How to Rotate a TikTok Video

Nothing's more frustrating than spending time creating the perfect TikTok video, only to have it upload sideways. Instead of getting the views it deserves, your viewers are craning their necks and quickly scrolling past. The good news is that fixing a rotated video is simple, whether you've already uploaded it or you caught the mistake beforehand. This guide will walk you through exactly how to rotate a TikTok video using three different methods, so your content always looks perfectly polished and ready for the For You page.

Why Did My TikTok Video Go Sideways in the First Place?

Before jumping into the solutions, it helps to understand why your video might be displaying incorrectly. A sideways video is almost always a simple hiccup related to your phone’s orientation data. This is typically caused by one of a few common scenarios:

• Accidentally Filming Horizontally: The most common culprit. TikTok is a vertical-first platform. If you start recording while holding your phone sideways and then turn it upright, or vice-versa, the phone’s sensor might save the orientation data incorrectly, leading to a sideways video file.
• Unlocked Screen Rotation: Many of us have screen rotation unlocked on our phones. If you tilt your phone even slightly while hitting the record button, the accelerometer might misinterpret the intended orientation, causing the video to save sideways.
• Bugs with Editing Apps: Sometimes, third-party video editors can strip out or corrupt the metadata that tells a service like TikTok which way is "up." When you export the video and upload it, TikTok defaults to a standard orientation, which might be wrong.
• Transferring Files Between Devices: Moving a video file from a camera to a computer and then to your phone can sometimes lead to issues with its orientation data. Somewhere along the journey, the instructions telling a player how to display the video can get lost.

Understanding these little gremlins can help you avoid them in the future. Now, let’s get to fixing the video you have right now.

Method 1: The Best Practice - Rotate Your Video Before Uploading

By far the easiest and most reliable way to fix a sideways video is to rotate it before it ever touches the TikTok app. This lets you fix the issue at the source, giving you a clean video file that will upload correctly everywhere, not just on TikTok. Luckily, you don’t need any fancy software, your phone’s built-in photo app is more than capable.

How to Rotate a Video on an iPhone

The Photos app on every iPhone has simple, yet powerful, video editing tools built right in. The rotate function is just a few taps away.

1. Open the Photos app on your iPhone and find the video you want to rotate.
2. Tap on the video to open it in full-screen mode.
3. In the top-right corner, tap the Edit button. This will open the video editing interface.
4. At the bottom of the screen, tap the Crop/Rotate icon (it looks like a square with rotation arrows).
5. In the top-left corner of the editing screen, you'll see a small square icon with a curved arrow. This is the Rotate button.
6. Tap the rotate button once to turn the video 90 degrees. Keep tapping it until the video has the correct vertical orientation.
7. Once you're happy with the alignment, tap the yellow Done button in the bottom-right corner. The app will save the changes to your video.

Your video is now permanently fixed. You can now go to TikTok, upload it from your camera roll, and it will appear perfectly upright.

How to Rotate a Video on an Android Device

Just like with iPhones, most Android devices have excellent video editing tools built right into their default gallery app, which is often Google Photos.

1. Open the Google Photos app (or your device's default gallery app) and select the troublesome video.
2. Tap the screen so the editing options appear, then tap the Edit button at the bottom.
3. Toward the bottom of the screen, scroll through the tools until you find Crop, then tap on it.
4. You should now see a Rotate icon (usually a diamond shape with a curved arrow). Tap it.
5. Each tap will rotate your video by 90 degrees. Tap it as many times as you need to get it oriented vertically.
6. Once it looks correct, tap Save copy in the bottom-right corner. Google Photos will save a new, correctly oriented version of your clip, leaving the original untouched.

Now you have a brand-new video file that's ready for TikTok. Open the app, upload this corrected version, and you're good to go.

Method 2: How to Rotate a Video Inside the TikTok Uploader

What if you didn't notice the issue until you were already in the TikTok app uploader? Don't panic and start over. TikTok has a lesser-known feature that allows you to rotate clips you’ve uploaded from your camera roll.

Important Note: This method only works for videos you upload from your device. It does not work on clips recorded directly within the TikTok app itself.

This is a quick fix that saves you from having to leave the app. Here’s how you find it:

1. Open TikTok and tap the plus (+) icon to create a new post.
2. Select Upload and choose the sideways video from your camera roll. If you select multiple clips, you can rotate them individually. Tap Next.
3. You'll now be on the main editing screen where you can add sounds, text, and effects. In the top-right corner, find and tap the Adjust clips button (it has an icon that looks like a film strip with scissors).
4. This will open the clip timeline view. If you have multiple clips, make sure the one you want to fix is selected (it will have a white border around it).
5. At the bottom of the screen, among the other tools like 'Split' and 'Delete', you’ll see the Rotate button.
6. Tap Rotate once to turn the selected clip 90 degrees. Tap it again if needed until it’s perfectly vertical.
7. When you’re finished, tap the Save button in the top-right corner to return to the main editing screen.

That's it! Your video is now oriented correctly within the TikTok editor, and you can proceed with adding your sounds, captions, and effects as usual. This is a real lifesaver when you’re in a rush and don't want to start the whole upload process over again.

Method 3: Using Third-Party Video Editing Apps for More Control

For creators who are already using mobile video editing apps, rotating a clip is a cinch. Popular apps like CapCut (TikTok's sibling app), InShot, and VN Video Editor are powerful tools that give you more precise control over every aspect of your video, including rotation.

Using one of these apps is a great option if your video needs more than just a quick turn. For example, if rotating shrinks the video and leaves black bars, a third-party editor can help you zoom and reframe the shot to perfectly fit the 9:16 screen.

The general workflow is very similar across most editing apps:

1. Import Your Clip: Open your preferred editing app and start a new project. Import the sideways video from your camera roll.
2. Find the Edit/Transform Tools: Select the video clip on your timeline to bring up the editing tools. Look for an option labeled 'Edit,' 'Transform,' or 'Format.'
3. Locate the Rotate Function: Inside these tools, you’ll find the 'Rotate' option. Tap it repeatedly to turn the video 90 degrees at a time until it's upright.
4. Adjust as Needed: This is a great time to make other adjustments. You can pinch to zoom, reposition the frame to make sure your subject is centered, and crop out any unwanted areas.
5. Export Your Video: Once you’re satisfied, export the finished video. Be sure to export in high quality (1080p is a great standard for TikTok) and a 9:16 aspect ratio to ensure it looks crisp and professional.

Now you have a fully corrected and formatted video ready to be uploaded directly to TikTok, no further adjustments needed.

Proactive Tips: A Creator's Checklist to Avoid Sideways Videos

Resolving a sideways video is easy, but avoiding the problem altogether is even better. Adopting a few simple habits in your filming workflow will help you get it right every time.

• Always Film Vertically: Get in the habit of holding your phone in portrait mode for any content destined for TikTok, Reels, or Shorts. It's the native format for these platforms, and filming vertically from the start eliminates almost all rotation issues.
• Lock Your Screen Orientation: This is a simple but powerful trick. Before you start recording, swipe down from the top-right corner of your screen (on iPhone) or the top (on Android) to open a control panel. Tap the icon that looks like a padlock with a circular arrow to lock the orientation. This prevents your phone from getting confused if you tilt it while recording.
• Do a Quick Preview: Before you even open TikTok, play the video clip in your phone's photo gallery. If it's sideways there, it will be sideways on TikTok. Taking five seconds to check it allows you to rotate it using Method 1 for a flawless upload.

Final Thoughts

A sideways video can derail an otherwise perfectly good piece of content, but it's a remarkably easy problem to fix. Whether you choose to rotate it beforehand in your phone's gallery, use TikTok's hidden 'Adjust clips' tool, or fine-tune it in an app like CapCut, you can have your video looking professional and ready for viewers in under a minute.

Once you’ve perfected your video creation workflow, from filming to rotating and editing, the next step is building a consistent content schedule. At Postbase, we built our platform specifically for the needs of modern social media managers and creators who are tired of clunky, outdated tools. We make it easy to upload your content once and schedule it across TikTok, Reels, and Shorts from a single visual calendar. Instead of wrestling with upload errors or posts that fail to publish, you can trust our reliable, video-first system to get your content posted on time, every time.