Select and hold the Hand tool, and then select the Rotate View tool or press Shift + H.
Last updated on
Oct 28, 2025
Learn how to rotate your canvas view at any angle when creating logos, typography, packaging designs, and illustrations that require working at various angles.
The Rotate View tool in Illustrator lets you adjust the orientation of your canvas to any angle, making it easier to work on designs from different perspectives.
All your artboards and visible objects rotate with the canvas view, allowing you to continue working naturally from any angle.
Rotate the canvas using the Rotate View tool
Drag anywhere on the canvas to change the orientation of the canvas.
To navigate between different angles, use the widget that appears when you rotate the canvas view.
Rotate canvas view using the Rotate View tool.
To rotate the canvas to a specific angle, select the angle from the Rotate View dropdown menu in the status bar or from the View > Roate View menu.
To align canvas view to the rotated object, select the object or text and then select View > Rotate View to Selection.
To save the rotated canvas, do the following:
- Select View > New View.
- Type a name for your view preset in the dialog box and select OK.
To use the saved preset later, select View and choose your saved preset from the menu.
Rotate the canvas using a trackpad
Position your cursor anywhere on the canvas to set your reference point.
Use a two-finger rotation gesture on your trackpad to rotate the canvas view around that reference point.
Rotate the canvas using the two-finger rotation gesture.
To save the rotated canvas, do the following:
- Select View > New View.
- Type a name for your view preset in the dialog box and select OK.
To use the saved preset later, select View and choose your saved preset from the menu.
Tip
Alternatively, press and hold Space + Shift while dragging to temporarily switch to the Rotate View tool from any other tool.
Reset the rotated canvas
Select View > Reset Rotate View to return to the original orientation or press Shift + Cmd + 1 (macOS) or Shift + Ctrl + 1 (Windows).
To reset the canvas while using another tool or feature, press Esc twice.
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