A sideways photo on iPhone usually needs one quick edit, not a new app. The fastest fix is in Photos, where Edit, Crop, and Rotate turn a photo or video 90 degrees.
Use Photos for pictures in your library, Preview for image files, and Google Photos when the photo lives there. Here are the current iOS 26 paths that save the rotation cleanly.
Turn a picture in Photos
Open Photos, then open the photo or video you want to turn.
Tap Edit, tap Crop, then tap Rotate to rotate it 90 degrees.
Tap Rotate again until the image faces the right way, then tap Done. When iCloud Photos is on, the edit syncs across your devices.
Straighten a crooked image
Use the fine adjustment tools when the picture is tilted by a small amount instead of fully sideways. Open the photo in Photos, tap Edit, then tap Crop.
Swipe left under the photo to show the editing options. Tap Straighten, Vertical, or Horizontal, drag the slider until the image looks level, then tap Done.
If the angle still looks wrong, return to the 90-degree Rotate button in Photos or use Preview for an image file.
Reverse a saved rotation
This fixes a photo rotated by mistake, and it removes the other saved edits on that same item.
Open the rotated photo or video in Photos.
Tap Edit.
Tap Revert.
Or open the edited item, tap More, then tap Revert to Original.
Open the file in Preview
Use Preview for image files on an iPhone running iOS 26 or later.
- 1.Open Preview.
- 2.Open the image file you want to rotate.
- 3.Tap More.
- 4.Choose Rotate Left or Rotate Right.
- 5.To undo that Preview edit, tap More, then tap Undo.
Edit it in Google Photos
When the picture is in Google Photos, open Google Photos on your iPhone or iPad and open the photo.
Tap Edit, then tap Rotate to turn the photo 90 degrees. If Ask Photos is on, tap Edit, tap Tools, then tap Rotate. Tap the Checkmark, then tap Save when the photo faces the right way.
If the app is not installed, get Google Photos: Backup & Edit from the App Store or use Google's official Google Photos download page.
Fix screen rotation confusion
The most common mix-up is turning the iPhone sideways and expecting that to save the photo rotation.
Screen rotation only changes the way the display appears. It does not rotate or save the image file.
On an iPhone with Face ID, swipe down from the top-right corner to open Control Centre. On an iPhone with a Home button, swipe up from the bottom edge of any screen.
Tap Portrait Orientation Lock to make sure it is off.
Close Control Centre, then turn your iPhone sideways.
To permanently fix the photo, rotate it in Photos, Preview, or Google Photos.
Batch images with Shortcuts
This method applies when you want a reusable workflow for rotating several images from Photos or Files. The shortcut needs to select or receive images, use Rotate Image/Video, then save the result.
Open the shortcut editor in Shortcuts.
Open Details.
Turn on Show in Share Sheet.
Tap Done.
Select one or more images in Photos or Files, tap Share, then tap the shortcut.
Use your Mac
Open Photos on your Mac.
Select or open the photo synced from your iPhone.
Press Command-R to rotate counterclockwise.
Press Option-Command-R to rotate clockwise.
For small angle fixes, double-click the photo or video, click Edit, click Crop, adjust Straighten, Vertical, or Horizontal, then click Done.
If the image is a file on your Mac, open it in Preview and click Rotate Left; hold Option to use Rotate Right.
Older iPhone tutorials use a crop/rotate icon at the bottom of the Photos editor, but the current path is Photos, Edit, Crop, then Rotate.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rotate a photo on iPhone without installing another app?
Yes. Use Photos, open the image, tap Edit, tap Crop, tap Rotate, then tap Done.
Does rotating a photo in Photos change it everywhere?
When iCloud Photos is on, Apple says edits sync across devices, so the rotated version appears on your other devices too.
How do I rotate a picture only inside a document or presentation?
In Pages, Keynote, or Numbers on iPhone, tap the image object, then turn it with two fingers or use Format, Arrange, Rotate. This rotates the object in that file, not the original photo in Photos.
Can I rotate photos from a browser?
Yes, with Google Photos on desktop web. Go to photos.google.com, open the photo, click Edit, Crop & rotate, Rotate, then Save. Google says some editing features are not available on mobile web.