This is a common question, and usually involves a cat. Some video cards allow you to flip the video sideways so you could turn your monitor sideways for more screen real estate. This is probably good for tablet laptop PC’s or lcd displays that allow you to flip the screen 90 degrees. I think most users accidentally stumble into this hidden feature.
If your computer monitor is sideways or upside down right now your neck must be straining from reading this so here’s how to fix it.
Press:
- CTRL + ALT + Up Arrow
– if the “Up” arrow doesn’t work try the “down” arrow or left or right
{ 34 comments… read them below or add one }
I found your site on technorati and read a few of your other posts. Keep up the good work. I just added your RSS feed to my Google News Reader. Looking forward to reading more from you.
Eric Hundin
Thank you so much. My 2 year old changed the display on my computer at work, and I had no idea whatsoever how to fix it, or how to get my work done.
Thank God for your help. I was becoming rather desperate!
Thanks- too funny! Our kitten sat on my daughter’s laptop, and it had her worried. Cracked us up to see ‘this is a common problem and usually involves a cat’!
THANK YOU! I laughed out loud when I read “If your computer monitor is sideways or upside down right now your neck must be straining from reading”… you pegged it!
Good April fools joke. Flip the screen and watch everyone squirm
THANK YOU!! My 1 year old smashed his toy on the keyboard and vola!! lol I had no luck trying to recreate the accidental mashing of keys!! haha
My best friend called me from 1600 miles away and asked me if I could fix her “sideways” computer. I’m only in my second week of a college computer class so I wasn’t feeling too helpful until I found your website with the solution…thank you!
Bless you, what a relief!
Thanks so much. I have two cats and woke up to the screen messed up. My neck is hurting for the last 10 min. of trying to fix it. Thanks for this website!!!!!!!!!!
Not a cat, but a TODDLER was the culprit. I couldn’t for the life of me figure out how my three-year old daughter had done this, and she of course couldn’t tell me what keys she had pressed. It didn’t help that the mouse oriented itself to the sideways screen either.
Thank you so very much. I’m bookmarking your page. Oh, look — I can turn it upside down!
LOL…MY COMPUTER WAS SIDEWAYS FOR 4 DAYS AND MY NECK WAS KILLING ME…BLESS YOU WHO EVER RUNS THIS WEBSITE…UH.. I HOPE I DID NOT CHANGE ANYTHING ELSE WHILE I WAS TRYING TO FIX IT……I’M SO RELIEF!!!!! THANK YOU!!
“this is a common question & usually involve a cat..” I just crack up the moment I hit that first sentence.. you bet it was!!
Many many thanks!
Thank you!!!! My son and I were trying to troubleshoot his laptop over the phone and were stumped, so I did a search on computer display is sideways and your fix worked! His computer has been like that for days, and now we do suspect the cat
Classic with the CAT comment. He did it and you fixed it. Hilarious!!!
OMG!! Thanks so much!! I don’t know if it was my kids or cats…either way I was so confused and had no clue how to fix it! lol I am SO glad I googled and found your site w/how to fix it!
I have the problem, but this didnt help :’(
Ahhh! Thank you!
Thank you soooo much for the fix!! Spent hours trying to tweak this myself.
Cats should not be allowed to do this type of thing. this is how they get such a bad name. either way, i am glad that my screen is fixed. i almost decided to make Chinese food out of my cats but i changed my mind. thank you guys. i love you. no more neck problems.
ernesto
Thank u so muchhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
laughed outloud when I read the first line… a cat was the culprit in my sideways screen fiasco. Thanks for the help.
lo my foot was the culprit i accidentaly stepped on my laptop, not hard though, it was on my spae bed on the ground >,<
thank you soooooooooooo much, it is kinda hard looking for a job on the internet when you have to look sideways….lol, I still don’t know how it happened but it is fixed now…..thanks again
THANK U SOOOOO MUCH!!!! my screen is fixed!!!!!
I was looking for information on how to change the screen sideways as I am running Vista with a 17 in laptop.
I was thinking it could help when reading newpaper content or maybe even put the book tablets out of business if we could get publishing that would be available to our laptops.
you just saved me a lot of aggravation with my screen display going sideways. I was going to try a system restore and then found this and it worked! Thanks so much
didn’t work for me…also, my touchpad/mouse does not work either
if i knew who you were, i would be sucking your balls right now.
thank you
Thank you so much! This completely saved me, very much appreciated!
my computer is sideways
thanks for the advice, my neck was starting to hurt lol.
Because this screen flipping thing freaked us out at the studio.
We record on a Miko LXD keyboard which comes with a PC computer and monitor built inside. All i remember is leaning over the keyboard and BOOM screen was sideways. I took it apart but couldn’t find anything wrong. So i GOOGLE what happened and came across your site! God was definitely listening!
Thanks a trillion!
I seriously almost killed my cat. Thanks so much.