tips

How to Enable VLC Player Rotate Video Function

VLC player rotate video function in just a few clicks can work with most common formats - MP4, AVI, MOV and even MKV. You can change the orientation while you’re watching or save a new copy with the rotation you already set before. Both ways are simple and don’t need any special editing skills at all.

Temporarily Rotating a Video During Playback

If you just want to rotate a video while you’re watching it, and don’t want to mess with the original file, here’s what to do:

  • Open the video in VLC: Launch VLC Media Player and select the video you want to rotate.
  • Access Effects and Filters: Click Tools in the top menu and select Effects and Filters.
  • Navigate to Video Effects: In the window, select the Video Effects tab, then click the Geometry sub-tab.
  • Enable rotation:
    • Fixed angles: Check the Transform box and select a rotation angle (90, 180, or 270 degrees) from the dropdown menu.
    • Custom angles: To set a specific angle, check the Rotate box and use the dial to adjust the rotation.
  • Apply changes: Click Save, then Close to apply the rotation.

This only changes how the video looks while you’re watching it. The original file stays the same. If you want to go back to the normal view, just uncheck the Transform or Rotate boxes.

Permanently Rotating and Saving a Video

If you want to keep the VLC media player rotate video adjustment permanently, you can save a new copy with the rotation applied. Here’s how:

  • Rotate the video: Follow the previous steps to set the desired rotation.
  • Open Convert/Save: Click Media in the top menu and select Convert/Save.
  • Add the video: In the Open Media window, click Add to select your video file, then click Convert/Save.
  • Configure profile settings:
    • In the Convert window, click the wrench icon next to your selected profile.
    • Go to the Video Codec tab, then select the Filters tab.
    • Check the Video transformation filter box. If you set a custom angle, also check the Rotate video filter box.
  • Set destination and start conversion:
    • In the Convert window, click Browse to choose a destination file.
    • Click Start to begin conversion.

When you save a rotated video VLC makes a new file with your changes. How long it can take - depends on video’s length, resolution and your computer’s speed. Short videos can finish in a few minutes but bigger 4K files will take longer.

So, whether you just want to flip a video temporarily or save it that way permanently, VLC makes it quick and easy.