How to Rotate a Video in Windows Media Player

Windows Media Player is a free and popular media files player developed by Microsoft. It is the default media player in most Windows computers. If you are using a Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista PC, you should be familiar with it.

In many cases, you will have the need to rotate a video in Windows Media Player. With your smartphones and tablets are carried with better and better camera, besides pictures, you will definitely use them to capture videos. However, when you play these captured videos with Windows Media Player, you are more likely get a wrong orientation playback.

Surely there are other situations that you want to rotate a video in Windows Media Player. But is it really possible to rotate a video clip there? This post will show you 3 ways to rotate a video, including rotate a video in Windows Media Player.

Part 1. How to Rotate a Video in Windows Media Player

First, we back to the key point, is it possible to rotate a video in Windows Media Player? Unfortunately, there isn’t a native way to do that. Though countless users talk about this normal and useful feature, Microsoft still hasn’t implemented a native way of rotating a video in Windows Media Player. To rotate a video, you have to rely on the Windows Media Maker.

Windows Media Maker is the default media editing software for Windows PC users. It enables you to edit video and rotate a video in it. In that case, you can rotate the video in Windows Movie Maker and then play it at the desired orientation in Windows Media Player. The following guide will show you how to rotate a video.

Step 1. Download Windows Movie Maker

First, you need to download and install Windows Movie Maker. For Windows 10/8/7 PC user, you can directly download it from the Microsoft official page. If you are using a Windows XP, Vista, or an earlier operating system, Windows Movie Maker has already installed on your computer by default.

Step 2. Add the video you want to rotate

Launch Windows Movie Maker and click “Add videos and photos” under “Home” toolbar to add the video to you want to rotate. After adding the video, you can play it for several seconds to figure out how to rotate it.

Step 3. Rotate and output video

Click the “Tools” menu and choose the “Editing” option. Many effects are offered in the middle of the screen, including “Rotate Left” and “Rotate Right”. It enables you to rotate the video in 90 degrees clockwise or counterclockwise. When you get the right angle, click the “file” menu and then click “Save Movie” to output the video in a suitable format.

Windows Movie Maker will transcode and save the rotated video for playback on computer, iPhone, Android phone, etc. automatically.

Part 2. Best Way to Rotate a Video without Windows Movie Maker

In case you don’t want to rotate a video in Windows Movie Maker, here we strongly recommend a powerful video editor and converter for you. It is designed with many useful editing features like rotate, trim, crop, and merge and so on. What’s more, it enables you to adjust image/sound effects, enhance video quality and add personal watermark and more.

Step 1. Free download Vidmore Video Converter

Double click the download button above to quickly download, install and launch this video rotating software on your computer. It offers two versions, that means you can also rotate a video on Mac with it. Here you need to download the right version.

Step 2. Add video(s)

When you open it and enter the main interface, you can click “Add File” to import the video that you want to rotate. You are allowed to add and rotate several videos at a time.

Step 3. Rotate video

After loading the video you want to rotate, click “Edit” button to open the main editing window. Here you can rotate video, crop video, cut video, combine video clips, add watermark, or adjust output effects.

Click the “Rotate” tab and start to rotate your video. It provides you with 4 options, rotate 90 clockwise, rotate 90 counterclockwise, horizontal flip and vertical flip. You can pick the right feature to quickly rotate your video.

You can preview the effects from the preview window and click “Apply” to confirm your operation.

Step 4. Output video

As you can tell from its name, Vidmore can also work as a great video converter. It highly supports any popular video and audio formats. So you are allowed to output the rotated video in any suitable format you need.

Click “Profile” and select your preferred video format from the drop-down list. Then click the “Convert” button to save the rotated video on your computer.

Part 3. How to Rotate a Video in VLC Media Player

If you are a VLC user, thing will become much easier. VLC Media Player is a free and popular cross-platform media player. It is compatible with Windows 10/8/7/XP/Vista, Mac, Linux, BeOS, BSD, Pocket PC and Solaris. What’s more, it supports most frequently-used media formats. Besides the video playback feature, VLC Media Player also carries some basic editing functions including rotate.

Step 1. First, you need to download and install VLC for Windows from the VideoLAN site. If you have VLC installed on your computer, you can directly move to the next step.

Step 2. Open VLC Media Player and load the video you want to rotate by clicking “Media” > “Open File”.

Step 3. After loading, click “Tools”, “Effects and Filters”. When the “adjustments and effects” window popping up, click the “Video Effects” tab. In the “Video Effects” tab, choose the “Geometry” option.

Step 4. Click the “Transform” check box, you can rotate and flip by different ways based on your need. When you're satisfied with the rotating result, click “Save” > “Close” to back to the main VLC interface.

Step 5. Click the “Media” tab and select “Convert/Save” option from the drop-down list to output the rotated video to your computer.

Part 4. FAQs About Rotating a Video in Windows Media Player

What is the shortcut key for rotating video?

Windows 10, 8, and 7 have shortcuts for rotating videos. You need to hold down the Ctrl and Alt keys on your keyboard simultaneously, then hold down the up arrow key. Don't let go of the Ctrl and Alt keys in the process.

How do you rotate a video on Mac using iMovie?

First, open the video you want to rotate in your iMovie App, then click Cropping, find the Rotate Clockwise button on the right side of the cropping controls, and click it.

How do I get my video screen to rotate on my iPhone?

Come to the Control Center of your iPhone, find Portrait Orientation, enable it turned off, then you can turn your iPhone sideways. Then you can adjust the orientation of your iPhone to your liking so that your screen will automatically follow your actions and rotate.

Is it better to video vertically or horizontally?

It depends on what device you are using and what video you are watching. For computers and tablets, horizontal video is more appropriate. But if you're watching short videos on social media Apps on your smartphone, vertical video is the more popular format.

Why won't I rotate my video?

If you can't rotate your video, check if your device has a screen lock turned on. This feature will keep your screen fixed in one direction, so it can't be adjusted.

Conclusion

We mainly talked about how to rotate a video in Windows Media Player in this page. As a result, the only way to rotate a video that is to use Windows Movie Maker or a third party solution. Hope you can correct your video angle after reading this page.