Using a vertical, portrait monitor with a Mac
A monitor turned on its side is great for code, documents and long feeds. How to rotate it on a Mac and lay out windows on a tall, narrow screen.
Turn a monitor 90 degrees and it shows twice as many lines of code or text. Many people keep one portrait screen next to a landscape one.
Rotating it
- Open System Settings, Displays, and select the monitor.
- Set Rotation to 90 or 270 degrees, to match how the stand turns.
- Check Arrange so the pointer moves between screens where you expect.
What suits a tall screen
- One window, full width: code, a long document, a PDF.
- Two windows stacked top and bottom: chat over a feed, mail over calendar.
Stacks, not columns
Side by side columns are too narrow on a portrait screen. In ClutterFreeMac, stack windows in one column with ⌃ ⌥ ], adjust their share of the height with ⌃ ⌥ ⇧ = and −, and keep each column full width. The portrait screen gets its own strip, separate from your landscape one.
Questions
How do I rotate a monitor on a Mac?
System Settings, Displays, select the monitor, and choose a Rotation.
Read next
- Guide
How to move a window to another monitor on a Mac
Dragging across screens works but is clumsy. The Window menu option, the keyboard way, and how to send a window to the next display with one shortcut.
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The best window layout for two monitors on a Mac
Two screens, twice the room for clutter. Layouts that work, the Mac settings that matter, and how to give each display its own row of windows.
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Using a large iMac or Studio Display well
A 24 or 27 inch screen is big enough to waste. Layouts that use the space without turning it into a pile, from two columns to three plus a stack.
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