models may not be detected automatically, so before applying the settings, you should find them manually using the display settings options. The search option itself will be offered by the system automatically.

In the menu that opens, select the screen orientation you need and save the settings. They should be applied immediately. This tip applies to Windows 10.

Depending on the version of the Windows operating system, the name and appearance of the menu may differ slightly. Don’t be alarmed, all versions of this system inherit the logic of the basic settings from each other, so following it, you can use the advice on any version of the operating system.

For earlier versions of Windows, starting from the seventh, the necessary settings are located in the context menu under the words “Display options”, then select “Orientation”. This menu can also be found by using “Start”, where you can go to “Control Panel” and find the “Screen” item there. Both of these settings are identical.

The so-called “portrait” viewing mode means rotating by 90 degrees; to rotate the image by 180 degrees, select the “landscape” display mode. The adjective inverted, used in the settings, literally means that the image will be displayed in this format “upside down”, this setting is similar to pressing the hot keys from the previous method with the left arrow.

Or, as an alternative, you can use the “Graphics Options” item by selecting “Flip” from the submenu that opens. If such parameters are not needed, then everything must be returned.

To find out the model and version of the video card you are using, you need to click “Start” and type dxdiag in the input line, then press Enter. The built-in diagnostic utility will open and provide a list of all hardware installed on the system. The necessary parameters are located on the “Screen” (“Monitor”) tab. Knowing the model and version of the video card, if necessary, you can update or reinstall the video driver from the manufacturer’s website.

For an even earlier version, XP, it is possible to change the monitor settings through the use of the functionality of the video card installed in the system. You need to find the icon in the tray, usually for NVidia or Radeon video cards it has a characteristic appearance, and then right-click on it. A settings menu will appear with a screen rotation option available for change.

Sometimes the taskbar disappears when you change the orientation. This happens due to the logic of how the operating system uses the image. If this happens, you should open the properties of the panel (by right-clicking on its area), and uncheck the box next to the option to automatically hide the panel.

Other ways to flip the image on your monitor

Other ways to change the orientation of the “Desktop” image include working directly with the video card settings. This method is preferable, for example, if you are using an external monitor connected to your portable device.

By clicking on “Desktop”, you can select “Graphics characteristics” or “Graphics options”, or “Video card control panel”, which often also have a characteristic favicon (small image) of the brand of the video card manufacturer (Intel, NVidia, AMD). In the graphical or context menu that opens, you should then select one of the ready-made rotation angle options, and also, if necessary, adjust the scaling or resolution.

Important! If during the settings they constantly change back by themselves, or none of the described methods help, you should exclude the possibility of viruses in the operating system. Download the antivirus using an uninfected system and run a scan. If possible, the anti-virus utility should be used from a CD, since installation on an already infected system will most likely not lead to the desired effect. For users located in a domain (most often at an office workplace), changing these settings may also be prohibited by domain policy; in this case, you should contact the company system administrator for a solution to the problem.

For NVidia or AMD cards, you often need to take the extra step of selecting an intermediate Display menu between the setting itself and the main menu item.

The exact name of the required item depends on the version and model of the card.Before making settings, it is recommended to update the video driver to the latest version, this will reduce the likelihood of glitches. It is also recommended to try to reinstall the driver if the settings do not work for unknown reasons, and the anti-virus scan did not bring any results.

When using operating systems other than the Windows family, you must use the configuration file settings and then restart the graphical shell. The options required to enable rotation mode depend on the type and version of the system, as well as the graphics card itself.