How to Rotate Screen on a Chromebook?

Introduction

Chromebooks are wonderful pieces of devices. If you are a developer, then using a Chromebook in the developer mode is an absolute delight. The device has multiple features dedicated to improving the user experience with the device and enhancing the usage. People who are not familiar with the interface of Chromebook software find it a little hard to navigate through different tasks and applications on the device. If you are amongst those people, you do not need to worry or regret buying a Chromebook. This is because almost every new user of a Chromebook becomes confused about the various commands and interface differences from the Windows or Apple operating systems that they are normally used to.

Oftentimes, people press certain keys unintentionally and they end up rotating the screen. At that point, you end up with a full-blown anxiety attack if you do not know how to tackle the change in the orientation of the screen. It is actually quite easy to rotate your screen back to its original position. Keeping this objective in mind, this blog provides a detailed answer to the age-old question of how to rotate the screen on a Chromebook.

How to Rotate Screen on a Chromebook

Contrary to popular belief, rotating the screen on a Chromebook is a very easy to perform task. You can follow several different steps to accomplish them. You can get the task done either by pressing a set of different keys on the keyboard. If you find that method excessively complicated, you can always go to the Settings of your Chromebook and change the orientation of the screen from there. In this guide, we will discuss both aspects of screen rotation on a Chromebook. By having a grip on both of these methods, you can use the one you like best.

Rotating Chromebook Screen via Keyboard

Utilizing the keyboard to rotate the screen of your Chromebook is very simple. All you have to do is press different keys at the same time and voila, your task is completed. Follow these steps and get the screen of your Chromebook to rotate within no time:

1.   Open your Chromebook Device.
2.   Make sure you are on the Desktop. (There is no limitation in terms of the application that you open up in terms of screen rotation. However, by having the desktop screen open in front of you can help in navigating through the whole situation more easily.)
3.   Look for the Refresh key on the keyboard. It is mostly in circular shape in most of the Chromebooks. It is situated above the number keys of 3 and 4 on the keyboard. Another way to identify the Refresh key is through the arrow that is made on it. This arrow signifies that the key represents the Refresh button.
4.   Now locate the Ctrl and Shift keys on the keyboard. Both of these are frequently used keys.
5.   After finding the exact location, press all these three keys together at the same time.
6.   The Chrome OS will show you a pop up. In it, the system will ask you whether you want to rotate the screen or not.
7.   Press the continue button to ensure that the screen rotation happens.

Important Note: This pop up helps in ensuring that no accidental shift in the screen is taking place without your consent. This is one of the best features of Chrome OS because there is no such warning or notification in other operating systems when the screen rotation is taking place. This creates a lot of confusion and hassle for those who are new to the

8.   Your screen will instantly rotate by 90 degrees.
9.   If you keep pressing the same keys on the keyboard, the screen will continue to rotate by 90 degrees each time.
10.   It is important to remember that this rotation will take place in a clockwise manner.

Rotating Chromebook Screen via Settings Menu

If the process of rotating  a Chromebook screen through the keyboard and different keys seems too complicated for you, there is another method you can follow. This task can easily be accomplished by opening up the Settings of your Chromebook and executing a few simple steps to complete the desired change in the screen orientation. Following are the steps that you must follow in this scenario.

1.   After opening your Chromebook, navigate to the Desktop.
2.   On the bottom side of the screen, you will see a clock.
3.   After this step, pop up menu will open.
4.   Here, you will see the icon of settings, click on it. (If you are confused about that, the settings icon is the one with a symbol of gear on it.)
5.   Once you click on it, the settings menu will open up.
6.   On the left side of the screen, you will see the button for Device in the menu.
7.   After you open the Device menu, the third option of Display will be visible. Choose that one.
8.   Once you open the Display option, another menu will open up.
9.   If you look at the screen on the bottom left corner, you will see a drop down menu.
10.   Next to the drop down menu is the label called “Orientation”.
11.   Open the drop-down menu and pick the new orientation degree that you would like.
12.   There are multiple options for you to choose from i.e. you can rotate the screen to 90, 180, and 270 degrees as you would like.
13.   Once you pick the orientation that you want your screen to be in, you can easily save the settings of the screen.
14.   Finally click on the Apply button at the bottom of the Display Menu.
15.   As soon as you do that, your screen will be flipped or rotated to the chosen orientation degree.

Also Read: Best Tools to Record Audio on a Chromebook

Rotating Screen Connected to Your Chromebook via Settings Menu

There are many times when we connect our devices with external (bigger) screens. If you connect your Chromebook to an external screen, then you have the option to rotate the screen of the external device as well through your Chromebook. Here is how you can accomplish this task without any problems:

1.   Make sure your Chromebook is properly connected to the external screen.
2.   Place your cursor on the screen where you want the expansion or rotation to take place. It is vital to remember that if your cursor is not in the right position and place, then the orientation or expansion of the screen will not take place. This is why the placement and position of the cursor is absolutely vital.
3.   After ensuring all these details, go to the bottom right corner of the screen.
4.   Click on the system clock that is visible.
5.   Open the settings menu from this location by clicking on the gear icon present on the menu of different applications that open up.
6.   Once the windows of Setting will open, click on the Device button that is situated on the left side of the screen. This will open another menu.
7.   On the right side of the screen, you will see a button for Displays.
8.   Click on it to open the Display menu.
9.   Here you will see a separate mention of the connected screen. It will have its own menu.
10.   Click on the menu of the screen to proceed further.
11.   All the details about the screen are visible in this menu. You can adjust several things such as Display Size, Resolution, and Screen Orientation from here.
12.   Adjust the orientation to any angle that you like by choosing from the three available options.
13.   Click on the button Apply and your desired changes will be implemented within no time.
14.   Congratulations, you have successfully changed the orientation of the screen connected with your Chromebook.

Chromebook Rotate Screen Notes

Here are some important factors to remember when rotating the screen of your Chromebook:

•         If you shut down or restart your Chromebook, the orientation of your screen will remain the same. This implies that the screen will not change it back to its original orientation no matter what until and unless you explicitly change it back.
•         The refresh key on a Chromebook implies the same thing as the F3 button on a Windows laptop. If in any case your Chromebook does not have a Refresh button on the device and have an F3 button instead, then you can use this key to change the orientation. But, you will also have to press the Search button along with all the other buttons to ensure that the execution of the rotation takes place properly. Therefore, the new combination of keys becomes Ctrl + Shift + Search + F3.

Conclusion

The answer of how to rotate the screen on a Chromebook is simple; you can either accomplish it through the Settings menu or by pressing a combination of keyboard keys at the same time. There is no rocket science involved in the process and even the most nonprofessional person can accomplish the task of rotating a screen on a Chromebook. This guide provides extensive detail and a step-by-step guide on how to rotate the screen on a Chromebook.

FAQs

Here is an answer to some of the most frequently asked question: