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Fix: Rotation Lock Greyed Out in Windows 10 & 11

9 min. read

Updated onJuly 12, 2024

updated onJuly 12, 2024

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If you own 2 in 1Windows 10device, therotationis one of the basic features that you’re going to use.

Unfortunately, users have reported that Rotation Lock option is grayed out and thatrotationisn’t working on their devices, so let’s fix that.

How do I fix a greyed-out Rotation Lock button in Windows 10?

1. Turn on portrait mode on your device

If Rotation Lock is grayed out or missing on your device, sometimes you just need to rotate it to portrait mode. After rotating your device, rotation lock should be clickable again.

2. Reset your device

Users have reported thatRotationLock function isn’t even showing in the notification area on their Microsoft Surface, and if you have the same problem on your Surface device, you can try to reset your device.

After you’ve done that,RotationLock should now appear in the Notification area, and it should work properly.

It seems that this issue is caused by connecting your Surface to anexternal display, so in order to avoid future problems, maybe you should avoid connecting your device to externaldisplaysuntil Microsoft releases a patch that fixes this issue.

3. Uninstall / Update yourdisplaydrivers

Sometimes, problems with Rotation Lock can be caused by yourdisplaydrivers, so you might need to update them or uninstall them.

To uninstall your drivers, do the following:

If the problem still persists, you might have to update yourdisplayadapters. To do that, follow these steps:

In addition, you can always go to your device manufacturer’s website and download the latest drivers for your device.

If this solution doesn’t work or you do not have the necessary computer skills to update the right driver version (wrong drivers can damage your system), we strongly suggest doing it automatically by using a professional driver updater tool.

Once installed, the program will start scanning yourPCfor outdated drivers automatically.

Adriver updaterwill check your installed driver versions against its cloud database of the latest versions and recommend proper updates. All you need to do is wait for the scan to complete.

4. Use your device in tent mode

Users have reported thatRotationLock is grayed out on their Dell Inspiron 11, and the only way to fix this is to use the tent mode. To enableRotationLock, perform the steps above.

5. Disconnect your keyboard

If Rotation Lock is grayed out on your Surface Pro 3 or Dell XPS 2-in-1 device, you might want to try disconnecting your keyboard.

Users have reported that after the keyboard is disconnected Rotation Lock button starts working normally.

Of course, if you own a different 2-in-1 device, you can still try this solution.

6. Switch to Tablet Mode

Some users claim that problems with grayed out or missing Rotation Lock button can be fixed simply by switching toTablet Mode.

If your device doesn’t switch automatically to Tablet Mode, you can do the following to access Tablet Mode manually:

You can also enter Tablet Mode using the Settings app:

7. Change LastOrientation registry value

If you have problems with Rotation Lock and if therotationisn’t working on your device, you might have to change some registry values.

8. Make sure that your screen is allowed to auto-rotate

If your screen isn’t allowed to auto-rotate, this can be one of the causes for Rotation Lock problems. To fix this issue, you need to check if your screen is allowed to auto-rotate. To do that, follow these steps:

9. Check Sensor Monitoring Service

Problems with Rotation Lock and rotation can be caused by certain services, so let’s check if those services are working properly.

10. Disable YMC service

If you own Lenovo Yoga device and you have problems withrotationand Rotation Lock button, you can fix these problems by disabling the YMC service.

11. Remove Intel Virtual Buttons Driver

It has been reported that Intel Virtual Buttons driver causes problems withrotationand it also makes the Rotation Lock button grayed out.

After the driver has been removed,rotationand Rotation Lock button should be working normally.

12. Disable sensors from Device Manager and enable them again

Problems withrotationcan be caused by your sensors, and you might have to temporarily disable them from Device Manager.

If the issue still persists, it’s advised that you restart your computer after you’ve disabled the sensors. After Windows 10 starts, you need to go back to Device Manager to enable the sensors again.

13. Download latest firmware, drivers, and Windows updates

Often these issues can be resolved by downloading the latest drivers from the manufacturer’s website, so if you have problems with missing or grayed out Rotation Lock button, try downloading and installing all latest drivers for your device.

Yoga 3 users have reported that problems withrotationand Rotation Lock have been fixed afterITE sensor firmwareupdate, so make sure that you download and install the latest firmware for your device.

Other users have reported that these problems have been resolved by downloading latestWindows updates, so if you’re having this problem, it won’t be a bad idea to update yourWindows 10.

14. Update your BIOS

If Rotation Lock is grayed out or missing, you might be able to fix that by updating your BIOS. To update BIOS, you need to go your device manufacturer’s website and download the latest BIOS.

Before you perform a BIOS update, make sure that you read the instruction manualcarefullyin order to avoid any potentialdamage.

15. RestartWindows 10

In some cases, the most obvious solution is the best solution, and few users have reported that they have managed to fix missing Lock Rotation button by simply restarting their device.

We have to mention that turning off and turning on your device won’t work sinceWindows 10uses hybrid shutdown (that is similar toHibernatefeature from previous versions of Windows).

Instead, you’ll have to chooseRestartoption from the Power menu in order to perform a proper restart.

16. Reset thisPC

Finally, if none of the available solutions provided a terminal solution for your problem and you’re still experiencing inconsistency with the Rotation Lock, we advise you to reset yourPCto factory settings.

This is a nifty recovery option introduced inWindows 10. You can preserve your data in the process, which is great in comparison to a clean reinstallation.

There are many reasons why the Rotation Lock button might be grayed out or missing on yourWindows 10device, but we hope that you’ve managed to fix this issue by following our solutions.

If you have any comments, questions or suggestions, just let us know in the comments below.

Fix: Rotation Lock Greyed Out in Windows 10 & 11#

How do I fix a greyed-out Rotation Lock button in Windows 10?#

1. Turn on portrait mode on your device#

2. Reset your device#

3. Uninstall / Update yourdisplaydrivers#

4. Use your device in tent mode#

5. Disconnect your keyboard#

6. Switch to Tablet Mode#

7. Change LastOrientation registry value#

8. Make sure that your screen is allowed to auto-rotate#

9. Check Sensor Monitoring Service#

10. Disable YMC service#

11. Remove Intel Virtual Buttons Driver#

12. Disable sensors from Device Manager and enable them again#

13. Download latest firmware, drivers, and Windows updates#

14. Update your BIOS#

15. RestartWindows 10#

16. Reset thisPC#