How to Rotate a PDF (Single or All Pages)

2026-02-20

You open a PDF and half the pages are sideways. Maybe a document was scanned in landscape, a photo was embedded at the wrong angle, or someone exported slides in the wrong orientation. Whatever the cause, a rotated PDF is frustrating to read and unprofessional to share. Fortunately, rotating PDF pages is one of the simplest fixes you can make, and you do not need expensive software to do it.

Why Do PDF Pages End Up Rotated?

The most common cause is scanning. Flatbed and document scanners sometimes capture pages in landscape orientation regardless of how the paper was placed. Another frequent cause is merging files from different sources where some pages were created in portrait and others in landscape. Camera-captured documents are also prone to rotation issues because phone cameras do not always embed orientation metadata correctly.

How to Rotate All Pages in a PDF

If every page in your PDF needs the same rotation, the fix is straightforward. Open the file in a PDF rotation tool, select the rotation angle (90 degrees clockwise, 90 degrees counterclockwise, or 180 degrees), apply it to all pages, and download the corrected file. Luleit's PDF rotator handles this in seconds, processing everything locally in your browser so your document stays private.

How to Rotate Individual Pages

Sometimes only a few pages need rotating while the rest are fine. In this case, you need a tool that lets you select specific pages. Open your PDF, browse through the page thumbnails, click on the pages that need correction, choose the rotation direction, and save. This targeted approach is essential when dealing with mixed-orientation documents like reports that include both portrait text pages and landscape charts or tables.

Rotation vs. Orientation: What Is the Difference?

Rotation changes the angle of the content on the page. Orientation refers to whether the page dimensions are portrait (taller than wide) or landscape (wider than tall). Rotating a portrait page 90 degrees makes the content sideways but does not change the page dimensions. Some tools offer both rotation and orientation changes. For most use cases, simple rotation is all you need.

Tips for Avoiding Rotation Issues

When scanning documents, check the scanner settings for auto-orientation detection. When merging PDFs from multiple sources, preview each file first to ensure consistent orientation. When photographing documents with your phone, hold the phone steady in portrait mode and let the camera app lock the orientation before capturing. These small habits prevent rotation headaches before they start.