iPad Won't Rotate? Here's the Complete Guide to Fix!

Part 1: Why won't iPad rotate?

There are many reasons why your iPad won't rotate, and some of them are as follow:

Accidental Fall

When your iPad falls accidentally but does not break, then it can be the reason for the rotate screen not working. But, if the screen is broken or damaged, then you need to contact the Apple Support Center to get it fixed.

Unsupported Apps

Most apps are designed for iPhone, and few are designed for iPad that supports one orientation. So, it is possible that some apps do not support the auto-rotate feature of the iPad screen. In this case, you can check the issue for all apps installed on your device. If the screen rotates for some, then it means there is no issue with iPad screen rotation, but with the app, you are using.

Software Glitch

It is possible that you are not able to see the rotation lock icon on your iPad's screen. In this case, it is possible that your iPad is experiencing a software glitch. To solve this issue, you can turn the iPad off completely then restart it.

Rotation Lock Turn On

Have you accidentally turned on the rotation lock? You don't know how to turn it off, and you are facing an iPad screen that won't rotate issue. When the rotation lock is enabled on your device, then also your screen won't rotate. So make sure to turn it off.

But how to turn off the rotation lock? Read the following part.

Part 2: How to turn off Rotation Lock in Control Center?

Most of the time, iPad users mistakenly turn on the rotation lock, due to which the iPad fails to rotate the screen. Here are the steps to turn off the rotation lock in the control center:

For iPad with iOS 12 or later:

• Open the control center by scrolling down from the top-right corner of the screen.
• Look for the Device Orientation Lock button

• Click it to turn it off. If the button turns white from red, it means it is off.

For iPad with iOS 11 or earlier:

• Open the Control Center by scrolling up from the bottom edge of the screen.
• Click the Device Orientation Lock button to turn it off.

Part 3: How to turn off Rotation Lock with Side Switch?

For the older iPad, such as iPad Air, you can use the side switch on the right side to turn off rotation. Set the side switch to work as a rotation lock or mute switch with the following steps.

• First, go to Setting and then go to General.
• Look for "USE SIDE SWITCH TO" and select "Lock Rotation".
• Now, if the iPad cannot rotate, you can just toggle the side switch
• Lastly, try to test whether the iPad gets normal.

But if you check “mute” under “USE SIDE SWITCH TO”, the side switch will be used to mute the iPad. In this case, you can see the Lock Rotation in the control center and turn off the Rotation Lock as Part 2 introduced.

Models of iPad have Side Switch

Apple has discontinued the side switch with the introduction of the iPad Air 2 and the iPad Mini 4. The iPad Pro models also come without a side switch.

But, if you have iPad Air, iPad Mini / iPad Mini 2 / iPad Mini 3, or iPad (3rd and 4th generation), you can use these steps. It is because all these models of iPad have side switch.

Part 4: What to do if the iPad still won't rotate?

If you have followed the guide above to turn off the Rotation lock, but the iPad still won't rotate. In this case, check the following guide to do further troubleshooting. 

4.1 Force restart iPad

It is possible that due to a software issue, you are not able to rotate iPad screen. So, in this case, force rebooting of the iPad can solve the issue. This will restart your device and can also fix minor bugs.

Force restart the iPad with the home button

• To force restart your iPad, press and hold down the sleep/wake and home buttons together.

• Now, the Apple logo will appear on your iPad screen.

• Once it is done, try to rotate the screen of your iPad; hopefully, the problem gets fixed.

Force restart the latest iPad models with no home button

If you have the latest iPad then follow these steps to force restart the iPad:

• First, press and quickly release the volume up button.
• Again, press and quickly release the volume down button.
• Now, press and hold the power button present at the top until a restart started.

4.2 Reset All Settings

If the iPad doesn't rotate issue persists, you can try resetting iPadOS settings. With this, you will be able to reset all things like Wi-Fi connections and network settings. This is also a great way to take care of some unidentifiable iPadOS bugs to fix the rotation lock issue.

But before resetting the iPad, it is important to back up all the data.

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Take Back-Up of iPad using iTunes/Finder:

• First, you need to connect your iPad to the computer using a USB cable. 
• After this, open iTunes or Finder on Mac. Then follow the onscreen instructions and confirm to trust the computer.
• Select your iPad > click Summary.

• Finally, hit the "Back Up Now" option.

Once the backup is done, erase all content and settings. Here are the steps:

• Go to Settings on iPad, then go to General.
• Now, scroll down until you reach the Reset option.

• After this, choose "Erase All Content and Settings" to erase the entire data from your iPad.

• Now, you will need to enter the passcode to restore the iPad to factory settings.

4.3 The App You are Using is Crashed

It's possible your iPhone, or iPad screen won't rotate because of a software glitch in the operating system or in the app you're using. On devices like iPads, bugs crop up occasionally, but developers' updates fix them.

So, in this case, you need to check for updates if the force restart doesn't work.

• First, go to Settings and then look for General
• In general, go to Software Update for iPadOS on your iPad.

• Download and install available updates.
• After this, go to the App Store and tap your profile picture present in the top-right corner. This will help you to check updates for apps.
• Now, tap on the very available update in front of your apps.

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With Dr.Fone - System Repair (iOS), you can easily fix system errors or software glitches, such as iPad restarts. It is very easy to use and you do not need any technical knowledge to use Dr.Fone.

The best part is that it works for all models of iPad and supports iOS 15 too. Follow these steps to fix the iPad screen not rotating problem:

• First, you will need to install and launch the Dr.Fone toolkit on your computer and then choose "System Repair" from the home page.

• Connect your iPad to the computer with the help of a lightning cable. Then select the “Standard Mode” option.
• Now choose the model of your device and click on the “Start” button to download the recent firmware updates.

• Wait for some time as the respective firmware update.
• Once the firmware is downloaded, click on the "Fix Now" button to resolve the issue with your iPad.

Conclusion

Now with the above ways, you know how to fix the iPad won't rotate issue. You can check the reasons why your iPad screen is not rotating and get it fixed with the help of the above solutions. iPad is the best device to use for watching movies and reading books online with rotating screen according to your comfort.