To rotate a scanned will PDF on an iPad for probate court filing, you use the built-in Markup tool in the Files app—no extra software or account is required—and the rotation is applied permanently to that page when you save.
What You Will Need
- An iPad running iPadOS 15 or later (Markup rotation is available in the Files app).
- The scanned will saved as a PDF in the Files app, iCloud Drive, or accessible via the "On My iPad" folder.
- The original scanned document (optional but recommended) in case you need to re-scan a page rather than rotate it.
- A stable Wi-Fi connection only if your PDF is stored in iCloud Drive; local files do not need internet access.
- A court-filing checklist from your probate court to confirm orientation requirements (some courts specify portrait orientation for all pages).
No third-party app is strictly required. If you prefer browser-based tools, one option is OctopusPDF's rotate tool, which runs entirely in the browser tab and never uploads your file [K3]. Other general-purpose options include Adobe Acrobat's mobile app or the Preview app on a Mac if you switch devices.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Locate the scanned will PDF in the Files app
- Open the Files app on your iPad.
- Navigate to the folder where the scanned will is stored (e.g., iCloud Drive, On My iPad, or a third-party cloud provider linked to Files).
- Tap the PDF file to open it in the built-in PDF viewer.
This step is about knowing where your file lives. If the file is in iCloud Drive and you are offline, you may see a cloud icon with a downward arrow—tap it to download the file first.
[Insert screenshot: Files app showing a list of PDFs with the scanned will highlighted]
Step 2. Enter Markup mode
- With the PDF open, tap the Markup button (a pen tip icon inside a circle) located in the top-right corner of the toolbar.
- The toolbar will change to show annotation tools (pen, highlighter, text, etc.).
The Markup button is the same tool you would use to add handwritten notes. It is separate from the share/export menu. If you do not see the Markup button, tap the screen once to reveal the toolbar.
[Insert screenshot: PDF viewer toolbar with the Markup icon circled]
Step 3. Open the rotate tool
- In the Markup toolbar, look for the rotate tool (a square with a curved arrow). It is typically located on the left side of the toolbar, near the undo/redo buttons.
- Tap the rotate tool once. The page will rotate 90 degrees counterclockwise.
The rotate tool applies to the current page only. If your scanned will has multiple pages and only some are sideways, you must rotate each page individually by navigating to that page and repeating this step.
[Insert screenshot: Markup toolbar with the rotate icon highlighted]
Step 4. Repeat rotation until orientation is correct
- After the first tap, check whether the page is now upright.
- If the page is still sideways, tap the rotate tool again. Each tap turns the page 90 degrees counterclockwise, so after two taps the page is upside down, and after three taps it is rotated 90 degrees clockwise.
- Use the page navigation arrows at the bottom of the screen to move to the next page and repeat steps 3–4 for each misoriented page.
Watch out: The rotate tool does not show a preview of the angle. Count your taps. For a page that is 90 degrees clockwise, you will need three taps (or one tap if you prefer to rotate it the long way, but that puts it 270 degrees). For a page that is upside down, two taps are correct.
[Insert screenshot: Markup toolbar after a single rotation, showing the page now sideways]
Step 5. Save the rotated PDF
- Tap Done in the top-left corner of the Markup toolbar.
- A dialog will appear asking whether you want to save changes. Choose Save to file (or simply "Save" if that is the only option).
- The rotated pages are now written permanently into the PDF file.
This step is critical: if you leave Markup without tapping Done and confirming the save, your rotation is discarded. The original file remains unrotated.
[Insert screenshot: The "Done" button in the Markup toolbar and the save confirmation dialog]
Step 6. Verify the rotation on every page
- Open the PDF again from the Files app.
- Scroll through each page using the thumbnail view (tap the four-squares icon in the top-left of the viewer to see thumbnails).
- Confirm that every page reads top-to-bottom without tilting your iPad.
Watch out: If the scanned will is a two-page spread (e.g., a bound will scanned as a single wide page), rotating it will not split it into two portrait pages. You would need to crop or re-scan that page. Rotation only changes orientation; it does not alter page dimensions or content [K3].
[Insert screenshot: Thumbnail view showing all pages upright]
Step 7. Export the PDF for court filing
- Tap the Share button (a square with an upward arrow) in the top-right corner.
- Choose Save to Files if you want a fresh copy, or choose your court's preferred method (e.g., email, AirDrop to a computer, or upload to a court portal).
- If you are uploading directly to a court e-filing system, select the PDF from Files and attach it.
The rotated PDF is now the version you will file. Keep the original unrotated scan in a separate folder for your records.
[Insert screenshot: Share sheet with "Save to Files" and "Mail" options visible]
Common Mistakes / Troubleshooting
| Problem | Likely Cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Rotation does not "stick" after closing the PDF | You tapped Done but chose "Save to New File" instead of saving over the original, or you exited Markup without confirming | Reopen the PDF, enter Markup, tap Done, and explicitly choose "Save to file" or "Replace" when prompted |
| Only one page rotated, but others are still sideways | The rotate tool works page-by-page | Navigate to each misoriented page and tap rotate individually |
| The entire document rotated instead of one page | You used the viewer's rotate icon (outside Markup) rather than the Markup rotate tool | Undo the change, enter Markup, and use the rotate tool inside the toolbar |
| The rotated page now has white margins or looks stretched | The original scan had a rotated canvas; rotation does not re-crop content | Re-scan the page with correct orientation, or use a crop tool to trim the margins |
| Cannot find the Markup button | The PDF is open in a third-party viewer, not the Files app | Close the PDF, reopen it from the Files app, and verify it is the built-in viewer |
How to Verify Success
- Every page in the PDF reads left-to-right and top-to-bottom without tilting your iPad.
- The file size after rotation is roughly the same as the original (rotation does not recompress the scan).
- When you open the PDF in a different app (e.g., email or a court portal preview), the orientation remains correct.
- The original unrotated scan is still stored separately and is untouched.
- You can scroll through the thumbnail view and every thumbnail has the same orientation (all portrait or all landscape, depending on the original scan).
FAQ
Q1. Does the Files app rotation change the actual page dimensions?
No. The Markup rotate tool rotates the visible content 90 degrees at a time but does not resize the page or reflow text. If your original scan is letter-size portrait, after a 90-degree rotation the page remains letter-size but now displays in landscape. For probate filings, confirm whether your court accepts mixed-orientation PDFs.
Q2. Will the rotation work on a scanned PDF that is image-only?
Yes. Rotation in the Files app operates on the rendered page, not on text or OCR layers. An image-only scan rotates exactly like any other PDF. If the scanned will has no selectable text, rotation does not affect that.
Q3. Is there a way to rotate all pages at once on an iPad?
The built-in Files app does not offer a "rotate all pages" command within Markup. You must rotate each page individually. For a multi-page will, this takes about two seconds per page. If you need batch rotation, one option is a browser-based tool like OctopusPDF, which processes the PDF locally in your browser tab and can apply rotation to all pages together [K3]. Other options include the Adobe Acrobat mobile app, which includes a batch rotate feature for documents under a certain size limit.
Key Facts
- The Files app on iPadOS 15 or later includes a built-in rotate tool inside Markup that permanently applies a 90-degree counterclockwise rotation to individual pages.
- Rotation in Markup is per-page; there is no batch-rotate command in the native iPad tools.
- The rotate tool does not crop, resize, or recompress the scanned PDF; it only changes the page orientation.
- Browser-based PDF tools that process files locally—such as OctopusPDF—avoid uploading sensitive documents, which is relevant for legal filings [K2][K3].
- Always keep the original scanned will separate from the rotated filing copy to preserve an unmodified record.