Your Mac’s desktop is sideways, or you want to turn an external monitor vertically. The place to start is System Settings > Displays, where compatible external displays offer a rotation control. Here’s how to change the angle, get back to normal, and use the right method for your setup.
Rotate your external display in System Settings
This changes the desktop’s orientation on a compatible external monitor. Open the Apple menu, then choose System Settings. Click Displays.
Select the external monitor you want to rotate if multiple displays appear. Open Rotation, also labeled Rotate on some setups. Choose 90° or 270° for a vertical image, or 180° to turn it upside down. Click Confirm to keep the change.
Check that your monitor and its stand support portrait positioning before physically turning it. The setting rotates the image; it doesn’t give the stand a pivot.
Put a sideways desktop back to normal
Return to Apple menu > System Settings > Displays. Select the affected external display, then change Rotation or Rotate to Standard. Click Confirm to keep the normal orientation.
Tip: On a keyboard with brightness keys, Option–Brightness Up or Option–Brightness Down opens Displays directly without changing the screen’s orientation.
Check why the rotation control is missing
No Rotation menu? Apple limits this control to compatible external displays. In System Settings > Displays, select your external monitor rather than your MacBook’s built-in screen.
Availability depends on the display and connection, so not every external monitor has the control. This settings path applies to macOS Ventura 13, Sonoma 14, Sequoia 15, and Tahoe 26.
Apple provides no current official built-in method for rotating a MacBook’s internal display. The third-party utility displayplacer documents internal-screen rotation, but offers no compatibility guarantee across every current Mac and macOS release.
Position an Apple display vertically
Apple Studio Display, Studio Display XDR, and Pro Display XDR automatically adjust the display and window orientation when configured with a VESA mount adapter and an appropriate mounting system. Connect the display to a compatible Mac, then position the mounted display in portrait or landscape.
A built-in tilt or height adjustment does not itself provide a pivoting stand. For Pro Display XDR attached to Apple Pro Stand, use the following sequence. It does not apply to Studio Display or Studio Display XDR stands.
Raise Pro Display XDR to its highest position. Unlock the slider on the magnetic connector, then turn the display counterclockwise until it locks in portrait orientation.
To return to landscape, unlock the slider again. Turn the display clockwise.
If the image does not follow the physical position, try Rotation in System Settings > Displays. Manual rotation still requires a compatible display configuration.
Rotate a monitor connected through DisplayLink
This handles rotation for monitors connected through DisplayLink-driven dock or adapter outputs. Download a compatible release of DisplayLink Manager from Synaptics’ macOS download page. This method requires DisplayLink Manager 1.12.0 or newer and macOS Ventura 13 or newer.
Install DisplayLink Manager, then complete the requested system permissions. Start DisplayLink Manager and open Apple menu > System Settings > Displays.
Select the DisplayLink-connected monitor. Open Rotation or Rotate, then choose your preferred orientation. Click Confirm if prompted.
Use Lunar for keyboard rotation
For frequent orientation changes, Lunar provides keyboard shortcuts on supported displays. It supports Intel and Apple silicon Macs, and the current release requires macOS 12 or newer.
Select Try for free on Lunar’s website to download the app. Run Lunar on your Mac.
Open Lunar’s Advanced settings and turn on Enable rotation hotkeys. Lunar ships with this switch off, so the key presses below do nothing until you enable it.
Move your pointer onto the display you want to rotate. Press Control-9 for 90°, Control-8 for 180°, or Control-7 for 270°. Press Control-0 to return the image to 0°.
These shortcuts require Lunar. They aren’t standard macOS rotation shortcuts, and the display must support rotation.
If Lunar cannot rotate your display, try System Settings > Displays > Rotation. If that control is missing too, Apple’s built-in route is unavailable for the configuration.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rotate just a PDF instead of my whole screen?
Yes. Open the PDF in Preview. Click Rotate Left, or hold Option to use Rotate Right. For multiple pages, choose View > Thumbnails or View > Contact Sheet. Select the pages, then click the rotation control. This changes the document pages, not your desktop.
Can Siri rotate my Mac screen?
Yes, through a prepared shortcut on a supported display. On macOS Ventura 13 or newer with Lunar installed, create a shortcut in Shortcuts. Add Lunar’s Rotate Screen action. Set Screen to the target display. Set Degrees to 0°, 90°, 180°, or 270°. Name the shortcut. Activate Siri and say that name to run it.
Can I change display rotation with Voice Control?
Yes, when the display exposes a rotation setting. Enable Voice Control under System Settings > Accessibility > Voice Control. Say “Show numbers” to label the controls, then “Click” followed by a displayed number to select one. Use those commands to open System Settings > Displays. Select your display. Open Rotation or Rotate. Choose an angle. Select Confirm.