how to turn off orientation lock on surface pro october 2026

You want your Surface Pro to behave the old way: when you physically rotate the device, the screen should automatically rotate between portrait and landscape, without having to open Settings each time.

If the screen stays fixed in one orientation, even when you turn the Surface, let's check whether Windows is preventing automatic rotation or whether the rotation sensor is not working.

Try this fix first:

1. Detach the Surface keyboard completely, if connected.
2. Press Win + R, type services.msc, and press Enter.
3. Find Sensor Monitoring Service.
4. Right-click it and select Restart. If it is stopped, select Start instead.
5. Rotate your Surface Pro physically and test automatic rotation again. This service has been identified as a possible cause of Surface auto-rotation failures.

If that doesn't work:

1. Right-click Start and open Device Manager.
2. Expand Sensors.
3. Look for HID Sensor Collection V2.
4. If present, right-click it and choose Disable device, then right-click it again and choose Enable device. Do not uninstall it yet.

Hi o,

Thanks for explaining the issue. Just to confirm, is the screen staying in one orientation even when the keyboard or Type Cover is detached?

With the keyboard detached, press Windows key + O to turn Rotation Lock off. You can also press Windows key + A and check whether Rotation lock appears in Quick Settings. Once it is off, the screen should rotate when you physically turn the Surface.

If the option is missing, unavailable or automatic rotation still does not work, could you share:

• Your exact Surface Pro model
• Your Windows version and build, shown under Settings > System > About
• Whether Rotation Lock is available or grayed out
• Whether this started after a recent update

That will help determine whether this is related to tablet detection, an orientation-sensor driver or a recent system change.