Do you have a game that needs to be played with the monitor upright? Are you trying to create a unique home computer screen? Are you building a retro arcade game? Rotating your monitor is not a straightforward procedure, but with the right hardware, you can customize your monitors the way you want. After the monitor is installed, you can change the way Windows displays so that you don't have to tilt your head to view. Finally, you can calibrate your monitor so that the colors look their best.
Steps
Part 1 of 3: Rotate Screen Orientation
Step 1. Try to rotate the screen using keyboard shortcuts
This is the fastest way to rotate the displayed screen, but it does not work on all systems. The quickest way to find out if it works is to run a simple test. If these keyboard shortcuts do not work, proceed to the next step:
- Ctrl + Alt + ← will rotate the screen 90 ° to the left.
- Ctrl + Alt + → will rotate the screen 90 ° to the right.
- Ctrl + Alt + ↓ will flip the screen upside down.
- Ctrl + Alt + ↑ will return the screen to its original correct position.
Step 2. Open the Screen Resolution window
In Windows 7 and 8, it can be opened by right-clicking on the desktop and choosing "Screen Resolution". In Windows Vista, select "Personalization" and then click the Display Settings option.
In Windows XP, select "Properties" and then click Settings
Step 3. Choose your rotation option
Look at the "Orientation" drop-down menu There you can choose an option to rotate the screen. Select the option you want and then click Apply.
If you do not see the Orientation option proceed to the next step
Step 4. Open the video card control panel
In this case, the rotation of the screen is carried out with the help of the video card, not Windows. While most modern graphics cards add rotation options to the Windows Screen Resolution window, you may need to open the graphics card control panel to access it.
- Typically, you can access the control panel by right-clicking on the desktop and clicking on the graphics card control panel option. You can also get to it by opening the Windows Control Panel and then selecting it there.
- Select the "Rotation" or "Orientation" section on the control panel. You can use them to rotate the screen to your liking.
- If the screen is not rotated by the keyboard shortcut, there is no rotation option in the Screen Resolution window, or there is no installed video card, you will not be able to rotate the screen.
Part 2 of 3: Adjusting Monitor Settings
Step 1. Open the image for calibration
There are many free calibration images available online. The calibration image serves as a reference point when you change monitor settings.
Step 2. Open the monitor menu
Most monitors have an OSD that you can use to adjust color, brightness, and contrast. If your monitor does not have an on-screen display, then separate buttons must be built in for these functions.
Step 3. Set the color temperature
Monitor calibration images usually have blocks of color luminance. Use them to find a color temperature that feels natural to you and allows you to see all shades clearly.
6500K is the standard value for monitors, although some calibration images will ask you to increase it to 9300K. Not all monitors will allow you to set the temperature value
Step 4. Set brightness and contrast
Use the brightness and contrast controls to adjust them so that you can clearly see the dark areas in the calibration image. Generally, you should be able to see the later areas, but the first few areas should be indistinguishable. This will ensure that black and dark scenes in movies and games are clearly visible.
Step 5. Adjust the position of the screen
Sometimes the screen does not fit exactly within the monitor and you may notice that your mouse extends beyond the boundaries of the small screen, or black bands may be visible around the edges. You will be able to adjust this in the monitor menu.
You can move the screen horizontally and vertically, stretch and shrink it. Use these controls to properly fit the screen to the monitor
Part 3 of 3: Physically Rotating the Screen
Step 1. Wall screen
If you want to constantly rotate your screen (retro arcades, right?), The easiest way to do it safely is to use a mounting kit. This does not work with all monitors, so please check if the kit is compatible with the brand and model of your monitor.
Step 2. Buy a monitor that rotates
There are several monitors available that can be rotated relative to the base. This makes it easy to rotate the monitor 90 °. Please note that if you rotate the monitor manually, you will still need to adjust the orientation through the graphics card settings.
There are stands that allow you to rotate the monitor that you can purchase for a reasonable price. Just make sure it is compatible with your monitor model
Step 3. Check if your monitor can be tilted
Some monitors have stands that allow you to tilt the monitor up or down. This is especially useful if you have an LCD monitor, as images are best viewed from certain angles. Typically, you can tilt the monitor by gently grasping the top and bottom and then pushing the top forward and pulling the bottom toward you.
Step 4. Avoid simply rotating the monitor without a support
Many monitors are not designed to be rotated, especially older CRT monitors. Whenever you rotate the monitor, it must be firmly attached to a stand or mount. Using foreign objects to mount the monitor may cause unstable operation or overheating.