Your picture is facing the wrong way, or your saved selfie doesn’t have the mirrored appearance you want. You can flip an existing photo horizontally in Photos, or use Preview to choose a horizontal or vertical reflection. For future selfies, a camera setting saves the mirrored appearance automatically.
Flip a picture in Photos
For an existing photo, use the built-in editor to swap its left and right sides.
The horizontal flip applies to the picture you open in the editor. You can use it for an existing selfie as well as another photo, without changing how the camera saves your next selfie.
- 1.Open Photos and select the picture.
- 2.Tap Edit.
- 3.Tap Crop to open the crop and orientation controls.
- 4.Tap Flip to mirror the picture horizontally.
- 5.Tap Done to finish.
When you want a direct vertical flip
Use Preview on iOS 26 or iOS 27 when you want to choose the flip direction directly from a menu. It supports both horizontal and vertical reflections.
Open Preview and open the image you want to change. Then tap “More (…)”. Choose Flip Horizontally to swap left and right, or Flip Vertically to swap top and bottom.
For a vertical reflection, Preview provides a single flip command, so you do not need to combine a horizontal flip with rotation. To undo the change, open More and choose Undo.
Make a vertical reflection in Photos
Open the picture in Photos, then tap Edit. Select Crop, then tap Flip to apply a horizontal reflection.
Tap Rotate twice to add a 180-degree rotation. Combined with the horizontal flip, this produces a vertical reflection. Tap Done to finish the edit. Keep the flip in that sequence: rotating twice on its own turns the photo upside down without creating a reflection.
If new selfies keep saving with the wrong appearance
The Mirror Front Camera setting controls whether new selfies save with a mirrored appearance. Open Settings and select Camera. Turn on Mirror Front Camera to save subsequent selfies with a mirrored appearance, or turn it off to stop saving them that way.
Open Camera and switch to the front-facing camera. Take your photo. This setting affects new captures; existing selfies need a flip in the photo editor.
Use Google Photos for pictures you edit there
Google Photos can flip an existing picture, too. Open Google Photos and select your photo. Tap Edit.
If Ask Photos is enabled, choose Tools. Then tap Flip in the crop and orientation controls. Tap the Checkmark to confirm the adjustment, then select Save to finish.
Flip a synced photo on your Mac
You can also make the flip in Photos on a Mac when the image is available in its library. With iCloud Photos enabled on both devices and the same library in use, the edit synchronizes to your iPhone.
Open the image in the Mac’s Photos app and select Edit to begin editing the photo. Choose Crop to access the flip control. Click Flip for a horizontal reflection. For a vertical reflection, Option-click Flip instead.
Choose Done or Save Changes to finish the edit. This route performs the reflection on the Mac. The change reaches the iPhone through iCloud Photos, so both devices must have that feature enabled for the edit to synchronize.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I undo a flip in Preview?
Yes. In Preview, open More (…) and choose Undo.
Will a flip made in Photos on my Mac appear on my iPhone?
Yes, when iCloud Photos is enabled on both devices and they use the same library. Edits made in the Mac’s Photos app synchronize to your iPhone.
Can I flip a photo using voice commands?
Yes. Voice Control lets you operate the Photos editor by voice. Open Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control > Set up Voice Control. After setup, open your photo in Photos. Say “Show names” or “Show Numbers”. Use “Tap” followed by the displayed name or number to activate Edit, Crop, Flip, and Done in order. Voice Control requires iOS 13 or later, and availability varies by language and region.