Fix Windows 10 AutoRotation

Overview

AutoRotation has been known to stop working on Windows 10 for no apparent reason. The web is filled with tips, even directly from Microsoft, that rarely work. This tutorial will show you the fastest way to get AutoRotation working again.

HOW TO FIX WINDOWS 10 AUTOROTATION

Warning: As with any instructions for editing the system registry, do so at your own risk.

1. Unplug all peripherals from your device.
2. Press the ⊞ Windows+S keys to open the Windows Search bar.
3. Type regedit and click on the “Run as Administrator” option. When prompted, enter the administrator password.
   
4. Find the following key in the registry tree:
   HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AutoRotation
5. Most likely, you will see the Enable key set to 0x00000000. Double-click on the Enable key and change it’s value to 1.
   

   If the Enable value does not exist, right-click in the right-hand pane of RegEdit and click New > DWORD (32 bit) Value. Set the name of the new value to Enable and set it’s data to 1.

   

6. Quit the RegEdit app, and restart Windows. Your AutoRotation should be working again.

Additional Notes

AutoRotation can stop working for a number of reasons, such as…

• A misbehaving peripheral (like an external monitor) disabling AutoRotation.
• A corrupt or missing system file.
• A Windows Update that disabled AutoRotation.
• A malfunctioning sensor pack inside the device.

Here are some additional steps you can take to verify your system files and hardware are in good shape.

• Install the free Microsoft SensorExplorer app through the Microsoft Store app. Launch the app, and click the Orientation Test button. This will test the orientation sensors inside your device. If all the tests pass, then a malfunctioning sensor is not the problem.
• Use the Windows System File Checker tool to test for corruption of your system files.
  1. Press the ⊞ Windows+S keys to open the Windows Search bar.
  2. Type cmd and click on the “Run as Administrator” option.
     
  3. Type sfc /scannow in the command window and press enter. This will scan all Windows system files for missing or corrupt files and try to fix any problems it finds, including the RotMgr.dll system library that handles all screen rotation functions. If this passes, then a corrupt system file is not the problem.

Registry File Speed-Up

To speed up this procedure, you can create a registry file.  Sign-in as an administrator and create a new text file.  Then copy-and-paste the following into it…

Windows Registry Editor Version 5.00

[HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\AutoRotation]
"Enable"=dword:00000001

Save the file as fix-autorotation.reg on your Desktop. To use it, sign-in as the same administrator and double-click the file you created on your desktop. Follow the prompts to Merge the registry setting into your registry database.