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Rotate objects



You can rotate objects using any of several methods.

Rotate an object using the Rotate tool

  1. Select an object to rotate. To rotate both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To rotate the content without rotating its frame, direct-select the object. To rotate a frame without rotating the content, direct-select the frame, and select all the anchor points.
  2. Select the Rotate tool .
  3. If you want to use a different reference point for the rotation, click where you want the reference point to appear.
  4. Position the tool away from the reference point, and drag around it. To constrain the tool to multiples of 45°, hold down Shift as you drag. For finer control, drag farther from the object’s reference point.

You can also rotate by using the Free Transform tool.

If Smart Guides (and Smart Dimensions) are turned on, visual clues indicate when you’re rotating an object the same degree as a nearby rotated object. For example, if you rotate one object on your page 24 degrees, a rotation icon appears as you rotate another object close to 24 degrees.

Rotate an object using the Transform or Control panel

  1. Select an object to rotate. To rotate both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To rotate the content without rotating its frame, direct-select the object. To rotate a frame without rotating the content, direct-select the frame, and select all the anchor points.
  2. Do any of the following:

    • To rotate clockwise or counterclockwise in 90° increments, click either of the Rotate buttons in the Control panel.

    • To rotate by a preset angle, choose an angle from the Rotation Angle  pop‑up menu in the Transform or Control panel.

    • In the Rotation Angle  box on the Transform or Control panel, type a positive angle to rotate selected objects counterclockwise, or type a negative angle to rotate selected objects clockwise, and then press Enter (Windows) or Return (Mac OS).

    • To create a copy of the object with the new rotation applied to the copy, type a value in the width or height fields on the Transform panel and then hold down Alt (Windows) or Option (Mac OS) as you press Enter.

When you rotate a single object, the specified value remains displayed in the Transform or Control panel. When you rotate multiple objects, the Rotation Angle is reset to 0 degrees, even though the objects are rotated.

Rotate an object using the Rotate command

You can use the Rotate command to rotate an object by a specific amount. This command also lets you rotate a copy of the selected object, leaving the original in place.

  1. Select an object to rotate. To rotate both the frame and its content, use the Selection tool to select the frame. To rotate the content without rotating its frame, direct-select the object. To rotate a frame without rotating the content, direct-select the frame, and select all the anchor points.
  2. Do one of the following to open the Rotate dialog box:

    • Choose Object > Transform > Rotate.

    • Double-click the Rotate tool .

    • Select the Rotate tool and Alt‑click (Windows) or Option-click (Mac OS) on or near the object to select a new reference point.

  3. Enter the rotation angle, in degrees, in the Angle box. Enter a negative angle to rotate the object clockwise; enter a positive angle to rotate the object counterclockwise.
  4. Do one of the following:

    • To preview the effect before you apply it, select Preview.

    • To rotate the object, click OK.

    • To rotate a copy of the object, click Copy.