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To rotate a screen in Ubuntu, open Activities, search for Displays, choose the monitor, select an orientation, and click Apply. Confirm with Keep Changes before the 20-second preview expires, or Ubuntu restores the previous settings. For an X11 session, you can also rotate a specific display with xrandr.

Rotate a display in Ubuntu Settings

  1. Open the Activities overview and type Displays.
  2. Open Displays.
  3. If you use more than one unmirrored screen, click the preview for the monitor you want to rotate.
  4. Under Orientation, choose Landscape, Portrait Right, Portrait Left, or Landscape (flipped). Choose the portrait direction that matches how the monitor is physically positioned.
  5. Click Apply. Check the preview, then click Keep Changes to confirm it.

Ubuntu gives you 20 seconds to confirm a proposed display configuration; if you do not keep it, the previous settings are restored automatically. The available choices can depend on the device: not every monitor or laptop supports every orientation. Ubuntu Documentation explains the display-rotation controls and confirmation step.

Rotate a display with xrandr in an X11 session

xrandr is a command-line interface to the X server’s RandR extension, so treat it as an option for X11 rather than a universal Ubuntu command for every graphics session. First, open a terminal and run xrandr without options to see connected outputs and their names.

  1. Identify the exact output name in the command’s output, such as the name shown for the monitor you want to change.
  2. Run the command below, replacing OUTPUT with that name and choosing the desired rotation:

xrandr --output OUTPUT --rotate left

The rotation values are left, right, normal, and inverted. Left rotates counter-clockwise; right rotates clockwise. For example, use --rotate normal to restore the standard orientation. The --output option targets a particular screen, and xrandr can accept multiple output options in one invocation. Ubuntu’s Jammy manpage identifies xrandr as part of x11-xserver-utils. See the Ubuntu Jammy xrandr manpage for the command options.

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If the command has no effect on the intended screen, your session may not support this X server method, or the output name may be wrong. Use the graphical Settings > Displays controls instead, and select the correct monitor preview.

Does Ubuntu have a default keyboard shortcut for rotating the screen?

There is no universal default rotation shortcut established by the current Ubuntu keyboard reference. Although older community discussions mention combinations such as Ctrl+Alt+Arrow, do not assume they are enabled on your Ubuntu installation. Ubuntu’s documented keyboard navigation shortcuts do not list a display-rotation binding.

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You can create custom shortcuts in GNOME’s keyboard settings, but the command you assign depends on the graphics session and the display you want to target. Ubuntu’s Noble GNOME Control Center documentation describes custom keyboard shortcuts in the keyboard panel. Read the Ubuntu Noble GNOME Control Center manpage.

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Choose the right method

Method Best for How you target a screen Recovery
Settings > Displays Most users and broad session compatibility Select the monitor in the preview Ubuntu offers a 20-second confirmation period, then reverts if not confirmed
xrandr X11 command-line workflows or scripts Specify the output name with --output The cited command interface does not describe a comparable confirmation dialog

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