How to Rotate an Image in Google Docs (Freehand or Exact)

A photo taken on its side, a logo you want at a jaunty angle, a scanned receipt that came in upside down: rotating an image in Google Docs takes a couple of seconds once you know there are two ways to do it. One is quick and freehand, the other gives you an exact angle.

Rotate by hand with the rotation handle

1. Open the document on a computer and click the image to select it.
2. Find the small circle that sits just above the top edge of the selected image.
3. Click and hold it, then drag left or right to turn the picture.
4. Let go when it looks right.

Freehand is fine for a playful tilt, but it's hard to get a perfectly straight quarter turn. For that, use the exact method below.

Rotate to an exact angle

1. Click the image.
2. Click Image options in the toolbar (or the three-dot menu under the image), then All image options.
3. Open Size & Rotation in the sidebar on the right.
4. Under rotation, set the angle you want. A quarter turn straightens a sideways photo; two quarter turns fix an upside-down one.

Google's help page describes this panel as the place to set the size, scale and rotation of your image, so it's also where to go if rotating changes how big the picture looks.

Quick reference

What you want	How to do it
A slight tilt	Drag the round handle above the image
A sideways photo straightened	All image options, Size & Rotation, a quarter turn
An upside-down scan fixed	Size & Rotation, two quarter turns
Rotate on Android	Turn on Print Layout, then drag the circle on the image
Undo the rotation	Ctrl + Z straight away, or set the angle back in Size & Rotation

The catch: layout settings and pageless documents

A rotated picture takes up a different amount of space, so it can push text around or overlap it. That's where the image layout options come in: In line, Wrap text, Break text, Behind text and In front of text. Here's what catches people out. Google says the Text Wrapping and Position settings aren't available in documents that are in pageless format. If your rotated image is sitting awkwardly and you can't find the wrapping controls, switch the document to pages: click Format, then Switch to Pages format.

On the Android app there's a similar step. Google's instructions are to tap More at the top right and turn on Print Layout before you select the image. Then touch and drag the circle attached to the image to rotate it.

Can you flip an image in Google Docs?

Rotating and flipping aren't the same thing. Rotating turns the picture around its centre; flipping mirrors it, so text in the image would read backwards. Docs' image options don't include a flip setting, so if you need a mirror image, the usual workaround is to insert it through Insert, Drawing, flip it in the drawing editor, and save it back into the document. For most business documents, though, you only ever need to rotate.

Why rotated photos sometimes come out wrong

• Phone photos with hidden orientation. Some phone pictures look upright in your gallery but land on their side in a document. Rotate them in Docs, or fix them in your photo app before uploading.
• Scans. Scanners often save pages sideways. A quarter turn in Size & Rotation is quicker than rescanning.
• Overlapping text. A turned picture is wider or taller than before. Switch the layout to Wrap text or Break text so the words move out of the way.

Rotating a group of images

Each picture in Docs is rotated on its own, so if you've got several screenshots that all came in sideways, you'll need to turn each one. It's a good argument for fixing orientation at the source: rotate them once in your phone's photo app or your computer's image viewer before you upload, and every document you use them in starts the right way up.

Tidy results for proposals and CVs

Tilted images can look fun on a flyer, but in a proposal or CV, straight and aligned usually reads as more professional. If you're adding a headshot, keep it upright, crop it to the face, and let the text wrap around it. Save the angled look for social graphics, where it suits the style better.

What I'd do

Use the round handle for a quick tilt and Size & Rotation when you need it dead straight. If text starts overlapping, set the layout to Wrap text, and switch the document to pages format if those options are missing. For more help making documents look polished, these resume cover page design tips are worth a look, and drawing on Google Docs covers the drawing tool I mentioned for flipping.

Frequently asked questions

How do I rotate a picture in Google Docs?

Click the image and drag the round handle above it, or open Image options, All image options, Size & Rotation for an exact angle.

How do I turn an image exactly a quarter turn in Google Docs?

Open All image options, then Size & Rotation, and set the rotation angle there. It gives a cleaner result than dragging by hand.

How do I rotate an image in the Google Docs app?

On Android, tap More and turn on Print Layout, select the image, then touch and drag the circle attached to it.

Why can't I wrap text around my rotated image?

Your document is probably pageless. Google says Text Wrapping and Position aren't available there, so switch to Pages format from the Format menu.

Can I flip an image in Google Docs?

Not from the image options. Insert the image through Insert, Drawing, flip it in the drawing editor and save it back into the document.