How to Rotate Screen on Chromebook?

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Rotating the Screen on a Chromebook

When it comes to screen orientation, Chromebooks borrow this renowned trait from Android smartphones. After all, Chromebooks have native support for Google Play.

Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to rotate the Chrome OS display, just like you would do on your Android smartphone. However, turning a Chromebook’s display is common when you accidentally press the wrong keys, and the desktop shifts sideways.

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Rotating a Chromebook’s display can come in handy when you’re flattening the display to show content to people sitting across from you – but still, rotating the display isn’t always the ideal option. Fortunately, rotating it back is pretty straightforward.

This review will show you how to rotate your Chromebook’s display using the keyboard and via the device’s settings. What’s more, we will also look at how to rotate an external display that’s hooked up to a Chrome OS PC; read on to find out more.

How Can You Rotate the Chromebook Display Using the Keyboard?

If you want to use the easiest and most painless method to rotate your Chromebook’s screen, use the keyboard shortcuts Ctrl + Shift + Refresh (F3).

Upon clicking these keys simultaneously, a pop-up will appear on your screen. Only after you press ‘Continue’ on the pop-up will you see your screen rotate by 90 degrees. This pop-up will only appear the first time you attempt to rotate the display using the keyboard.

Note that if you’re unable to use this keyboard shortcut, the ‘Function Key’ might be disabled in your Chrome OS settings. To fix this issue, follow the steps below:

Click on the clock in the lower-right corner of your screen.
Next, click on the ‘Settings‘ icon from the pop-up menu that appears on your screen.
Once you’re inside the settings app, click on ‘Device‘ from the window on the left.
Next, head to the tab on your right side and click on ‘Keyboard.’
From the compilation of alternatives under the keyboard, activate the toggle associated with ‘Treat top-row keys as function keys.’

How Can You Rotate the Chromebook Display Via Settings?

This is the longer method of the two; however, it gives you more control over the screen orientation of your Chromebook. By launching your Chromebook’s settings menu, you can shift the screen orientation by 270 degrees without needing to press any key combo.

This should be your go-to method if you would like to set a new screen orientation for you to use from now on. However, if you don’t mind using a longer method applicable to your Chromebook, follow the steps listed below to implement it.

Start by clicking on the clock in the lower-right corner of your screen.
Next, click on the ‘Settings‘ icon from the pop-up menu that appears on your screen.
Once you’re inside the settings app, click on ‘Device‘ from the window on the left.
Next, click on ‘Displays.’
Under ‘Orientation‘, click on the drop-down menu.
Next, choose your desired orientation, and then you’re all set to go.

If you have a 2-in-1 Chromebook and have flipped your screen all the way around, the ‘Orientation’ drop-down menu will dim. To choose an orientation, you need to flip your Chromebook’s screen back into laptop mode. When Chromebooks are in tablet mode, they override the ‘Orientation’ in display settings.

How Can You Rotate an External Display Hooked Up to a Chromebook?

If you have an external monitor connected to your Chromebook, Chrome OS gives you the option to adjust the orientation of the second monitor.

You can use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Refresh (F3) to change the orientation of your external monitor. If you want more control when rotating the external monitor’s desktop, follow the steps below, and you’ll be able to do so from the settings menu.

Start by clicking on the clock in the lower-right corner of your screen.
Next, click on the ‘Settings‘ icon from the pop-up menu on your screen.
Next, click on ‘Displays.’ Here, you will choose to rotate your external monitor instead of your Chromebook display by clicking on the dedicated button.
Finally, under ‘Orientation‘, click the drop-down menu to rotate the external display’s main screen according to your preferences.

Note: When you adjust your screen orientation

to rotate your Chromebook screen, your device will remember this command even after you shut it down or reboot it. Fortunately, you can revert it back to what it was by checking the ‘Orientation’ settings.

Final Thought

The steps may vary depending on the specific Chromebook model and version of Chrome OS. It is recommended that you consult the official Chromebook support documentation.

To sum it up, this review was about how to rotate a Chromebook’s display. We have discussed two methods that you can use to change your Chromebook’s screen orientation. Now it all comes down to which method you prefer; use that one.