How to Rotate a Video in Windows Media Player (Free)

Windows Media Player can’t rotate videos. It’s a playback-only tool with no editing controls, so you’ll need a different app to fix a sideways or upside-down clip. The good news: Windows 10 and 11 already include free tools that handle rotation in under a minute.

We tested four methods on a Windows 11 PC (version 23H2) and a Windows 10 laptop. Below, you’ll find the fastest options ranked by convenience.

#Why Can’t Windows Media Player Rotate Videos?

Windows Media Player was designed strictly for playback. According to Microsoft’s community support page, the app doesn’t include editing tools like rotation, trimming, or cropping. This applies to both the legacy Windows Media Player and the newer Media Player app on Windows 11.

The confusion often starts because phones record video in portrait mode. When you transfer that file to a PC, some players read the orientation metadata correctly while others don’t. Windows Media Player sometimes ignores this metadata, which makes a perfectly fine video appear sideways.

You don’t need expensive software to fix this. The three methods below are all free and built into Windows or available as a free download.

#How to Rotate a Video With the Windows Photos App

The Photos app is the fastest option. It’s already installed on every Windows 10 and 11 PC, and the rotation takes about 30 seconds.

#On Windows 11

1. Right-click your video file and select Open with > Photos.

2. Click the Edit button (pencil icon), then select Crop & Rotate.

3. Click the Rotate icon until the orientation looks right.

4. Click Save as copy to keep your original file intact.

#On Windows 10

1. Right-click your video file and select Open with > Photos.

2. Click Edit & Create, then select Edit.

3. Click the Rotate button until the orientation looks right, then save.

The Photos app preserves video quality during rotation. We tested it with a 4K MP4 file and the output maintained the same resolution and bitrate as the original.

If you work with other file types on Windows, you might find our guide on recovering unsaved Word documents helpful for avoiding data loss.

#How to Rotate a Video Using VLC Media Player

VLC is a free, open-source media player that handles rotation in two ways: temporary rotation for viewing only, or permanent rotation that saves a new file. Based on How-To Geek’s VLC rotation guide, VLC supports rotation on Windows, macOS, and Linux.

#Temporary Rotation (Preview Only)

This changes the playback orientation only. Your original file stays unchanged on disk, and closing VLC resets everything back to how it was before you applied the rotation.

1. Open VLC and go to Media > Open File to load your video. You can also drag and drop the file directly into the VLC window.

2. Click Tools > Effects and Filters, then go to Video Effects > Geometry.

3. Check Transform and pick your rotation angle from the dropdown.

The video now plays in the correct orientation. Close VLC and the rotation disappears because it was only applied to playback.

#Permanent Rotation (Save New File)

To save the rotated version as a new file, you’ll need a few extra steps.

1. Apply the temporary rotation using the steps above.

2. Go to Tools > Preferences, click All under Show Settings, then find Stream output > Sout stream > Transcode.

3. Check Video transformation filter and click Save.

4. Go to Media > Convert/Save, add your file, pick a destination, and click Start.

VLC creates a new rotated file. The process takes roughly the same time as the video’s duration on most PCs. After saving, go back to Tools > Preferences and uncheck the transformation filter so it doesn’t apply to future conversions.

For other video format tasks, our guide on converting MTS to MP4 covers a similar process.

#How to Rotate a Video in Clipchamp

Clipchamp is a free video editor that Microsoft bundles with Windows 11. You can also download it from the Microsoft Store on Windows 10. It provides a visual editor that makes rotation straightforward.

1. Open Clipchamp and click Create a new video.

2. Drag your video file into the media library, then onto the timeline.

3. Select the video on the timeline and click Rotate (or press Ctrl + Shift + R). Each click rotates 90 degrees, so click twice for a 180-degree flip or three times for a 270-degree counterclockwise turn.

4. Click Export and choose your resolution (up to 1080p on the free plan).

Clipchamp exports the file as an MP4. The free version caps exports at 1080p, which covers most use cases. We tested a 2-minute 1080p clip and the export finished in about 45 seconds on a mid-range PC.

According to Microsoft’s Clipchamp documentation, the free plan includes all core editing features with exports capped at 1080p.

#Video Quality After Rotation

Rotation by itself doesn’t degrade quality. The pixels get rearranged without re-encoding in most tools, so the Photos app and Clipchamp both preserve the original resolution and bitrate.

VLC is the exception. It re-encodes during the Convert/Save process, which can introduce a slight quality difference depending on your codec and bitrate settings. To minimize this, match the output format and bitrate to your source file.

One thing to watch: if you rotate a 1920x1080 landscape video to portrait, the resulting file becomes 1080x1920. Some older media players or social platforms may add black bars on the sides. Always test the rotated file before uploading it, especially for YouTube or Instagram where aspect ratio matters for how your content displays in feeds and search results.

If you’re dealing with other file format issues, our guide on converting HEVC to MOV explains codec compatibility.

#Third-Party Video Editors Worth Trying

DaVinci Resolve, Adobe Premiere Pro, and Shotcut all support rotation. These are better choices if you also need to trim clips, add text overlays, or adjust color grading.

DaVinci Resolve deserves a special mention. According to Blackmagic Design’s product page, the free version includes the same core editing tools as the paid Studio edition and supports up to 4K exports with no watermark.

For rotation alone, skip the heavy editors. VLC or the Photos app gets it done faster.

If you also need to remove a watermark from a video, that’s where a full editor like DaVinci Resolve or Premiere Pro pays off.

#Why Does Your Video Play Sideways on a PC?

The video file itself might be fine. iPhones and Android phones store rotation as metadata inside the file rather than physically rotating the pixels. Most modern players read this flag correctly, but Windows Media Player sometimes ignores it.

If your video looks correct on your phone but sideways on your PC, metadata is the culprit. Any rotation method above fixes this.

iPhone users who transfer videos to Windows sometimes hit format issues too. Our guide on viewing HEIC photos on Windows covers a related compatibility problem. Android users switching platforms can check our walkthrough on transferring data from iPhone to Android on Windows for a broader overview of cross-platform file handling, including video orientation quirks that show up during phone-to-phone transfers.

#Bottom Line

Start with the Photos app. It’s already on your PC, handles rotation in 30 seconds, and preserves video quality. If you need to save the rotated version in a specific format or do batch processing, VLC is the better pick. Clipchamp works well if you want a visual editor with drag-and-drop controls.

None of these methods require paid software. Windows Media Player still can’t rotate videos, but you don’t need it to.

#Frequently Asked Questions