How Can OneNote Rotate PDF? (Steps with Pictures)

OneNote is an application from Microsoft that comes with the Office subscription, and it is designed to take notes. While it supports working with PDF files by inserting them into your notes, you may ask “Can OneNote rotate PDF?”. The good part is that there is a method that resolves the issue within seconds, and here, we will discuss everything you need to know about it.

Part 1. How to Rotate PDF in OneNote?

OneNote application comes with the page rotation feature built-in. This method is very quick and simple since it only requires a few clicks. However, the experience may not be the same for every user since there are some problems with using this method that we will discuss below, but first, start with the step-by-step process of how you can rotate PDF in OneNote.

1.      Click insert tab and select PDF printout.

Navigate the cursor to the top of the screen and locate the “Insert" tab. Upon clicking it, you will see some options from where you need to select "PDF Printout”. Now, you must select a PDF file from the file manager on your computer, and it will open in OneNote.

2.      Right-click on the page, click rotate and select the rotation type.

To rotate the PDF, you need to click on a page to select it. Right-click to reveal the options and go to the Rotate option. Here, you can select which way you want to rotate, and the page will rotate that way. It was the method to rotate individual pages. If you want to do that with the whole document, press "Ctrl + A” or “Cmd + A" depending on your OS, select all pages at once and then repeat the step.

As mentioned earlier, there are multiple challenges with using this method, and the biggest one is finding the rotating option. The option to rotate pages of your PDF document in OneNote is sometimes available, while sometimes it is not available. It depends on how you insert the PDF file in OneNote as well as the version of OneNote application you have installed.

Additionally, the operating system you use also impacts how you rotate your PDF. For example, in the Windows OS, you sometimes have to go to the Object tab, where you will find the More option that contains the "Crop and Rotate Printouts" option, and sometimes this option is not even present there, depending on the OneNote app version.

So, the experience of using OneNote to rotate a PDF document is not uniform at all. If you are looking for a uniform experience, you must rotate the PDF before adding it to OneNote. This way, your orientation issues will be resolved, and you won't find any issues with your notes. The method below helps in rotating PDF before inserting it in OneNote.

Part 2. How to Rotate PDF With UPDF Before Inserting it to OneNote?

The better solution to rotate your PDF documents or pages is to use UPDF to rotate them first, then upload the document in OneNote. UPDF PDF editor comes with lots of PDF editing features, and rotating is one of the features present in its Organize Pages part. Unlike OneNote, UPDF brings you a uniform experience every time with the same steps and features.

You can rotate individual, multiple, and all pages in the PDF document to your desired direction with a 90-degree shift in the selected direction. Additionally, if you want to insert the PDF in an image format, UPDF allows you to convert it into an image and then use it. You can also enjoy all of these and many other features provided by UPDF by downloading it on your devices. Once you have UPDF on your device, use the following steps to rotate the PDF documents.

1.      Open PDF in UPDF and go to Organize Pages

The process to rotate PDF will start as you go to your desktop screen and double-click the icon of UPDF software. It will open UPDF, and using "Open File" you will open the desired PDF file in UDPF for rotating its pages. Now, you will need to go to "Organize Pages" tool from the Reader in UPDF, and it is done by using the left pane.

2.      Click to select pages and then click Rotate button from top

In order to rotate a PDF page in UPDF, you must first click on the page to select it. The page number is indicated in purple when you pick a page. Therefore, you may choose a single page or click many pages while holding down the "Ctrl" button. Use the "Ctrl + A" key combination to select all pages and rotate the whole file at once.

Once you have selected the desired pages in a PDF document, you must click the "Rotate" button from the top. There are clockwise and anticlockwise rotation options, and you may use anyone as per your requirements. After you are satisfied with the rotation results, you can save the PDF file and then insert it in OneNote for a convenient experience.

Other Advanced Features

UPDF is known for the long list of features it brings, and each feature improves your documentation experience in one way or another. Here is the list of some advanced features of UPDF.

• UPDF comes with an integrated AI chatbot that can help you translate content, generate ideas, summarize content, or explain specific terms. That makes note-taking and revision very effective.
• There is a built-in OCR feature that has over 99% accuracy for multiple languages, so you can use it to convert any scanned PDF document to editable ones.
• The text editing feature in UPDF ensures to give you complete control of the text without affecting the original formatting and placement of the text.
• UPDF has intuitive page organization features that let you merge or split PDF documents. You can also extract or insert pages to the location of your choice in a PDF.
• The form preparation feature in UPDF helps you convert interactive forms that can be filled without requiring a PDF editor.
• UPDF brings all other basic PDF features like 2-way conversion, easy sharing, password protection, etc.

So, download UPDF app from the official website and purchase its Pro plan to unlock the premium features. This way, you can also enjoy all of the features listed above.

Part 3. FAQS Related to Rotating PDF in OneNote

Q1. Can you rotate images on OneNote?

Yes, you can rotate images in OneNote by clicking picture to select it. Then, you will go to "Picture" tab from the top menu ribbon and select the "Rotate Right “ or “Rotate Left” options. Each option will rotate your image with a gap of 90 degrees clockwise or anticlockwise. You may also use the "Flip" buttons to flip the image vertically or horizontally, but beyond that, OneDrive does not provide any image editing features.

Q2. Why can't I rotate a PDF in OneNote?

OneNote does not natively support PDF rotation feature for most users, and it is because:

• Inserting the PDF file in a wrong way
• Having the wrong default settings for the printouts
• Compatibility issues with your operating system
• Not having a third-party plugin installed with OneNote app.

So, if you are unable to rotate your PDF in OneNote, it might be because of one of the reasons above. The best solution to this problem is rotating PDF with some other apps like UPDF and then inserting it in OneNote.

Q3. How Do I Stop OneNote from Inserting PDFs Sideways?

To stop OneNote from inserting the PDFs sideways, you need to edit PDF properties, and for that, you may require a tool like Adobe Reader. So, open the “Print" settings for your PDF file in Adobe Reader by going to "File” and then picking “Print”. Now click “Properties”, select “Landscape” and click “OK”. Next, you need to set page scaling to "None”. There are some options that you must uncheck here, including "choose paper source by PDF page size” and “Auto-Rotate and Center”. Now click “OK" and save the PDF file by printing it. With these properties updated, OneNote will stop opening your PDFs sideways.

Final Words

Opening a PDF in the wrong orientation is frustrating, but finding that you cannot rotate it either is even more frustrating. That can be the case with you if you insert a PDF file in OneNote. So, knowing the how to use OneNote Rotate PDF is essential, but if it does not work out for you, you must choose any other app for rotating PDFs before inserting it into OneNote.

UPDF is a great choice for this use case since it provides complete control over page rotation. So, you can download it to rotate your pages before inserting them in OneNote.