How to / iOS

How to rotate pages in PDF on iPhone and iPad

A short guide to help you effortlessly modify the orientation of your PDF pages.

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How to rotate pages in PDF on iPhone and iPad

PDF files have evolved into the preferred format for document sharing and storage, but they aren't without their peculiarities. PDFs are easy to read, but when it comes to editing or rotating pages, some general tips can be helpful to simplify the process. 

Whether you're handling scanned documents or images merged into a PDF, the ability to rotate PDF pages on iOS becomes a valuable skill. 

While standard apps don't support editing features or hide them, professional apps like PDF Expert make rotating pages and other edits in PDFs easy and accessible. You can use pre-installed apps or professional PDF editors like PDF Expert to accomplish the task on an iPhone or iPad.


How to rotate PDF pages in PDF Expert on iPhone and iPad

Specifically designed to make work with PDFs easy on iPhone and iPad, PDF Expert delivers as it promises. After you download the app and try it with one of your PDFs, you will breeze through any PDF task.

A particular feature called the Thumbnail mode in PDF Expert is available to make a wide range of adjustments to PDF pages. You can rotate one or all pages simultaneously with just a few taps.

  1. Open a PDF in PDF Expert.
  2. Tap the Thumbnail icon at the bottom left corner.
  3. Tap Select to choose the pages you want to rotate, and tap each page individually.
  4. Tap Rotate and then Done.

rotate_pdf_pages_pdf_expert_iphoneIn the Thumbnail mode, you will find Copy, Paste, Extract at the top of the screen and Add Share, Email, and Delete at the bottom. There you can easily organize and rearrange pages in your PDF in a matter of seconds.

You can also tap the Select All button and Rotate all pages in a PDF file at once.


How to rotate pages in PDF with already installed applications

Viewing PDFs is straightforward and supported by almost any app on iPhone or iPad. However, when it comes to actually making small tweaks to a PDF file, you can spend your time searching without any results. You may decide to edit a file on your computer or give up the idea of rotating pages at all. 

We’d like to share an alternative solution. It will be a bit tricky and require extra steps, but it will get you the desired result - rotate a page in PDF without additional apps on iPhone or iPad.

  1. Open the Mail app, Files, or any other app where your PDF is stored.
  2. Open a PDF where you need to rotate a page. Make sure you see the PDF’s preview.
  3. Tap the Sharing icon.
  4. Select Copy.
  5. Open the Notes app and tap 'New note' icon in the bottom right corner. Important note: Make sure that the new note you are creating will be under your iCloud account. As iCloud supports the editing feature that you will need.
  6. Tap and hold empty space in a new note and tap Paste.
  7. Tap the Page Management icon.
  8. Tap the page you want to rotate and tap the three-dots icon.

rotate_pdf_pages_notes_iphone

  1. Select Rotate Right or Rotate Left.

rotate_pages_pdf_ihone_menu

  1. Tap Continue Editing if you see a similar pop-up.

rotate_pdf_pages_iphone_edit

That’s it. As a result, you will have the pages in the correct orientation in your PDF document. 


Now you know how to rotate PDF pages in PDFs. Standard apps will suffice if you are viewing PDFs and want to do minor markups on your iPhone or iPad. However, consider apps like PDF Expert for editing PDFs, signing, filling out PDF forms, and advanced annotation capabilities


Download PDF Expert on your iPhone and iPad, and edit any PDFs with ease.