How to rotate an iphone video permanently and locally
- Step 1AirDrop or copy the .mov to this device — Get the iPhone clip onto the Mac or PC running this browser. You don't need to convert it first — the rotator accepts .mov directly.
- Step 2Drop the .mov onto the rotator — Drag it in or click to browse. It loads into the in-browser FFmpeg sandbox; nothing is uploaded to a server.
- Step 3Check the reported dimensions — If a clip you filmed vertically reports 1920×1080, the orientation lives in the (now-to-be-fixed) rotate tag. You'll be turning it to a true 1080×1920.
- Step 4Pick 90, 180, or 270 — 90 (clockwise) handles the common sideways hold; 270 the opposite; 180 an upside-down clip. The dropdown defaults to 90.
- Step 5Run the rotation — Click Run Rotate. JAD transposes the frames, re-encodes at CRF 20, copies the AAC audio, and sets rotate=0. The .mov becomes an upright .mp4.
- Step 6Open it in your editor to confirm — Import the result into the editor that was showing it sideways — it now reads upright because the pixels (not a tag) hold the orientation.
Why iPhone clips misbehave outside Apple's apps
The rotate tag is honoured inconsistently. JAD removes the dependency by baking orientation into pixels.
| Where you open it | Reads the rotate tag? | Before JAD | After JAD (rotate=0) |
|---|---|---|---|
| iOS Photos / QuickTime | Yes | Upright | Upright |
| Windows / web player | Often no | Sideways | Upright |
| Premiere / DaVinci / FCP import | Varies | Often sideways | Upright |
| After re-encode by another app | Tag may be lost | Unpredictable | Upright (no tag to lose) |
iPhone .mov → JAD output
What changes and what is preserved when you rotate an iPhone clip.
| Aspect | Result |
|---|---|
| Container | .mov → .mp4 |
| Video | Re-encoded H.264, CRF 20, preset medium |
| Audio | AAC stream-copied unchanged |
| Rotate tag | Set to 0 (orientation now in pixels) |
| Dimensions (90/270) | Swapped → true portrait or landscape |
| HDR / Dolby Vision | Tone handling not preserved; see edge cases |
Cookbook
iPhone-specific rotation fixes, from the standard sideways .mov to the editor-import headache.
Sideways .mov fixed for a Windows PC
The clip plays upright on the iPhone but sideways once copied to Windows. A 90° turn bakes the orientation into the file so Windows shows it correctly.
Source: IMG_2207.mov 1920×1080 00:24 (AAC)
Angle: 90
Result: IMG_2207-rotate-90.mp4 1080×1920
H.264 CRF 20, AAC copied, rotate=0
→ upright in Windows Photos and Media PlayerEditor import that landed sideways
Premiere imported the .mov on its side because it didn't apply the rotate tag. Pre-rotating with JAD gives the editor an already-upright file.
Premiere import: clip on its side Fix in JAD: Angle 90 → upright MP4 Re-import: now correct, no clip-level rotation needed
Inverted GoPro-style mount on iPhone
A phone mounted upside-down records inverted. 180° rights it without changing dimensions.
Source: mount.mov 1080×1920 01:02 (upside-down) Angle: 180 Result: mount-rotate-180.mp4 1080×1920 (upright)
Keep it private — nothing uploaded
Because the whole job runs in FFmpeg.wasm locally, a sensitive iPhone clip is rotated without ever sending it to a server.
Drop IMG_*.mov → rotate in-tab → download MP4 No network upload at any point (free tier included)
Strip GPS after rotating
iPhone clips embed location and device metadata. Rotation rewrites the container but isn't a privacy scrub; chain the metadata scrubber to remove GPS and camera tags.
rotate 90 → upright MP4 Then remove location/camera/date: → /video-tools/metadata-scrubber
Edge cases and what actually happens
Expected a lossless tag-only flip like Photos does
By designJAD re-encodes (H.264, CRF 20) rather than toggling Apple's rotate tag, because the tag is exactly what non-Apple players ignore. Audio is copied losslessly.
.mov comes out as .mp4
By designThe rotator always muxes to MP4. If you specifically need a .mov for a Final Cut workflow, re-wrap with the transcoder after rotating.
HDR / Dolby Vision iPhone clip
Not preservedRe-encoding to H.264 CRF 20 does not carry HDR/Dolby Vision metadata; the result is SDR. Rotate before grading, and grade with an HDR-aware tool if HDR matters.
ProRes clip from an iPhone Pro
Re-encodedA ProRes .mov is re-encoded to H.264, so it loses ProRes's edit-friendliness. If you need ProRes back for editing, use the ProRes encoder.
Wrong direction picked
Expected90 is clockwise, 270 counter-clockwise. Start over and switch if the first turn went the wrong way.
Clip over the free 1 GB cap
Rejected4K60 iPhone footage gets big fast. The dropzone blocks files over 1 GB on free; Pro allows 10 GB, Pro+Media 100 GB.
Wanted to mirror, not rotate
Use siblingMirroring (un-reversing a front-camera clip) is a flip. Use the flipper.
Audio is not AAC (rare)
PreservedWhatever the source audio codec is, it is stream-copied unchanged — the tool does not re-encode audio during rotation.
Tab closed mid-encode
No outputLocal processing means closing the tab cancels the run with no file written. Re-drop to retry; nothing was uploaded.
Frequently asked questions
Why does my iPhone video look upright on my phone but sideways on my computer?
iPhones store orientation as a rotate tag in the .mov. Photos reads the tag and shows it upright; Windows and many editors ignore it and show it sideways. JAD bakes the orientation into the pixels and zeroes the tag, so it is upright everywhere.
Does this permanently fix the iPhone clip?
Yes. The frames are re-encoded in the corrected orientation, so the fix travels with the file regardless of which app opens it.
Is the audio re-encoded?
No. The AAC (or whatever) audio is stream-copied bit-for-bit. Only the video is transposed and re-encoded.
Do I need to convert the .mov first?
No — drop the .mov straight in. The output will be an MP4. If you need a .mov back, re-wrap with the transcoder afterwards.
Is my footage uploaded?
No. The rotation runs in FFmpeg.wasm in this browser tab, so a private iPhone clip never leaves your Mac or PC, even on free.
Which angle should I use?
90 (clockwise) for the common sideways hold, 270 (counter-clockwise) if 90 turns it the wrong way, and 180 for an upside-down clip.
Will the dimensions become true portrait?
Yes — a 90° or 270° rotation swaps width and height, so a 1920×1080 clip becomes a true 1080×1920 portrait MP4.
What about HDR or Dolby Vision iPhone clips?
Re-encoding to H.264 produces an SDR file; HDR/Dolby Vision metadata is not carried through. If HDR matters, keep the original and handle grading separately.
Can I rotate a ProRes clip from an iPhone Pro?
Yes, but it is re-encoded to H.264 and loses ProRes properties. To get ProRes back for editing, use the ProRes encoder after rotating.
What's the largest iPhone clip I can rotate for free?
1 GB on free, 10 GB on Pro, 100 GB on Pro+Media. There's no length limit, just file size.
Will sync stay correct?
Yes. Audio is copied without re-timing while only the video is transposed, so it stays in sync.
How do I also strip the GPS data?
Rotation rewrites the container but isn't a privacy scrub. Run the rotated file through the metadata scrubber to remove GPS, camera, and date tags.
Privacy first
Every JAD Video tool runs entirely in your browser via WebCodecs and FFmpeg (WebAssembly). Your video files never leave your device — verified by zero outbound network requests during processing.