Why does my photo keep showing sideways?

Phones store an orientation flag that some apps ignore. Rotating here writes the real orientation into the pixels, so every viewer shows it correctly.

Will rotating reduce quality?

A 90° rotation is lossless in effect — the pixels are simply reoriented, not re-compressed noticeably.

Which way should I rotate, left or right?

Look at the top of the subject. If it points to the right, rotate left (counter-clockwise); if it points to the left, rotate right. If it is upside down, use the 180-degree option instead of two turns.

Can I rotate by a custom angle, like 5 degrees?

No. This tool turns in 90-degree steps and mirrors; it cannot straighten a slight tilt. For a crooked document photo, the Document Scanner on this site corrects the perspective and the angle at the same time.

Rotate Image 90 Degrees

Turn a sideways photo upright — rotate 90° left or right and download the fixed file.

Drop an image here or click to choose

processed on your device — never uploaded

The classic case is a document photographed on a desk: the page was upright when you took it, but the file opens lying on its side in the upload preview, in a PDF, or on the printer. The same happens with photos taken while holding the phone horizontally and with scans fed into the scanner the wrong way round. A 90-degree turn in either direction puts it right, and this page is built for exactly that single step.

What makes this different from pressing rotate in a photo gallery is where the change lives. Galleries often record the rotation as a flag in the file's metadata and leave the pixels alone, which is why the picture looks fine on your phone and wrong on a website that ignores the flag. Here the pixels themselves are turned, so the width and height are swapped in the file and every program agrees on which way is up. That swap is worth knowing: a 4000 by 3000 photo becomes 3000 by 4000, which may matter if a form specifies a landscape or portrait orientation. This tool turns in quarter-circle steps; a horizon that is tilted by a few degrees needs a straightening tool, not a rotation. The file is changed on your own device and is not uploaded.

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Frequently asked questions

Why does my photo keep showing sideways?: Phones store an orientation flag that some apps ignore. Rotating here writes the real orientation into the pixels, so every viewer shows it correctly.
Will rotating reduce quality?: A 90° rotation is lossless in effect — the pixels are simply reoriented, not re-compressed noticeably.
Which way should I rotate, left or right?: Look at the top of the subject. If it points to the right, rotate left (counter-clockwise); if it points to the left, rotate right. If it is upside down, use the 180-degree option instead of two turns.
Can I rotate by a custom angle, like 5 degrees?: No. This tool turns in 90-degree steps and mirrors; it cannot straighten a slight tilt. For a crooked document photo, the Document Scanner on this site corrects the perspective and the angle at the same time.

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🔒 Your files are processed on your device. This tool runs entirely in your browser — nothing is uploaded.