---
title: "How to rotate a video | ToolSugar"
description: "Fix a sideways or upside down video by turning it 90, 180 or 270 degrees, or mirror it, and save a new MP4 from your browser."
canonical: https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-rotate-a-video
image: https://toolsugar.com/og.png
---

# How to rotate a video that plays sideways

Updated 2026-11-09

To rotate a video, choose a turn of 90, 180 or 270 degrees, add a flip if you need one, and save the result as a new MP4. Rotate Video does this in your browser, on your device. The picture is encoded again, so allow a little time. Your original file stays untouched.

[Open Rotate Video](https://toolsugar.com/tools/rotate-video)

## Rotate a video in four steps

The video can be up to 120 MB on a computer, or 60 MB on a phone.

1. Drop the video you want to turn into the file box.
2. Under Turn, choose 90 clockwise, 180 or 90 counterclockwise (270 degrees), or leave it on No turn if you only want a flip.
3. Under Flip, choose Mirror left to right or Mirror top to bottom, or leave it on No flip.
4. Press Rotate video, check the preview, and press Download.

## Which turn fixes a sideways video

If the top of the picture points to one side, try 90 clockwise first and 90 counterclockwise if the preview shows it the wrong way. An upside down clip needs 180. Check the preview before you download, because a wrong guess costs a full encode.

A 90 or 270 degree turn swaps the width and height, so a landscape clip becomes portrait and the other way round.

## Turn and flip are different

A turn spins the picture around its centre. A flip mirrors it, like a reflection. Mirroring a selfie clip makes text in the background read the right way, and you can combine a turn and a flip in one pass.

## What it costs in quality

Turning the picture means the video must be encoded again, as H.264 with AAC audio, at a setting chosen to look the same to the eye. The cost is small, but it exists. Keep the original if you need the exact data.

## Why the first run is slow

If your browser cannot use the device's video hardware, the first run downloads a 32 MB video engine that it then reuses. The encode itself takes longer for long or high resolution clips, and longer again on a phone.

## Questions

### Why does my phone video play sideways on a computer?

Some phones save the clip in landscape and add a note that says how to turn it. Players that ignore the note show it sideways. Rotating writes the turn into the picture itself.

### Can I rotate a video by a small angle?

No. This tool turns in steps of 90 degrees only, with an optional flip.

### What format is the result?

An MP4 with H.264 video and AAC audio, which plays on nearly every phone and computer.

[Open Rotate Video](https://toolsugar.com/tools/rotate-video)

## Related guides

- [How to trim a video without re-encoding](https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-trim-a-video)
- [How to compress a video without losing quality](https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-compress-a-video)
- [How to make a GIF from a video](https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-make-a-gif-from-a-video)
- [How to record your screen in the browser](https://toolsugar.com/blog/how-to-record-your-screen)