In the event that we have a problem with the automatic rotation of the screen, it is possible that it may disturb our visual experience. If we use a computer compatible with this function, we may be interested in eliminating it if we are not going to use it. That is why Windows offers us different ways to deactivate it and thereby solve the problem.
Ways to disable automatic screen rotation
If we want to disable automatic screen rotation in Windows, there are three ways to do it from the operating system itself. We can deactivate this function from the Settings menu, using the Activity Center or Through a modification in the Registry Editor.
From Windows Settings
It is possible to disable automatic screen rotation from the Windows Settings menu. To access it we press the keyboard shortcut “Windows + I”. Once its window appears, we must select the “System” section.
Once inside in the left column we make sure to be inside the “Screen” section. Now in the right part of the screen we find the section “Scale and design”. Here we must find the option “Rotation Lock” that we must deactivate by clicking on the button so that it appears in gray. In the event that we cannot find this option, it means that our equipment does not support this function.
Once this is done, we must restart the PC so that all the changes made are saved and begin to be applied correctly once the system has started.
Using the Action Center
Another option available to disable automatic screen rotation is to use the Windows Action Center. This is an area of our desktop where notifications from both the operating system and the programs designed for Windows are displayed. He is also in charge of showing us alerts and special shortcuts such as Bluetooth, WiFi or screen rotation, which is what interests us this time.
To access the Activity Center we must click on its icon that we will find in the lower right part of our screen. This will open a side menu with all available notifications. At the bottom we find the shortcuts. To see all of them it will be necessary to click on “Expand”. Here we must press the button “Rotation lock”.
If the “Rotation Lock” button does not appear, it may be because our computer is not compatible with this function or that it is not available in this section. To check this, we access the Settings menu by pressing “Windows + I”. Next, click on «System» and in the left column on «Notifications and actions». Here, in the right panel we select “Edit Quick Actions”. Once the list appears, click on the «Rotation lock» switch.
Once this is done, the system will stop rotating the screen automatically and it will remain fixed vertically or horizontally depending on what we have configured.
Using Registry Editor
The Registry Editor is a powerful graphical utility that we find within Windows especially aimed at advanced users. From her we can enter the system registry and to be able to make complex modifications, being possible to modify any element of our system. Of course, it is a complex and dangerous tool, since any wrong change can cause stability problems in the system, so it must be used with care and under the responsibility of each user.
Since it is possible to make practically any modification from the Editor, we will also be able to disable the automatic rotation of the screen of our computer. To access, we will use the Run command, which we will launch by pressing the keyboard shortcut Windows + R. Later we write regedit and press Enter or the OK button.
Once in the Editor, we must navigate to the following path:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE / SOFTWARE / Microsoft / Windows / CurrentVersion / AutoRotation
Once we have reached this path, we look at the panel on the right where we find a DWORD value called “Enable”. We double click on it and we change its key value from 1 to 0. Click OK to save the changes, and restart the system so that the changes are saved and take effect once we have logged in.
The screen lock is grayed out
There are times where the “Rotation Lock” shortcut tile in Action Center or the “Rotation Lock” button in the Settings menu may be grayed out. This mainly happens if we have a convertible PC or a laptop with a removable screen and we have it enabled in laptop mode.
On a convertible PC (2-in-1)
Convertible or 2-in-1 PCs are those that have the possibility of being used as a laptop or folding the screen hinge to be used as a tablet. This lock will appear while we use it in laptop mode, being enabled when we have the screen folded and the tablet mode is activated. This happens because while we use the computer as a normal laptop, the screen will never rotate automatically, so it will be necessary to use the tablet mode to activate or deactivate the Rotation Lock. In case we use the tablet mode and it is still dim, we can try rotating the screen to turn it on or off.
On a PC with a removable screen
If we have a computer with a removable screen, that is, that works as a laptop but we can extract the screen to use it as a tablet, the rotation lock will appear dimmed as long as we have the screen connected to the keyboard. This happens because while we use the standard portable mode the screen will never rotate automatically. Once we have the screen disconnected from the keyboard, the screen can rotate automatically so that the “Lock rotation” button will no longer appear dimmed and we can activate or deactivate it according to our tastes and needs.
