How to Flip Computer Screens

There are plenty of reasons you might want to flip or rotate your computer screen: you like looking at it while lying down, you want to play a prank on somebody, or you just like exploring all the capabilities of a machine that costs a thousand dollars. For those of you who like to tweak, there is a straightforward method for flipping your monitor that works on most versions of Windows XP and some versions of Windows Vista.

Things You'll Need

• Computer with Windows XP or Vista

Instructions

1. Make sure you're viewing your Windows desktop with no important programs open. Flipping your screen won't harm any of the programs, but it is likely to give you a brief moment of panic or vertigo.

2. Hold down the CTRL and ALT keys at the same time.

3. Press one of the arrow keys while CTRL and ALT are held down. The down arrow flips the screen upside down, and the left and right arrows flip it 90 degrees to the left or right.

4. Return your screen to its normal state by pressing CTRL and ALT and the up arrow key.

Tips & Warnings

• If this method doesn't work, you still may be able to flip your computer screen by checking the properties of your graphics card. In Vista, go to Control Panel > Appearance > Personalization > Display Settings. In XP, go to Control Panel > Display > Display Properties (or Control Panel) > Appearance and Themes > Display Properties), then click "Advanced Settings." In the window that pops up, one of the tabs should provide information about your current graphics card. Search its properties for information on Display Settings, Rotation, Flipping or Hot Keys.

References

• 180 Tech Tips