After you add a picture to a document in Google Docs, there are several ways you can modify it. Use these steps to rotate a picture in Google Docs.
- Sign into Google Drive and open the Docs file.
- Click on the picture to rotate.
- Click and hold on the circular handle at the top of the picture.
- Drag the handle to rotate the image.
The article continues below with additional information and pictures for the steps.
Many times a picture that you have on your computer or that you find online will not be rotated properly.
This is pretty common with pictures taken on smartphones as they can vary between portrait and landscape orientation.
When you insert a picture with the wrong orientation into your Google Docs document, you will need to find a way to rotate that picture so that it displays the way that you need.
Our guide below will show you how to rotate a picture in Google Docs.
How to Rotate an Image in Google Docs (Guide with Pictures)
The steps in this article were performed in the desktop version of the Google Chrome Web browser, but will also work in other desktop browsers as well.
Step 1: Sign into your Google Drive and open the Docs file with the picture you need to rotate.
Step 2: Click on the picture to select it.

Step 3: Click and hold on the circle handle attached to the top border of the image.

Step 4: Drag the picture until it is at the correct rotation.

Note that if there is other content surrounding the picture then that content may be moved to accommodate the new layout of the picture.
When you have a picture selected in Google Docs, an Image options button will appear in the toolbar above the document. If you click that button it will show some options in a column at the right side of the window.
If you click the Size & Rotation tab you will see another way to rotate the picture where you can specify the angle of rotation that you wish to use.
See also
- How to change margins in Google Docs
- How to add strikethrough in Google Docs
- How to add a row to a table in Google Docs
- How to insert a horizontal line in Google Docs
- How to change to landscape orientation in Google Docs
Matthew Burleigh has been writing tech tutorials since 2008. His writing has appeared on dozens of different websites and been read over 50 million times.
After receiving his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science he spent several years working in IT management for small businesses. However, he now works full time writing content online and creating websites.
His main writing topics include iPhones, Microsoft Office, Google Apps, Android, and Photoshop, but he has also written about many other tech topics as well.
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