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| 1 | +# Rotating Your Screen in Ubuntu 25.10 via the Terminal |
| 2 | + |
| 3 | +_Written by [**Kaan Akşit**](https://kaanaksit.com), 10 January 2026_ |
| 4 | + |
| 5 | +**Disclamer:** This article is only tested under Ubuntu 24.10. |
| 6 | + |
| 7 | +This tutorial guides you through rotating your screen using the terminal in Ubuntu 25.10. Modern Ubuntu systems have moved away from the traditional X Window System, making simple xrandr commands unreliable. This solution leverages `gnome-randr.py` to achieve the desired result. |
| 8 | + |
| 9 | +## Understanding the Challenge: |
| 10 | +Older methods for screen rotation using xrandr often don't work reliably in Ubuntu 25.10 due to the transition away from the X Window System. This tutorial provides a workaround for terminal-based rotation. |
| 11 | + |
| 12 | +## Step 1: Installing Required Components |
| 13 | +First, you need to install the necessary dependencies. Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and execute the following commands: |
| 14 | +``` |
| 15 | +sudo apt update # Update package lists |
| 16 | +sudo apt install dbus # Install the D-Bus library |
| 17 | +wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fraz0815/gnome-randr/refs/heads/master/gnome-randr.py |
| 18 | +```` |
| 19 | +### Download the gnome-randr.py script |
| 20 | +``` |
| 21 | +sudo mv gnome-randr.py /usr/bin/gnome-randr # Move the script to a standard executable directory |
| 22 | +sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/gnome-randr # Make the script executable |
| 23 | +```` |
| 24 | +
|
| 25 | +## Step 2: Creating an Installation Script (Optional, for Scalability) |
| 26 | +
|
| 27 | +For ease of deployment to multiple machines, you can create a script to automate the installation process. |
| 28 | +
|
| 29 | +Open a terminal (Ctrl+Alt+T) and use your preferred text editor. We'll use vim in this example: |
| 30 | +
|
| 31 | + vim install_gnome_randr.sh |
| 32 | +
|
| 33 | +Paste the following lines into the install_gnome_randr.sh file: |
| 34 | +
|
| 35 | +``` |
| 36 | +sudo apt install dbus |
| 37 | +wget https://raw.githubusercontent.com/fraz0815/gnome-randr/refs/heads/master/gnome-randr.py |
| 38 | +sudo mv gnome-randr.py /usr/bin/gnome-randr |
| 39 | +sudo chmod +x /usr/bin/gnome-randr |
| 40 | +```` |
| 41 | + |
| 42 | +Save the file and exit the editor. Make the script executable and run it with root privileges: |
| 43 | + |
| 44 | +``` |
| 45 | +chmod +x install_gnome_randr.sh |
| 46 | +./install_gnome_randr.sh |
| 47 | +``` |
| 48 | + |
| 49 | +## Step 3: Identifying Your Display Output |
| 50 | +Once gnome-randr.py is installed, run the following command in your terminal: |
| 51 | +``` |
| 52 | +gnome-randr |
| 53 | +``` |
| 54 | + |
| 55 | +This will list the connected displays and their names (e.g., DP-0, HDMI-0, DP-2). Note the name of the display you want to rotate. This is crucial for the next step. |
| 56 | + |
| 57 | +## Step 4: Rotating the Screen |
| 58 | +Now that you know your display name, rotate the screen using the following command: |
| 59 | +``` |
| 60 | +gnome-randr --output <DISPLAY_NAME> --rotate <ROTATION> |
| 61 | +``` |
| 62 | +Replace <DISPLAY_NAME> with the name of your display (e.g., DP-0, HDMI-0) and <ROTATION> with one of the following values: |
| 63 | + |
| 64 | + normal: Returns to the normal orientation (0 degrees). |
| 65 | + left: Rotates 90 degrees clockwise. |
| 66 | + right: Rotates 90 degrees counter-clockwise. |
| 67 | + inverted: Rotates 180 degrees. |
| 68 | + |
| 69 | +### Example: |
| 70 | + |
| 71 | +To rotate display DP-0 90 degrees to the left: |
| 72 | +``` |
| 73 | +gnome-randr --output DP-0 --rotate left |
| 74 | +``` |
| 75 | + |
| 76 | +## Alternative: |
| 77 | + |
| 78 | +If you prefer a graphical approach, simply point and click within the GNOME Settings application to configure your display settings. |
| 79 | + |
| 80 | +**Importante Note:** This recipe is particularly useful when you need to perform this configuration on a large number of computers. You can deploy the installation script via SSH or other means to standardize the setup. |
| 81 | + |
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