Why Is My Computer Screen Sideways

Have you ever heard of a feature that makes your computer screen sideways? This “hidden” feature in Windows can be activated by accident and can often scare users thinking that a bug or a virus attack has happened. Why is this feature included in Windows anyway? How can this feature be deactivated?

What Is The Computer Screen Sideways Feature For?

The computer screen sideways feature was originally invented for LCD monitors that can be flipped 90 degrees allowing graphic artists to manipulate figures and designs to their desire. This unique feature is also perfect for web developers when they check and proofread long web pages.

computer screen sideways

computer screen sideways

However, not all computers are made this way; your graphical display adapter must support this clever function to be able to make your computer screen sideways. Although professionals find this feature a great help for their work, some who are new to flipping computer screens may freak out on the initial sight of their weird display. It is actually very easy to accidentally activate the computer screen sideways feature it is simply pressing these buttons together:

Pivot your computer display 90 degrees to the right: press CTRL+ALT+RIGHT ARROW

Pivot your computer display 90 degrees to the left: press CTRL+ALT+LEFT ARROW

Restoring your screen to the original display: press CTRL+ALT+ UP ARROW

Now when you think about it, the computer screen sideways feature is a cool addition to making your computer screen monitor come alive. You may be tired of the same boring horizontal layout of your screen and would like a vertical twist to your computer use. Be sure to rotate the entire monitor screen to the right or to the left to keep your neck from straining!

The computer screen sideways feature is also a unique way to play computer games. Restoring your friend’s screen after this feature is activated can be a great way to brag about your amazing computer knowledge too!

Why Does The Computer Screen Sideways Feature Not Possible In All Computer Displays?

The clever computer screen sideways feature is not possible for all types of monitors and computer displays simply because not all computers have the same video capabilities. Some video graphics cards are equipped with rotation “hot keys” that enable this feature while some cards do not. You may have this feature built in your graphics adapter and yet you may not know about it. You may also be familiar with the computer screen sideways feature in computer tablets which can rotate or flip the display instantly, it’s just that in PCs, this feature does not hold true for all models.

To know if your graphics card possesses the computer screen sideways feature, you can do the steps mentioned above to pivot your screen to the left or to the right. You can also check your “rotation settings” by going to the PROPERTIES to open the DISPLAY PROPERTIES window. Go to SETTINGS tab and then click the ADVANCED button. Here you will be able to check for any screen or display rotation settings option. When you have successfully located the rotation settings, you may be able to choose different options to rotate the screen sideways to the right or to the left. From the rotation settings, you can choose to disable rotation settings or hot keys to prevent a possible computer screen sideways accidents in the future