How to Rotate Screen on Chromebook With Ease?

Jack

By Jack

Update on

how to rotate screen on Chromebook

Knowing how to rotate the screen on Chromebook can be handy for any user. If by any chance, the screen of your Chromebook is rotated against your desire, it should be rotated properly.

The good news is that it is possible to get it fixed. In this article, we explain how to rotate/flip the screen on Chromebook for our readers.

You can try two methods to rotate your Chromebook’s screen back to the desired orientation. You can either use the keyboard shortcut (the most convenient method) or do it through “Settings.”

With that said, let’s look at both methods and learn how to rotate the Chromebook screen.

How to Rotate/Flip Screen on Chromebook using the Keyboard Shortcuts

First, let’s pay attention to the easiest way to rotate/flip the screen of your Chromebook. As per this method, you should use a couple of keys simultaneously for screen rotation.

Press CTRL + Shift and Refresh keys simultaneously on your keyboard to perform this step.

For those who don’t know, the Refresh key is the key that appears like a circle. Moreover, it has an arrow on it as well. It is easy to locate; it is right above the number 3 and 4 keys on the Chromebook’s keyboard.

If you use that key combination once, the screen will rotate clockwise with a 90-degree value. You can repeatedly use the combination to rotate your screen until you are satisfied.

However, you will see a popup message when you use this combination for the first time. This specific message appears to confirm if the screen of your Chromebook should be rotated. You just need to click on “Continue” so the screen will rotate, as mentioned before.

How to rotate screen on Chromebook using the keyboard shortcuts

PS: let’s figure out how to enable Caps Lock on Chromebook.


How to Rotate Chromebook Screen using “Settings”

For many of our readers, the previous method (keyboard shortcuts) would be good enough; however, if you want to know how to rotate/flip the Chromebook screen using “Settings,” here’s what to do. This method can be used if you want to permanently rotate the screen to a single orientation.

Please follow the steps mentioned below and change the orientation of your Chromebook’s screen.

  • First, you should click the Clock icon on your Chromebook’s main interface and go to “Settings.”
How to rotate Chromebook screen using "Settings"
  • Once you have done that, a list of options will appear. Click on the “Device” option and then go to “Displays.”
Chromebook Device -> Display Settings
  • You can see an option called “Orientation” under “Displays” now. You can see an adjoining dropdown box as well. In this case, you should simply click on it and select the orientation you prefer. Once you have done that, the screen will be rotated to the chosen orientation.
Orientation Settings

Do you have a 2-in-1 Chromebook? And do you have the device’s screen set to the tablet position? Well, in that case, the dropdown labeled orientation will appear in a dimmed mode.

So, in that case, you should perform an extra step to change the screen’s orientation. You should first flip the screen into its laptop mode.

Then, you should be able to change the orientation since the “Orientation” option will be reactivated. When you put the Chromebook on its tablet mode, the “Orientation” option will be automatically disabled.


Flipping a Second Display on Your Chromebook

The methods we have explained before will work fine on any of the secondary displays in your Chromebook.

If a second display is connected to your Chromebook, all the keyboard shortcuts apply to that. So, you can simply use the “CTRL + Shift and Refresh” key combination to rotate the orientation of that.

You should know that the cursor’s location determines the rotation orientation of the display of a Chromebook. Therefore, before everything else, you should move the cursor to the secondary display if you want to rotate it.

If you intend to do it through the “Settings” option, here’s what you should know. When you open the “Settings” option, you will notice that there are two tabs to represent each display unit. These tabs can be found under “Settings,” “Devices,” and “Displays.”

You can simply click on any of the tabs and set the orientation of the respective screen. Likewise, you can easily rotate the screens of both displays, one at a time. Also, please note that two different screens can have different orientations simultaneously.

Flipping a Second Display on Your Chromebook

Useful Notes on Chromebook Screen Orientation

Whenever you change the orientation of your Chromebook’s screen, that settings will be saved. Even if you restart the Chromebook, the settings will be retained.

If you want to override your display’s orientation settings, you should flip it into tablet mode. This is applicable if the Chromebook you use is a 2-in-1 model.

In addition, it is important to remember that the orientation changes also affect the trackpads. That means the trackpad settings change automatically to be compatible with the existing screen orientation. To make it clearer, assume that you rotated the screen 90 degrees.

In that case, the cursor will move to the top of the screen when you move your finger up. That means the cursor will move horizontally when you move your finger on the trackpad vertically.

Well, such a setting can be exceptionally annoying for many users. You must be ready to accept this discomfort if you change the rotation to 90 degrees. However, those who have Chromebooks with a touchscreen will not come across such an issue. They can use the screen with touch commands as they wish.

Also, if you are looking for the best voice changer for Discord on Chromebook, you should check out this guide.


Keyboard Shortcuts That Are Specific to Chromebook

If you are new to Chromebook, here are some important keyboard shortcuts to make your life easier.

  • Ctrl + Shift + L: This will lock the screen of your Chromebook.
  • Ctrl + Shift + Q: Use this to log out of a Chromebook. You can quit it by using the same keyboard shortcut twice.
  • Alt + E: This will launch the menu of the Chrome Browser. However, it works when a Chrome browser window is already open.
  • Alt + 1-8: You can use this to open applications found on the “Shelf.”
  • Alt + [: This can be used to dock an open window to the screen’s left side.
  • Alt + ]: Dock a window to the right side of your screen.
  • Ctrl + Switcher/F5: This keyboard shortcut will get a screenshot. Also, the captured screenshot will be saved in the folder called “Downloads.” You can find the “Switcher” key assuming that you press the F5 of a conventional keyboard.
  • Ctrl + Shift + Switcher/F5: Do you want to capture only a part of a particular screen? So, use this keyboard shortcut. Make sure you select the intended part of the screen using the cursor.
  • Alt + Search: This can enable or disable the “Caps Lock” option. The search key is the key that has a magnifying glass.
  • Shift + Esc: You can use this key combination to open the Task Manager.
  • Ctrl + Shift and +: Use this keyboard shortcut to increase the scale of the screen.
  • Ctrl + Shift and –: The exact opposite of the above. That means you can use this keyboard shortcut to increase the scale of the screen.
  • Ctrl + Shift and ): This will reset the scale of the screen to its default settings.

FAQs

1. Can I rotate the screen on my Chromebook while using it in tablet mode? Yes, you can rotate the screen on your Chromebook even when using it in tablet mode. Simply follow the instructions provided in this article to adjust the screen orientation.

2. Will rotating the screen on my Chromebook affect the display on external monitors? No, rotating the screen on your Chromebook will only impact the orientation of the built-in display. If you have an external monitor connected, its display will remain unaffected.

3. Are there any keyboard shortcuts for rotating the screen by smaller angles? No, the keyboard shortcut mentioned in this article rotates the screen by 90 degrees with each press. Chromebooks do not have built-in keyboard shortcuts for smaller angle rotations.

4. What should I do if the screen rotation does not work on my Chromebook? If you encounter any issues with screen rotation, try restarting your Chromebook, checking for updates, or resetting the display settings. These steps can often resolve common problems.

5. Can I set a specific screen orientation as the default on my Chromebook? Yes, you can set a specific screen orientation as the default on your Chromebook. Simply choose the desired orientation in the display settings, and it will be applied automatically whenever you start your Chromebook.

Conclusion

Well, that’s how to rotate/flip the screen on Chromebook. As you can notice, it is a straightforward process. Do you have any other doubts related to Chromebooks? Please let us know, and our experts will answer your queries.

Jack
Jack

Ten years of experience in information and computer technology. Passionate about electronic devices, smartphones, computers, and modern technology.

THERE’S MORE TO READ.