Table of Contents
If you’re looking to work on spreadsheets, word documents, or using a PC as a standing update screen in a public place, then rotating your Mac’s screen to portrait view may be more convenient. A landscape orientation screen is great for everyday tasks, but not all. Physically, flipping your screen is just a matter of accessing the screen mount and rotating it, but you will also need to access the software settings and inform your macOS or Mac OS X to display your screen in a rotated view. Fortunately, this process is very easy.
However, note that not all displays can be rotated, and in our experience, this works better for external displays than for a laptop’s built-in display. For those who are looking to rotate a MacE book’s built-in screen, we have found a solution that works, but it has its side effects. That’s why we have highlighted why you should be careful when rotating your laptop’s built-in screen.
How to Rotate the Screen on a Mac
To rotate your Mac’s external display screen:
- Open System Preferences.
- Select Displays under the second row.
- Under the Display section, make sure it’s highlighted in blue at the top as a substitute for color. The rotation option is present.
- Change this to 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise.
- Note that if you have two screens, you can rotate each screen individually if you want and if the hardware that you’re using supports it.
What if the Rotation Setting is Not Displayed?
Generally, the rotation option appears if your hardware supports this feature and is hidden if it does not. If Rotation is not listed under Displays, you may not be able to rotate your screen. However, previous versions of Mac OS X do not automatically display the Rotation setting, and we have found that even in macOS Sierra, System Preferences can be forcefully set to provide a rotation option. Hold down Alt and Cmd while clicking the System Preferences icon and hold it down while clicking the Displays icon, and you may see a rotation option that was not there before.
What to Do When Your Rotated MacE book Screen Goes Black?
If you turn your MacE book screen 90 degrees using the Alt + Cmd while selecting Display in System Preferences, it could cause serious issues. Some users have found that rotating a MacBook screen could lead to glitches, loops, crashes, and an entirely unusable system. However, if it does happen to you, most users find that shutting down the laptop and restarting or pressing Shift + Cmd + Q followed by E to return to the login screen has a similar effect. You can also try changing the built-in screen rotation setting back to Default to resolve the issue.
How to Rotate the Mounting of a Mac Monitor
It is essential to ensure that your screen does not become unbalanced and that any other orientation will not overload the mounting if you decide to rotate it. Not all displays and display mounts are designed to be rotated to this degree. If your mounting mechanism does not support this, it might be worth considering buying a new monitor. Please check the manufacturer’s documentation before attempting any changes to your screen’s mounting system.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Can I rotate my laptop’s built-in screen?
Rotating a laptop’s built-in screen can be done, but it is not recommended. If you still choose to do so, you should be careful, as it could lead to serious issues such as loop screens or crashes. If the screen goes black, you can try to shut down the laptop, restart it, or press Shift + Cmd + Q followed by E to return to the login screen.
Why does my Mac’s rotation setting not appear in the Display section under System Preferences?
The rotation setting only appears if your hardware supports this feature. If the Rotation option is not displayed in the Display section under System Preferences, your hardware may not support this feature. However, you can try holding down Alt and Cmd while clicking the System Preferences icon and holding it down while clicking the Displays icon to force macOS to display the rotation setting.