Fix Sideways Video: How to Rotate MP4 90 Degrees Permanently

The Sideways Video Problem: A Modern Nuisance

How many times have you recorded a video on your phone, only to find it plays sideways on your computer or TV? This happens because phones and cameras record videos with orientation metadata that not all players respect. While some apps can read the metadata and rotate on‑the‑fly, many platforms (like older TVs, certain editing software, or social media sites) ignore it, leaving your video stuck in the wrong orientation.

The solution is to permanently rotate the video data so that it plays correctly everywhere. Our Video Rotator does exactly that—and does it locally, without uploading your files.

Rotation vs. Metadata: Which One Should You Choose?

Videos from iPhones and Android devices often contain a "rotation" tag in their metadata. This tag tells compatible players to rotate the video during playback. However, if the player doesn't understand the tag, the video appears sideways.

Permanent rotation physically rewrites the video frames to the desired orientation. The resulting file has no rotation metadata; it's just a correctly oriented video that works everywhere.

Our tool lets you do both: you can rotate permanently, or you can just adjust the metadata (if you prefer to keep the original pixels unchanged). For maximum compatibility, we recommend permanent rotation.

Step‑by‑Step: Rotate a Video in Seconds

1. Upload your video – Any MP4, MOV, or other common format. The file stays on your device.
2. Choose rotation angle – Select 90° clockwise, 90° counter‑clockwise, 180°, or flip horizontally/vertically.
3. Preview the result – See a preview of how the rotated video will look.
4. Rotate and download – Click "Rotate Video". The processing happens locally, and you get a permanently fixed video.

Common Scenarios Where Rotation Is Essential

• Phone videos shot in portrait mode – They appear sideways when viewed on a landscape monitor.
• Action cameras mounted upside‑down – Fix the orientation without remounting the camera.
• Social media uploads – Some platforms strip rotation metadata; pre‑rotate to ensure correct display.
• Editing in software that ignores metadata – Many professional editors treat the raw video frames as‑is.

Will Rotation Reduce Quality?

When you rotate a video, the pixels are mathematically transformed. This is a lossless operation for 90° and 180° rotations (they just rearrange pixels). However, because video codecs work on blocks, the transformation may trigger a re‑encode. Our tool uses the highest quality settings to minimize any visible degradation, and you can choose "copy stream" if you just want to change metadata without re‑encoding.

Ready to Fix Your Sideways Videos?

Don't let orientation issues ruin your videos. Use our free, browser‑based Video Rotator to permanently rotate any video in seconds—no uploads, no watermarks, no quality loss.

For more video‑editing guides, visit our blog or explore our other tools for trimming, cropping, and audio removal.