One of the main benefits of modern smartphones is that most of them come equipped with cameras capable of capturing video in high quality at a moment’s notice. But shooting a great video requires more than just a decent camera, it also requires a bit of skill on the part of the user. Unfortunately, nobody is perfect and sometimes the videos we shoot don’t end up looking exactly like we expected. This is particularly annoying when we mess up the orientation because then we have to use some type of software to rotate it around. Although the main topic here is how to rotate a video in Windows Media Player, there isn’t actually a native way of doing this using the software. Hence, we’re going to take a look at some alternative methods.

It would have been ideal to be able to easily rotate a video in Windows Media Player since the software is available by default to all Windows users but unfortunately Microsoft keeps forgetting (or neglecting) to add this useful feature. And since the issue has been around for many years, chances are we’re not going to see this option implemented any time soon. The good news is that you don’t have to wonder about how to flip a video in Windows Media Player anymore because there are other pieces of software out there that can get that job done. There is certainly no lack of options if you’re looking for tools that can rotate videos but today we’re going to take a look at three alternatives that we think are most suitable for that task.

How to Rotate a Video without Windows Media Player Method 1: Windows Movie Maker

So you can’t rotate videos in Windows Media Player but you still want to use a Microsoft product. What do you do? Well, if that’s the case you might want to try something like Windows Movie Maker. If you’re a long-time Windows user you’re probably fairly familiar with this software by now since it’s also a staple of the operating system. Or rather, it was. Windows Movie Maker doesn’t come installed by default with Windows 10 but it’s still possible to find the software online and install it without any issues. With that out of the way, let’s take a look at the actual steps.

1. Your first order of business is to import the video you want to flip into Windows Movie Maker. The easiest way to do this is by using the drag and drop method.

2. Make sure you’re in the Home section of the menu and then look for the Editing options found on the right side of the toolbar.

3. There are two buttons here that allow you to rotate the video to the left or to the right by 90 degrees.  Use these buttons as much as needed until the video has the correct orientation.

4. Now all that remains is to save your work. You can do this by going to File and then selecting the option labeled Save project. If you wanted to learn how to rotate a video for Windows Media Player you’ll be happy to know that the video you saved will permanently maintain its rotation so open it with WMP and it should now look as initially intended.

How to Rotate a Video without Windows Media Player Method 2: DVDFab Player 5

Just because you can’t flip a video in Windows Media Player that doesn’t mean you can’t rely on other players to accomplish that task. Case in point, you can use DVDFab Player 5 to rotate any video quickly and easily, which is very convenient since you can then use this same player to also watch the video. DVDFab Player 5 can handle any type of video format you throw at it, including 4K Ultra HD Blu-ray movies and even features 3D playback support.

The software also comes with great ISO compatibility and supports navigation menus for all types of DVD and Blu-ray discs. Another great feature of DVDFab Player 5 is that it offers two different playback modes for PC and TV. You won’t ever have to wonder about how to rotate a video for Windows Media Player once you check out DVDFab Player 5 because this software offers a lot more features. But if you’re looking to flip videos with this player, here’s how it works:

1. Open DVDFab Player 5 and select PC Mode. TV Mode is designed as a cinema-style watching experience so you’ll want to use PC Mode when you want to make edits.

2. Either insert a disc with the video you want to rotate or use the + button to navigate to it if the video is stored somewhere on your PC.

 3. With the movie now playing, right-click anywhere inside the player to bring up the settings menu. Look for Video and then Rotate to get access to the options you’ll need.

4. There are quite a few options to play with, including rotating the video by 180 degrees and flipping it vertically or horizontally. Play around with the options until you find the orientation you want.

How to Rotate a Video without Windows Media Player Method 3: DVDFab Video Converter

Let’s say you not only want to rotate a video without Windows Media Player but you also need a tool that allows you to edit and convert that video to a different format. If that’s the case you’re in luck because DVDFab Video Converter can accomplish all those tasks and many more. This is a very powerful and easy to use video conversion tool that can read pretty much any format you can think of. Just like its name indicates, the software can then convert files to various other formats that are compatible with all modern devices and multimedia players.

In addition to being able to convert files, the software also offers some very impressive editing tools. This includes not just standard things like trimming and cropping but also the ability to adjust image values and add watermarks or subtitles. Naturally, it also lets you rotate videos without the need for Windows Media Player. Here’s how it works:

1. Open DVDFab and then go to the Converter module.

2. Drag and drop the video you want to edit in the center area or use the + button to navigate to the video’s location on your machine.

3. With the source now loaded, look for a series of small buttons located to the right. Click the third one to gain access to the Video Edit settings.

4. The Rotate option is located under the Info tab and you also get a preview of what the modified video looks like compared to the original. Click Ok when you’re done and feel free to use the other options to further modify the video and then convert it to a different format if necessary.

 

 

Conclusion

Hopefully, you no longer have to worry about how to rotate a video in Windows Media Player after reading this article. It’s quite unfortunate that the software doesn’t come with that feature but at least now you know there are plenty of alternatives out there that can get the job done. This includes simple ones like Windows Movie Maker as well as more advanced pieces of software like DVDFab Video Player 5 and DVDFab Video Converter that provide a lot of other useful tools to boot.