Guide
How to rotate a video
To fix a sideways video permanently, rotate it by 90° or 180° and save a new file with the rotation baked into the pixels. Many videos only look sideways because a player ignores the orientation flag the phone stored; a proper rotation fixes them in every player. Phone apps can rotate too, but some only change the flag.
Use rotate video to turn a clip 90° either way, 180°, or mirror it, in your browser. The audio is copied untouched.
How to rotate a video with Videozify
- Open Rotate video and drop in the sideways clip.
- Choose the rotation: 90° clockwise if the top of the picture points left, 90° counter-clockwise if it points right, 180° if it's upside down.
- Choose Mirror instead if text appears backwards, as with some selfie cameras.
- Press Apply and wait for the progress bar.
- Preview and download. The new file plays upright everywhere.
Why videos end up sideways
Phone camera sensors always record in the same physical orientation. When you hold the phone vertically, the phone records the frames sideways and writes a rotation flag ("rotate 90") into the file so players turn it upright. Most modern players respect the flag, but some editing tools, older players, web upload forms and smart TVs ignore it, and the video appears sideways.
The other cause is orientation lock: if the phone thinks it's upright when it's on its side, the flag is wrong and the video is sideways everywhere.
Flag-only vs pixel rotation
Some apps rotate by changing only the flag. That's instant and lossless, but it still fails in players that ignore flags. Pixel rotation re-encodes the video with the frames actually turned, and the flag is removed. It takes longer and re-encodes once, but the result plays upright everywhere. Videozify does pixel rotation.
Rotate on iPhone
Photos app: open the video, tap Edit, tap the crop icon, then tap the rotate icon (a square with an arrow) until it's upright, and tap Done. iOS saves the change, and you can revert later. When shared, iOS usually exports a correctly rotated file.
Rotate on Android
Google Photos: open the video, tap Edit, then Crop, then the rotate icon, and Save copy. Samsung Gallery: open the video, tap the pencil icon, then the rotate icon, and Save. Other manufacturers' gallery apps usually have a similar option.
Rotate on Windows
Windows Media Player and the Films & TV app can't save a rotation. Clipchamp can: add the clip to the timeline, use the rotate button in the toolbar, and export. VLC can rotate during playback (Tools > Effects and Filters > Video Effects > Geometry), and can save a rotated copy through Convert/Save with the transform filter enabled, but it's fiddly.
Rotate on Mac
QuickTime Player: open the video, choose Edit > Rotate Left or Rotate Right (or Flip), then File > Save or Export As. This is quick and reliable. iMovie: select the clip, click the crop button above the viewer, then the rotate buttons.
Preventing sideways videos
Before recording, check that the phone's screen rotation lock isn't confusing the camera. Start recording with the phone already in the orientation you want; some phones lock orientation at the moment you press record, and turning the phone mid-recording doesn't change it. On iPhone, the camera interface rotates its icons to show the orientation it detects, which is a quick visual check.
Rotating for presentations
Videos embedded in PowerPoint, Keynote or Google Slides sometimes appear sideways even when they play correctly elsewhere, because the presentation app ignores the rotation flag. PowerPoint can rotate the video frame on the slide, but the playback may still be wrong in some versions. Rotating the file itself (pixel rotation) before inserting it is the reliable fix.
Flipping for mirrored text
Front cameras show a mirrored preview, and some phones also save the video mirrored. If a sign, a T-shirt or a whiteboard reads backwards, use a horizontal flip. Note that flipping changes left and right for everything, so gestures like pointing will also be reversed.
Batch rotation
If many clips from one event are sideways, rotate them one by one in the same browser tab. With a phone app, check whether it saves a new file or only changes the flag; files that still play sideways on a computer need pixel rotation.
Rotation and file metadata
A pixel-rotated file has no rotation flag, which is the most compatible state. If you re-import the rotated file into a phone's gallery, it will show upright. Some phones keep other metadata, such as capture date and location, only in the original file, so keep the original if those details matter to you. Rotating doesn't change the duration, frame rate or audio of the video, only the orientation of the picture.
Rotating screen recordings
Screen recordings from phones held sideways sometimes save in portrait with the content turned, especially with third-party recorders. Rotate them 90° the same way as camera videos. Screen recordings often use a variable frame rate; Videozify converts to a constant frame rate while rotating, which also improves compatibility with editors and upload forms that dislike variable frame rates.
Which way to rotate
If the top of the picture points left (people's heads are on the left), rotate 90° clockwise. If it points right, rotate 90° counter-clockwise. If people are upside down, rotate 180°. When unsure, try one direction and preview; it only takes a moment to redo.
Rotating vs cropping
Rotating a vertical clip that plays sideways gives a proper vertical video with nothing lost. Cropping is different: it removes the sides of a wide frame to make it narrower. If your video is wide and you want it vertical, see how to make a video vertical. If it's tall but sideways, rotate.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my video play sideways on my PC but not my phone?
- Your PC player ignores the orientation flag. Rotate it to bake the orientation into the pixels.
Does rotating a video reduce quality?
- Pixel rotation re-encodes once at high quality; the audio is untouched.
Can I rotate by 45 degrees?
- Not in Videozify; only 90° steps and flips.
How do I fix a mirrored selfie video?
- Use the Mirror (horizontal flip) option.
Is my video uploaded?
- No. Rotation runs in your browser.
Will rotation change the aspect ratio?
- 90° rotations swap width and height, so a sideways landscape-shaped file becomes portrait.
Can I undo a rotation?
- Rotate the new file back the other way, or simply go back to your original file, which Videozify never changes.
Why is my rotated video still sideways in one app?
- That app may read an old rotation flag. Pixel rotation removes the flag.
Does rotating change the file size?
- Slightly, because the video is re-encoded.
Can I rotate a video on a Chromebook?
- Yes, in the Chrome browser with Videozify.
Does rotation affect the sound?
- No. The audio track is copied unchanged.
Can I rotate several videos at once?
- Rotate them one after another in the same tab; each takes a short time.
Can I rotate a video on a Mac without QuickTime?
- Yes, with Videozify in Safari or Chrome.