Ctrl + Alt + Arrow not working in Windows 11

Some users have complained that the Ctrl + Alt + Arrow keys are not working on their Windows 11/10 PC. Pressing this key combination does nothing or it opens some other program or application. So, for those who face this problem, the working solutions covered in this post will be helpful.

When we press the Ctrl+Alt+Arrow key (Up, Down, Left, or Right arrow key) on our Windows 11/10 PC, we can change the display orientation easily. Whether we are working on a project or reading an eBook (say ePub, PDF, etc.) that is sideways etc., this shortcut key combination helps. This default shortcut lets you rotate the screen in Landscape, Landscape (flipped), Portrait, and Portrait (flipped) mode. Though the shortcut keys work fine,

Fix Ctrl + Alt + Arrow not working in Windows 11

If the Ctrl+Alt+Arrow key combination is not working on your Windows 11/10 computer, use the solutions listed below to fix the issue:

1. Check if Ctrl + Alt + Arrow key combination is assigned to another app
2. Enable Screen Rotation hotkeys using the Graphics Card Control Panel
3. Change Display orientation using the Settings app
4. Rotate the display manually using the Graphics Card Control Panel
5. Use a free Screen Rotate app.

Let’s check these solutions in detail.

1] Check if Ctrl + Alt + Arrow key combination is assigned to another app

It’s a basic but important option. You must check if the Ctrl + Alt + Arrow key combination is assigned to another program or app accidentally or without your knowledge. For example, the key combination, say Ctrl + Alt + Left arrow key might have been assigned to a desktop shortcut. The same goes for other key combinations. As a result, when you press any of these key combinations, the screen doesn’t rotate and some other item opens up instead.

Therefore, check the desktop shortcuts and the settings or options of the app(s) to find if the key combination is associated there. If yes, first change the assigned keys for that particular app and then try to rotate the screen using these shortcut keys. This should help you solve the problem. This manual work would be time-consuming but worth trying.

2] Enable Screen Rotation hotkeys using the Graphics Card Control Panel

This is one of the effective ways to solve this issue. It worked for me and will surely help you also. All manufacturers offer control panel software for their graphics cards (say Intel, NVIDIA, AMD, etc.) to perform various actions. Using Ctrl + Alt + Arrow key combination is one such action. But, if the hotkeys are disabled or turned off to rotate or flip the screen, then this key combination won’t work, which is obvious. In that case, use the graphics card control panel to enable all the key combinations.

Let’s take the example of the Intel graphics card control panel called the Intel Graphics Command Center. The steps to enable hotkeys to rotate or flip the screen are:

1. Download and install the Intel Graphics Command Center app from the Microsoft Store if you haven’t installed it on your Windows 11 PC. Do note that the stable version doesn’t include screen rotation options. It’s currently available in the beta version of this app
2. Open the app using the Search box or Start menu
3. Access the System menu from the left sidebar
4. Go to the HotKeys tab
5. Turn on the Enable System HotKeys option. The default hotkey (Ctrl + Alt + F1) to open the Intel Graphics Command Center will activate
6. Now the default hotkeys (Ctrl + Alt + UP, Ctrl + Alt + Left, Ctrl + Alt + Down, and Ctrl + Alt + Right) will be enabled to rotate the screen to Landscape, Portrait, Landscape (flipped), and Portrait (flipped).

You can also change the hotkeys as per your comfort whenever needed. Close the control panel and change the display orientation. It will work now.

In this way, use the control panel of your graphics card to look for a similar setting and enable the hotkeys to rotate the computer screen.

Related: Keyboard shortcuts and Hotkeys are not working on Windows PC

3] Change Display orientation using the Settings app

Here are the steps to change display orientation using the Settings app of Windows 11:

1. Right-click on the Start button and select the Settings option
2. In the Settings app, navigate to System > Display
3. Under the Scale & layout section, open the Display orientation drop-down menu
4. Select a mode (Portrait, Landscape, etc.) to change the display orientation
5. In the box that appears, you can select the Keep changes or Revert option (to revert to the previous display settings) and confirm your action.

This feature is beneficial, but changing the display orientation frequently won’t be convenient.

4] Rotate the display manually using the Graphics Card Control Panel

Apart from enabling the default hotkeys for display orientation, the graphics control panel also helps to rotate the display manually. Let’s see how to do it using the Intel graphics control panel. The steps are:

1. Open the Intel Graphics Command Center app
2. Access the Display menu
3. In the General tab, you will see the Rotation option
4. Open the drop-down menu for the Rotation option and select Portrait (flipped), Landscaped (flipped), or other modes
5. In the confirmation box, press the Keep button or Revert button.

NVIDIA users can use the NVIDIA Control Panel to display in portrait, landscape, or other modes.

Follow these steps:

• Open the NVIDIA Control Panel
• In the navigation tree pane, expand the Display menu
• Select the Rotate display option
• On the right section, select a display if you are using multiple displays
• Choose the orientation.

5] Use a free Screen Rotate app

There’s a free Screen Rotate Microsoft Store app that lets you rotate computer the screen using hotkeys or manually. You can grab this app from microsoft.com. This app doesn’t let you use the default Ctrl + Alt + Arrow key combinations, but you can use other supported hotkeys to change the display orientation.

First, you can select a display using the drop-down menu on its interface. Then, you can rotate the screen manually using the available buttons.

To rotate your display using the hotkeys, click on the Settings icon. Now, you will see the Rotate screen, Invert left, Invert right, Default position, and Invert down options. For each option, there’s a drop-down menu from which you can select a hotkey. Once the hotkeys are selected, they are ready to use instantly.

I hope this helps.

Now read: How to fix the Ctrl key not working on Windows PC

Why doesn’t Ctrl+Alt+Down Arrow work?

By default, the Ctrl+Alt+Down arrow key rotates the screen to the Landscape (flipped) mode. However, if it is already associated with another app, it won’t work for this purpose. Also, the newer versions of the graphics card don’t support this hotkey and other related keys. In these cases, first, unassign the Ctrl + Alt + Down arrow keys from another application. If that doesn’t work, use the Settings app or graphics card control panel to rotate the screen manually.

Read: How to Flip or Rotate Screen on Windows 11

Why is Ctrl+Alt+Del not working on Windows 11?

Third-party apps or tools may interfere with this key combination and that could be the reason that the Ctrl+Alt+Del shortcut key is not working on your Windows 11 PC. It can also be a hardware issue. So, check if these keys are working separately. You can also reset your keyboard to default settings to fix the problem. If the problem persists, Boot in the Clean Boot state to find the culprit items are remove them from your PC.

Read next: Left Alt key and Windows key are swapped on Windows PC.