Have you shot a video on your smartphone, but when viewing it, it appears sideways or upside down? Or did the downloaded video suddenly turn 90°? The problem with upside-down video on Android occurs more often than it seems - and we’re not just talking about older models like Samsung Galaxy S8 or Xiaomi Redmi Note 5. Even the 2023–2026 flagships sometimes glitch with content orientation. In 80% of cases, it is not hardware defects that are to blame, but file metadata, player settings or codec errors.

In this article we will examine 7 working methods returning the video to the correct position - from basic actions in the gallery to advanced tools like FFmpeg i ADB. We’ll also explain why some videos turn over only in WhatsApp, others - in Google Photos, and others “fall” when loading in Instagram. Spoiler: often the problem lies in the way the smartphone records EXIF tags with rotation data.

Why the video flips: 3 main ones reasons

Before fixing the problem, it is important to understand its root. In 95% of cases, one of three things is to blame:

  • 📱 Incorrect metadata. The video file contains a rotationtag that tells the player how to rotate the image. If the tag is damaged or conflicts with the actual orientation, the video is displayed crookedly.
  • 🎥 Camera error. Some models (for example Huawei P30 Pro or OnePlus 7T) record video in “portrait” mode, but save it as “landscape” by adding a 90° rotation tag. Players do not always interpret this correctly.
  • 🖥️ Player problems. The built-in gallery Android or applications like VLC can ignore metadata, especially if the video was shot on iPhone and sent via messenger.

Rarely at fault hardware failures (for example, a faulty gyroscope in Sony Xperia old series) or firmware conflicts after an update. If the video flips only in one application (say, in TikTok, but not in the gallery), the problem is almost certainly in the settings of this software.

📊 Where do your videos flip most often?
In the gallery
In messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram)
When uploading to social networks
In the player (VLC, MX Player)
Another option

The fastest method is to use the built-in tools Google Photos or the standard gallery. Works on most smartphones, including Samsung, Xiaomi, Realme and Oppo:

  1. Open the video in the gallery and tap on the “Edit” icon** (pencil or three dots → Edit).
  2. Select tool Rotate** (usually indicated by a circular arrow).
  3. Rotate the video 90° clockwise or counterclockwise until it fits correctly.
  4. Save changes (in Google Photos click Done → Save a copy).

⚠️ Attention: some versions of the gallery (for example, on Android 12 for Motorola) do not retain metadata after rotation. If the video rotates again when sending, use Method 3 or 4.

Is the video open in full screen mode?

Is there an orientation lock icon (if so, unlock it)?

Is there enough space on the device to save a copy?

Have you tried another player (for example, MX Player)?-->

Method 2: Correcting metadata using EXIF editors

If the video was physically shot correctly, but the player “spins” it, the metadata is to blame. They can be corrected without transcoding the file - this will preserve the quality. We use applications like EXIF Editor or Photo & Video Metadata Editor:

  1. Install one of the applications from Google Play.
  2. Open the problematic video file in the editor.
  3. Find the field Rotation or Orientation (usually in the section Video Tags).
  4. Set the value 0 (without rotation) or 90/180/270, if you need to compensate for the current angle.
  5. Save the changes and check the video in the player.

🔹 Note for Samsung: on devices with One UI 5.0+ a built-in gallery may ignore manual metadata edits. In this case, use a third-party player (for example, K-Lite Codec Pack for Windowsif you transfer the file to a PC).

Application Supported formats Does it save the original? Advertising
EXIF Editor MP4, MOV, AVI Yes (creates a copy) No
Photo & Video Metadata Editor MP4, 3GP, MKV Yes There are banners
VLC for Android All popular No (recodes) No
MX Player MP4, MKV, FLV Yes (optional) Available in the free version

Method 3: Re-encoding the video without losing quality

If editing the metadata did not help, you will have to resave the file with the correct orientation. For this, use:

  • 🎬 CapCut (free, there are templates for this. social networks).
  • 🎬 KineMaster (watermark in the free version).
  • 🎬 OpenShot (for PC, if you need to process a lot of files).
  • 🎬 FFmpeg (for advanced users, works via ADB or Termux).

Instructions for CapCut:

  1. Import the video into the project.
  2. Tap on the clip on the timeline → select Rotate.
  3. Rotate to the desired angle (90°, 180° or 270°).
  4. Export with resolution 1080p and bitrate 15–20 Mbps for minimal quality loss.

🔹 For FFmpeg (via Termux):

pkg install ffmpeg

ffmpeg -i input.mp4 -vf "transpose=1" -c:a copy output.mp4

Here transpose=1 rotates the video 90° clockwise. For other angles, use:

  • transpose=2 — 90° counterclockwise.
  • transpose=0,transpose=0 — 180°.
💡

If the video is cut off at the edges after rotation, add the FFmpeg parameter -vf "transpose=1,pad=ih:ceil(iw*16/9):(oh-ih)/2:(ow-iw)/2" parameter to the command maintaining proportions.

Method 4: Setting up the camera for proper recording

To prevent new videos from flipping, check the camera settings:

  1. Open the application "Camera"** and go to settings (gear or three dots).
  2. Find section Video resolution or Recording format.
  3. Set aspect ratio 16:9 (not 9:16 for vertical videos).
  4. Disable the option Auto-rotate or Gyroscopeif it is available.

⚠️ Attention: on some Xiaomi and POCO MIUI 13+ there is a bug due to which the video is recorded with a 180° rotation when shooting in 4K@60fps. Solution - lower the resolution to 1080p or update the firmware.

How to check the MIUI version?

Open Settings → About phone → MIUI versionIf the version is older than 14.0.5, update via Settings → Update Center.

Method 5: Fix for instant messengers (WhatsApp, Telegram)

Video may turn upside down only when sending in messengers. Reasons:

  • 📤 WhatsApp compresses video and resets metadata.
  • 📤 Telegram ignores rotation tags for files >50 MB.
  • 📤 B Viber bug with displaying videos shot on iPhone.

Solutions:

  1. Before sending, rotate the video in the gallery (Method 1).
  2. In Telegram send the file as "Document"** (paper clip → File), and not as video.
  3. In WhatsApp use the option Send without compression (keep your finger on the file → Document).

🔹 For Instagram Reels: If the video is flipped when loading, convert it to 9:16 (vertical format) with resolution 1080×1920 via CapCut.

Method 6: Check sensors and resetting

If the video flips only in one application (for example, in YouTube or Netflix), the problem may be in the device sensors:

  1. Install the application Sensor Test from Google Play and check the operation of accelerometer and gyroscope.
  2. If sensors show incorrect values, perform calibration: 
    #0# → Sensor Test → Calibrate

    (codes may differ for Samsung, Huawei etc.).

  3. Reset the settings of the application in which the problem occurs: Settings → Applications → [name] → Storage → Clear data.

⚠️ Attention: on Android 13+ resetting the application data can delete downloaded videos in the cache (for example, in TikTok or YouTube PremiumMake a backup first). copy.

Method 7: Manual correction via ADB (for advanced)

If the video is upside down due to a system bug (for example, on Pixel 6 c Android 12L), you can manually adjust the media scanner settings via ADB:

  1. Connect the phone to the PC and turn on USB debugging (Settings → About phone → Number builds → tap 7 times → return to Settings → System → For Developers).
  2. Open the command line on your PC and enter: 
    adb shell settings put global media_metadata_retriever_ignore_rotation 1

    This will force the system to ignore rotation tags.

  3. Reboot your device.

🔹 Cancel changes: execute the same command, but with 0 at the end.

💡

ADB commands change system settings and can lead to unstable operation of media players. Use this method only if others have not helped. data-i="245">FAQ: Frequently asked questions about upside-down video on Android

FAQ: Frequently asked questions about upside down video on Android

Why does the video look fine on the phone, but is flipped when sent?

The reason is how applications process metadata. For example, WhatsApp compresses the video and removes the tag. rotation, due to which the recipient's player shows the file “as is”. The solution is to rotate the video in the gallery before by sending or sending as a document.

Is it possible to fix an upside-down video without losing quality?

Yes, if the problem is only in the metadata. Use EXIF Editor (Method 2) or the command FFmpeg with the flag -c:a copyto avoid re-encoding the audio track. If the video was physically recorded crookedly (for example, the camera was turned upside down), you will have to resave the file with rotation, which may slightly worsen. quality.

Why is the video normal on iPhone, but not on Android?

iPhone and Android record rotation metadata differently. Videos with iPhone often contain a tag rotation=90which some Android-players interpret incorrectly. Solution - use Google Photos or VLC to view such files.

How to avoid problems when shooting in the future?

Before recording check:

  • Aspect ratio in the camera settings (16:9 instead of 9:16).
  • Is screen auto-rotation disabled (Settings → Display → Auto-rotate).
  • Is physical obstacles for the sensors (case, dirt).

After shooting, immediately check the video in the gallery.

Will resetting the phone to factory settings help?

Only if the problem is caused by a system failure (for example, after an unsuccessful update. In 90% of cases, a reset is not needed - just correct the metadata or use the correct one). player. If you decide to reset, first save the video on your PC or to the cloud.