Fix a sideways iPhone video
An iPhone stores which way up a video plays as a flag. When that flag is wrong, or an app ignores it, the video lies on its side. Turn it here, and check the preview before anything is written.
Your file never leaves this device. Everything runs in your browser.
How it works
- Drop your video.
- Pick a turn or a mirror and check the preview.
- Press Rotate and download the video.
Questions
Why does my iPhone video play sideways?
The iPhone usually takes which way up a video plays from how the phone is held as recording starts, and a video file keeps one orientation for the whole clip. Start with the phone flat on a table or pointing at the floor, or turn it after pressing record, and the video can come out on its side. Turning it 90° here rewrites the flag in seconds.
It's upright on my phone but sideways in another app. Why?
The file is fine: that app ignores the rotation flag. Pick No turn, tick Write the turn into the picture and press Rotate. The picture is re-encoded with the turn drawn into every frame, so it plays upright everywhere.
Can I fix it on the iPhone itself?
Yes. In Photos, open the video, tap Edit, then the crop tool, and use the rotate button. This page is for when the video is already on a computer, or when another app still shows it sideways.
Does rotating lose quality?
Not for an MP4 or a MOV. A turn only changes the rotation flag, the setting that tells a player which way up to show the video, and every frame is copied as it was. A mirror, or a turn of a WebM or an MKV, is re-encoded to H.264 at high quality.
Why is a turn so fast?
Because nothing is decoded. Phones record what the camera sensor sees and store which way up it goes as a flag, and this tool rewrites that flag. A file of any length takes seconds.
Why is a mirror re-encoded?
A mirror is drawn into every frame rather than written as a flag, so it looks the same in every player and every app you upload to. That takes a re-encode, for videos up to 15 minutes.
What format do I get?
A turned MP4 stays an MP4 and a MOV stays a MOV. Anything re-encoded comes back as an MP4 with H.264 video and AAC sound: WebM and MKV have no rotation flag players honour.
Does my video get uploaded?
No. It's turned in your browser, on your device.
Which browsers does it work in?
A turn of an MP4 or a MOV needs no encoder, so it works in current Chrome, Edge, Safari and Firefox. A mirror or a re-encode makes H.264 video, which Chrome, Edge and Safari can.