How to Rotate the Screen on Chromebook

This article explains how to rotate the screen on a Chromebook in two ways: one on-the-fly as you need it and one in the Settings app. It also includes information on rotating the screen on a secondary device, if you use one.

Quick Way to Rotate a Chromebook Screen With the Keyboard

The quickest and easiest way to rotate your screen is to press and hold CTRL+Shift and the Refresh key on your keyboard. The Refresh key looks like a circle with an arrow on it, located just above the numbers 3 and 4 on your keyboard. Each time you do, your screen will rotate 90 degrees clockwise. The first time you press that key combination, you'll get a popup asking you if you want to rotate your screen. Click Continue. 

How to Rotate the Screen in Settings

If you prefer to set a single rotation to use all the time, you can change your screen's rotation in the settings.

1. Click the clock and select Settings.

2. Click Device > Displays.

3. Under Orientation, click the drop-down box. Select your desired orientation, and you're set to go.

   If your Chromebook is a 2-in-1, and you have the screen all the way around in the tablet position, the Orientation drop-down box will be dimmed. 

To select an orientation, flip the screen back into laptop mode. Chromebooks in tablet mode override the orientation in Display settings.

How to Flip the Second Display on a Chromebook

Both of these methods work on secondary displays as well. If you have a second display hooked up, the keyboard command still works. The rotation orientation is controlled by the location of cursor, so you'd need to move your cursor to the display you want to rotate.

In settings, each display will have its own tab inside Settings > Devices > Displays. You can click on either tab to set the orientation of a single screen.

Other Chromebook Rotate Screen Notes

When you change your screen's orientation, that setting is remembered even through a restart. The only way to override the orientation setting is to flip the Chromebook into tablet mode if it is a 2-in-1.

It's also important to note that directions on the track pad change as well as the orientation. For example, after you rotate the screen 90 degrees, when you move your finger up on the track pad, the cursor will go toward the top of the screen which means it will move from left to right. Needless to say this can be confusing, so be prepared for that. Having a Chromebook with a touchscreen makes this easier to correct.