Turning the computer display upside-down has quite a few legit uses, on wall mounted LCDs for example, but you may also use this as a office prank on some unsuspecting colleague.
**Update: Some users have had problems (see comments) after using the shortcut so please ignore this article. Sorry for the trouble.
So if you have a Windows PC with an Intel chipset, press CTRL+ALT+Down Key to turn the display upside down. Pressing the combination again restores the display.
You may also try the left or right arrow keys to rotate the screen 90° in either direction.
This trick only works if you an Intel Graphic driver as suggested by people on Twitter. [via]
Also check out another scary keyboard shortcut – Alt + Shift + Print.
Find this article at: http://www.labnol.org/software/turn-computer-screen-upside-down/6097/
Tags: display, fun, monitor, office prank, Software
Reader Comments
there is a mistake !! To turn it normal, its not the same combination, you need to press ctrl + alt + up key,
Written by conqrr on 12.18.08
Actually, you also need to have the shortcuts enabled for the intel chipset.
Also, Alt + Shift + ‘Direction Key’ moves the screen in the corresponding direction. Hence, down is upside down, up is the right way up, left is 90 degrees anti-clockwise and right is 90 degrees clockwise.
Written by Ajay D’Souza on 12.18.08
This caused me a problem – link
What is the solution?
Written by Ganesh on 12.18.08
It didn’t work for me … :( :)
Written by Nisar on 12.18.08
Tread lightly! Just tried this on my Vista SP1 Compaq laptop with Intel 945 chipset and ended up with the error in the picture linked by Ganesh.
Have rebooted and reinstalled drivers. Problem still remains.
Display settings are all wonky. Resolution is -1 x -1 with no colors and it’s reporting monitor 2 as my main monitor (with no other monitors attached).
Resolution and colors are actually fine, but now I’m bugged about the error message. Not a fun way to start the day.
Written by Mikey J on 12.18.08
Someone posted this solution on IDT: “I found out that i could fix the secondary monitor display on toshiba tablet pc which had rotated 90 degrees by going into windows /control panel /display properties/ setting option and clicking on the secondary monitor icon and making it that temporarily the primary monitor display and then the screen resolution could be changed from 768 x 1024 (portrait) to 1024 x 768 (landscape). Then I could change the external display monitor back from primary monitor to secondary monitor with the rotation problem fixed.”
Written by Amit on 12.18.08
I’m back to normal. Had to rip out the hardware in Device Manager, delete drivers, reboot, and reinstall drivers.
In the process, reminded me of two of my favorites:
1) WinKey + Break => Computer Properties
2) When running self-extracting files that ask where you want to put the files, enter “.” (no quotes, of course) to have the files extracted to the same folder as the archive.
Written by Mikey J on 12.18.08
Don’t try it. Not worth the effort of uninstalling and reinstalling the drivers. Not to mention the anxiety.
Written by Arun on 12.18.08
Actually I’d like this-I’m lazy as heck and only reason my lcd is sitting on my table instead of being hung above the sofa is of course there are nothing to hang it by – if I could turn it upside down it’d be up there ready to be pulled down when I want.
And I’d have no table here…
Written by Sukka on 01.17.09