How to Turn an iPhone Screen With & Without Control Center

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A quick guide to get your iPhone screen to rotate horizontally or vertically

Written by Rain Kengly

Last Updated: April 15, 2025 Fact Checked

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Using the Control Center

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Using AssistiveTouch

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Troubleshooting

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Q&A

Do you have apps that could be better viewed in landscape mode on your iPhone? If you turn off the Portrait Orientation Lock, you'll be able to auto-rotate your screen when you turn your iPhone sideways. This can be done with the Control Center or with AssistiveTouch. Be aware that turning your screen is only available in supported apps. This wikiHow will show you how to unlock Portrait mode to rotate your screen on an iPhone and how to troubleshoot the Portrait Lock when it isn't working.

Things You Should Know

On iPhone X or newer, swipe down at the top-right corner. If the padlock icon is highlighted, tap it to disable it.
On iPhones with a home button, swipe up on the home page. If the padlock icon is highlighted, tap it to disable it.
Open an app that supports screen rotation, and then turn your phone 90 degrees left or right. It will be switched to landscape mode.

Section 1 of 3:

Using the Control Center

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If your iPhone display is off, wake it. You can do this pressing the side button. Newer iPhones have the Raise to Wake feature, which can wake the iPhone by lifting it.^{[1]
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Open the Control Center. On iPhone X or newer, swipe down on the top-right corner. On iPhones with a home button, swipe up.

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3
Tap the padlock icon. On iPhone X or newer, this is underneath the Wi-Fi icon. On iPhones with a home button, this will be at the right side of the icon list.^{[2]
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- If the icon is highlighted, this means Portrait Orientation Lock is active. If it's highlighted, tap it again to turn it off.
- If you can't tap the button, you can try using AssistiveTouch instead.
4
Navigate to an app. You won't be able to rotate an iPhone's home screen, but you can rotate the screen in most apps.
- Some apps won't support a landscape shift. Similarly, any apps that use a forced screen rotation (including most games in the App Store) can't be rotated back.
5
Turn your iPhone 90 degrees to the left or right. Doing this should immediately prompt your screen to follow. If you're using an app that supports rotation, you should now see the app in landscape mode.^{[3]
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- If you reenable Portrait Orientation Lock while in landscape mode, the screen will return to portrait mode regardless of how you place the phone.
- Keep the Portrait Orientation Lock disabled if you want to freely swap in and out of landscape mode. Turn it back on again if you want your iPhone to stay in portrait mode regardless of position.

Section 2 of 3:

Using AssistiveTouch

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1
Open the Settings
app. This is the grey cog icon.
- Use this method if you're unable to swipe down on your screen or press the home button.
This is in the third group of options, below Home Screen.^{[4]
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This will be next to a pointing finger icon with a blue background.
This will be at the top of the page.^{[5]
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When enabled, a button will appear on your home screen. To move the position, tap and drag the button.^{[6]
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This is below the Custom Actions header. You can also tap Long Press or Single-Tap.
This will set your double-tap (or long press/single-tap) as the Lock Rotation button.
You won't be able to rotate an iPhone's home screen, but you can rotate the screen in most apps.
If you selected single-tap or long press instead, do the respective touch instead.
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Turn your iPhone 90 degrees to the left or right. Doing this should immediately prompt your screen to follow. If you're using an app that supports rotation, you should now see the app in landscape mode.
- If the screen isn't turning, double-tap the AssistiveTouch circle

Section 3 of 3:

Troubleshooting

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1
Close the app and open it again. If your app isn't rotating, try to restart it.
- On iPhone X and later, swipe up on the home screen. Swipe up on the app to close it. Tap the app again on your home screen.
- On iPhones with a home button, double-click the home button. Swipe up on the app to close it, and then tap it again on your home screen.
Some iOS apps, such as the App Store, don't support screen rotation. This means they will only display in either portrait or landscape, never both. If the app isn't rotating, check other apps. If the other apps rotate without issue, then the previous app most likely does not support screen rotation.
Restart your iPhone. A quick restart could fix small issues, especially if you haven't restarted your device in a while. Turn off your iPhone, wait a few minutes, and then turn it back on again.
Update your iPhone. If you're having trouble with the Portrait Orientation Lock, you may need to update your device. Make sure your iPhone is plugged in and connected to Wi-Fi before you update.
Contact Apple Support. If your iPhone isn't rotating with supported apps, this may be an issue with the device itself. You'll need to contact Apple for a repair, or in some cases, a replacement.

Community Q&A

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Question

How do I unlock my iPhone screen?

Community Answer

Turn on your phone. If you have the IOS 10, click on the home button. You will then see the numbers to type in. Do this and you will unlock your phone. If you have the IOS 9, swipe your finger from left to right on the screen to get to the numbers. If you have an iPhone 5s, or any of the models that have come out since then, you can put your finger on the home button to unlock it, if you have your fingerprint set up.

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Question

How do I unlock my screen?

Theolex

Community Answer

To unlock it, just press the small button on the side of the phone. Use the press button to enter your password if you have one.

Thanks! We're glad this was helpful.
Thank you for your feedback.
If wikiHow has helped you, please consider a small contribution to support us in helping more readers like you. We’re committed to providing the world with free how-to resources, and even $1 helps us in our mission. Support wikiHow
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