How to Rotate PDF Files And Save Changes
I often scan documents and send them out as PDF, and there have been a few instances where the pages are not properly oriented. I realized that was a real problem when afew people asked it on Reddit. There are PDF editors which allow you to edit your PDFs but I don’t think anyone who doesn’t regularly works with PDF would want to commit to an Adobe subscription just to rotate a few pages. I have compiled a list of tools that allow you to rotate you to for free. These methods are quick and we’ll cover all the platforms. Let’s get started.
Most of the following programs makes batch changes to the PDFs, and often lacks undo button. So, it’s always a good practice to make a backup copy of your PDFs before you start editing it.
Read:How to Reduce PDF File Size Without Losing Quality
How to Rotate PDF on Windows
Windows 10 has an inbuilt browser known as Microsoft Edge, which unlike the popular belief is quite powerful. you’re able to read PDFs and even rotate the pages on Edge browser.
To open a PDF file in Microsoft Edge browser,Right-clickon the PDF file and select ‘Open With‘ from the drop-down menu and choose ‘Microsoft Edge‘. It would open the file on the browser and you’ll see controls on the top of the page. To rotate the PDF, just press therotate buttonon the toolbar until the pdf is upright. Youcan’t save the filesafter rotating it. So use this method when you just have to read PDF, but if you wish to edit and save PDFs, the next tools in the list are going to help you with that.
Read:Best PDF to Word Converter Online (Free Without Email)
If you are not running Windows 10 (which you should), you can usePDFSAM,an opensource PDF editor which does the basic functions like edit, split, merge, and rotate. It does have a paid version which offers more functionality but if you just need to rotate pdf this is a great tool. Its free, quick and also handlesmultiple PDFfor batch processing.
Installing the program should be very easy and you’re able to just follow the instructions and when its done run the program by clicking the icon on your desktop. Once you open PDFSAM, you’d see a few options, click on ‘Rotate‘ to load the window.
You can add multiple files here by clicking ‘Add‘ and specify individual pages which you want to be rotated by entering the page numbers in thePage Rangesfield. For example, out of 10 pages in the PDF file, you only want to rotate, page number 1 and 2. You will have to write down the numbers somewhere because it doesn’t have a preview option where you could see the progress. The page Ranges option on the right, you can enter thepage numbersseparated with a commaand then choose the rotating angle.
Mind you, its a batch process and it would make changes to all the PDF files you’ve selected. After you’ve set the angle for rotation for pdf then you need to specify a directory or leave it default (which is the original file’s directory).
To keep the file names separate and avoid confusion, you canadd a prefixbefore every pdf file with File name settings and then click onRun.
The bar on the bottom shows progress and after its done, your files aresavedin that directory. You can check for the rotated pages by clicking ‘open‘ button. This method works great for processing a large number of files on Windows but if you use smartphones there are methods for that as well.
How to Rotate PDF on Mac And Save
Unlike Windows, the basic functionality for editing PDF’s is built into macOS.
The Preview app has an inbuilt feature which displays PDFs and lets you rotate individual pages of a PDF file. To rotate a page in the pdf open the PDF file with the preview app byright-clickingthe file to open it inPreview.
Read:Best Free Open Source PDF Editors for Windows and Mac
Preview mode is generally used to preview files but you may rotate individual pages with it. To rotate a page of your choice, select the multiple pages while holding down theShiftkey.
Next, click theRotatebutton on the toolbar (highlighted in the red box below), if the rotate buttons do not appear in the toolbar, click on theToolsoption in the menu bar and selectRotateLeftorRotate Rightoption.
It changes the orientation of the page but you have to save the changes first. To save the document click on ‘File‘ and select ‘Save‘. This would retain the new orientation of the page and open your files with the correct orientation.
How to Rotate PDF on the Web
Sure, If you don’t have the time to download a tool and need a quick solution to rotate videos, web tools are the best options for that. It is quick and works on mobile devices as well, however, you areuploading your data on the third-party server. No matter what their privacy policy says, I would never trust a third-party website with confidential PDFs. That said, if the PDF file is not meant for private use, it’s okay to use third-party services as well.
To rotate your pdfs on the web, go torotatepdf.comand you’ll see the screen just like in the image below. You candraga file from your system anddropit on the box or select it manually by pressing the button ‘Click Here to Select‘.
After you choose a file, mind you it can process only one file at once and it might take some time to upload depending on the file size and your internet connection. It usually uploads fairly quickly.
Once the file is uploaded, it lists all the pages with a thumbnail and with adedicatedrotate and delete button for each page. You canrotate individual pagesby pressing therotatebuttons. If there are duplicate pages you can delete those pages by tapping the bin button under the page.
After you’ve rotated all the pages, Press theGenerate PDFbutton and it woulddownloadthe file to your system.
This method is quick and easy but again, many people refrain from using the third party online tools because there is always a risk of those servers collecting your data. So, if your data is confidential and important and can’t take a risk, there are other methods which you can use like downloading a free tool to rotate pdf.
How to Rotate PDF on Android
There are a plethora ofPDF editors for Android, offering features ranging from annotation to rotation. you may choose any of the free apps and use it to rotate the pages of pdf files. I chose PDF Viewer which gets the job done fairly quickly and you can choose individual pages to rotate.
InstallPDF Viewerfrom the Play Store and open it. Select your PDF file from the directory and tap the icon to load the file on to the app.
Once the pdf is loaded you would see the default view, you can’t edit the files in the view mode and to rotate the pages you need to switch to thumbnail mode by tapping thethumbnail iconon the top right. It brings out the editing tools. Select the pages bylong pressingon the page number. You can select multiple pages and after all the pages are selected, tap on theRotate Buttonuntil the pages are in the correct orientation.
Now, save the pdf with pages in the right orientation, tap on the ‘Check Mark‘ button and select‘Save As‘ to save the file on your phone.
This app works great and if you use an iPhone and need to rotate your videos then you’re able to use this app to rotate pages on iPhone and iPad as well.
How to Rotate PDF on iPhone and iPad
PDF Viewer works for both Android and iPhone and to rotate the PDF files you need to follow the exact same steps. Why not choose another app? Well, I looked up on the App store and most of the apps were paid and the free ones weren’t as good. PDF Viewer is both free and quick to use. Let’s see how you’re able to rotate your pdf files on your iPhone and iPad.
InstallPDF viewerfrom the App store and open it, select the PDF file from Files ( iCloud folder) and tap the file to load it on the app.
On the top right corner of the app, you’d see a thumbnail view and an edit icon, to rotate pdf files tap theeditbutton.
you may select all the pages which are out of sync or orientation and press therotate buttonon the topuntilthe pages are in thecorrect orientation.
Once your pages are fixed you cansavethe file by tapping thecheck markbutton to save the files to your iPhone or iCloud folder.
Also Read:The Best Ways to Password Protect PDF File
Works as an in-house Writer at TechWiser and focuses on the latest smart consumer electronics. Closely follows the latest trends in consumer IoT and how it affects our daily lives. You can follow him on Twitter. Yes, he sometimes speaks in Third Person.
