How to Record Landscape Video on iPhone (2026)
Open the Camera app, swipe to Video, turn the iPhone sideways so the long edge runs left to right, then press record. That is the whole answer. The rest of this page covers the three things that go wrong: rotating too late, a clip that plays sideways, and needing a vertical version of the same shot afterwards.
Every iPhone step below was checked against Apple's iPhone User Guide for iOS 27 on 4 October 2026. Where Apple's guide does not cover something, I say so instead of guessing.
How do you record landscape video on an iPhone?
Recording landscape video on an iPhone takes five steps in the built-in Camera app:
- Open the Camera app.
- Swipe the mode strip to Video. Camera opens in Photo mode by default, according to Apple.
- Turn the iPhone sideways, with both hands on the short edges and your fingers clear of the lenses.
- Frame the shot, then tap the Record button or press either volume button. On iPhone models with the Camera Control, clicking the Camera Control also starts recording.
- Tap the Record button again, or press a volume button, to stop.
Apple's guide also lists a quicker route: in Photo mode, touch and hold the Shutter button to record, and slide it right onto the lock for hands-free recording. The same rule applies there. Turn the phone first.
Does Portrait Orientation Lock stop the iPhone recording landscape?
Apple's iPhone User Guide describes Lock Rotation (Apple's support article on rotating the screen calls it Portrait Orientation Lock) as locking "the screen orientation so that it doesn't change when you rotate iPhone." The button sits in Control Center and is red when the lock is on. Apple's camera pages do not say whether the lock changes how the Camera app saves a video, so I will not claim it either way.
The practical move is to take the variable out before an important shoot:
- Open Control Center.
- If the Lock Rotation button is red, tap it so it turns grey.
- Record a two-second test clip sideways and play it back in Photos.
If the Lock Rotation button is missing, Apple says to add it in Control Center's customise controls screen.
How can you tell you are actually recording landscape?
The reliable check is the test clip. Before the take that matters, record two seconds with the iPhone sideways, open it from the thumbnail at the bottom of the Camera screen, and turn the phone sideways to watch it. A landscape clip fills the sideways screen. A clip that went wrong plays with black bars, or plays on its side.
Two settings make the sideways frame easier to read while you film:
- Grid and Level. Go to Settings > Camera and turn on Grid and Level. A wide frame shows a tilted horizon far more than a vertical one does, and the level catches it.
- Lock Camera. On supported models, Settings > Camera > Record Video > Lock Camera stops the iPhone switching lenses mid-take. Apple ships it switched off.
What are the common mistakes when filming landscape on iPhone?
Rotating after you press record. Turn the iPhone sideways first and keep it there. A clip that starts vertical and swings to landscape has two framings in one file, and no single crop rescues both halves. If you started wrong, stop and record again. It costs ten seconds.
A finger over a lens. Sideways grips put fingertips near the camera bump. Check the preview edges for a soft pink blur before rolling.
Holding it at arm's length. A landscape phone held out with straight arms shakes. Hold it with both hands, elbows tucked against your ribs, and turn with your body rather than your wrists. More on that in how to hold your phone steady while filming.
Apple's own stabilisation helps too. Enhanced Stabilization is on by default on supported models and "zooms in slightly", per Apple. Action mode gives stronger stabilisation on supported models but caps the capture at 2.8K and works best in bright light.
How do you fix an iPhone video recorded the wrong way?
The fix depends on what went wrong.
The clip plays on its side
Rotate it in the Photos app. Apple's steps for iOS 27:
- Open the video in Photos and tap Edit.
- Tap Crop.
- Tap Rotate. Each tap turns the video 90 degrees.
- Tap Done. To undo it later, open the video, tap Edit, then Revert.
Rotating does not crop anything. The picture was always landscape, and the clip only needed turning.
The clip was filmed upright and you needed it wide
This one can only be cropped, using the same Crop tool. Drag the corners. To change the shape rather than keep the original ratio, tap the lock at the top right of the frame first. Cropping a 1080×1920 vertical clip to a 16:9 shape leaves a 1080×607 strip, about 32% of the height, which then has to be stretched to fill a 1920×1080 frame. It works for a face that fills the frame. It fails for anything where the width of the scene mattered.
Where are the resolution and frame rate settings for iPhone video?
In Video mode, tap the resolution and frame rate values at the top of the Camera screen to switch between them. Depending on the model, Apple lists HD, 4K, HD (PAL) and 4K (PAL), at 24, 25, 30, 60 or 120 fps.
For more formats and the defaults, go to Settings > Camera > Record Video. The same screen holds HDR Video, Auto FPS, Lock White Balance, Enhanced Stabilization and Lock Camera. Higher resolutions and frame rates make bigger files, as Apple notes. If you are unsure which frame rate to pick, 24fps vs 30fps vs 60fps goes through it.
What if you need the landscape and the vertical version?
Turning the iPhone sideways in the stock Camera app gets you a 16:9 clip for YouTube, and Apple's Camera guide lists no way to get a 9:16 version of the same take for TikTok. Cropping one from the other throws away about two thirds of the frame, whichever way you go.
When you know before filming that the same moment has to go to both, record both at once. I build ContentCam for exactly this: one take gives you a 9:16 vertical file and a 16:9 landscape file, on iPhone and Android. How that works, and the other ways to do it, is in how to record portrait and landscape video at the same time on iPhone.
Common questions
How do I record video in landscape mode on iPhone?
Open Camera, swipe to Video, turn the iPhone sideways so the long edge is horizontal, then tap Record or press either volume button. Turn the phone before you start, not partway through the take.
How do I record video in portrait mode on iPhone?
Hold the iPhone upright in Video mode and record. The Camera mode named Portrait is something else: Apple describes it as a depth-of-field effect for photos. For that look on video, Apple's equivalent is Cinematic mode.
Should I turn off Portrait Orientation Lock before recording?
Turning it off removes one variable. Apple documents the lock as stopping the screen rotating, and its camera pages do not say how the lock affects the Camera app. Turn it off in Control Center, record a two-second test clip, and play it back.
How do I fix a video that was recorded the wrong way?
If the clip plays sideways, open it in Photos, tap Edit, tap Crop, tap Rotate, then tap Done. If the clip was filmed upright and you need it wide, cropping is the only option, and it keeps about 32% of the height.
Can I record landscape and portrait at the same time on iPhone?
Apple's Camera guide lists no option for it. Apps like ContentCam record a 9:16 vertical file and a 16:9 landscape file from the same take.
Need the vertical cut too? ContentCam records 9:16 and 16:9 in one take, free to try on iPhone and Android.
Related: Vertical vs horizontal video: which should you shoot? · How to record portrait and landscape at the same time · How to film for TikTok and YouTube at the same time · How to hold your phone steady while filming