Alex Ruben
How To Rotate Photos on iPhone Using the Photos App
Rotating pictures on an iPhone sounds trivial, but sometimes it’s a total pain to get it right, especially if you’re trying to do it quickly. Whether you’re on an iPhone 15, iPhone 16, or running iOS 18, the built-in Photos app usually does the job — but man, it can be a little confusing at first. If you’re trying to straighten out a photo, here are some straightforward steps that actually work.
Step 1: Open the Photos App
First off, launch the Photos app. It’s usually on your home screen, looks like a colorful flower icon — not exactly hiding in plain sight. Sometimes it’s under a folder if you’ve got a cluttered home screen, so if it’s not immediately visible, a quick search helps.
Step 2: Tap on the Photo to Rotate
Scroll through your library — or use the albums — find that shaky pic you wanna fix. Tap on it to open full-screen. Some images can be in weird formats or might be part of a live photo or screenshot, so make sure it’s the one you wanna fix.
Step 3: Tap on Edit
See the little Edit button at the bottom right? Tap that. It’s where all the magic happens, or so it promises. Be aware, not every photo gets plenty of editing options — sometimes you only get crop and filters, but on recent versions, rotation is right there.
Step 4: Open the Crop & Rotate Tool
Once you’re in Edit mode, tap on the Crop icon at the bottom (it looks like a little square with arrows), which also gives access to rotation. Sometimes, on older iOS, the rotation options can be kinda buried inside humorously labeled menus, but on recent versions, it’s straightforward.
Step 5: Rotate the Picture
If you see a round arrow icon at the top left, tap it. Each tap rotates the photo 90 degrees clockwise. You can rotate it as many times as needed — if you tap in the wrong direction, just tap again. Weird thing is, on some setups, the rotation doesn’t always feel super snappy or might not stick immediately. Don’t worry, just keep trying.
Pro tip: Some folks have reported that if you rotate a photo and it doesn’t seem right, pressing Done and then reopening the photo can force the rotation to stick. Not sure why it works, but it’s a little hack that helped in some cases.
Step 6: Save and Exit
Once you’re happy with the angle, hit Done in the top right corner. The app should save your changes automatically, though sometimes, depending on your iOS version or device, you might need to wait a second or two — or tap Done a second time if it’s acting stubborn. After that, go back to your photo library, and voilà, the rotated image is ready.
Extra Tips & Common Struggles
Here’s what tends to trip people up:
- Make sure your iPhone runs the latest version of iOS 18. Apple keeps tweaking these things, and an outdated OS can hide or disable certain features.
- If the rotate icon isn’t where you expect it, double-check you’re in the Crop menu — it’s sometimes hard to spot. On some setups, the rotate controls are a tiny icon, and you miss them if you’re not paying attention.
- On some older devices, the rotation might lag or not register immediately. Reboot the app or even the phone if needed. Android has its quirks, but iOS isn’t immune either.
- If you want to rotate multiple photos, you have to do it one by one. No bulk rotation in Photos — not yet anyway, unless you use third-party apps or scripts with tools like Winhance.
When This Applies
This whole process is useful when a photo is crooked, taken upside down, or just needs a quick fix. If your photos seem to keep auto-rotating incorrectly (because of how some cameras handle orientation), manually fixing it is the way to go. And yeah, sometimes it’s weird — I’ve seen a photo flip back after a review or a reboot, so patience is key.
More about the rotation magic
Basically, the rotation feature is just the crop tool with a rotation toggle, but because of how iOS overlays these options, it can feel a little clunky. If that didn’t fix the problem, maybe try exporting the photo, editing on a computer, then re-importing. Sometimes the software bugs out, and a more elaborate workaround is needed.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I rotate multiple photos at once?
Nope, unless you’re using some third-party batch editors. The Photos app only rotates one at a time. Good to keep that in mind if you’re fixing dozens of shots.
What if the rotate icon or options aren’t showing?
Check if you’re really in the Crop & Rotate menu. Sometimes, outdated iOS versions hide certain features or change layout. A quick update might fix that.
Will rotating photos degrade quality?
Rotating in the Photos app is non-destructive — it doesn’t change the actual photo file. You can always revert back if needed. But if you’re exporting and re-importing, keep an eye on quality settings.
Summary
- Open Photos, find your pic, tap Edit.
- Go into Crop & rotate, find the rotate icon.
- Tap it to rotate 90 degrees, repeat if needed.
- Tap Done, and you should see your photo in the right orientation.
Hopefully this shaves off a few hours for someone. Just something that worked on multiple machines. Fingers crossed this helps.