# So I've discovered Ctrl+Alt+Arrow key and think I'll pull a few pranks. **URL:** \ **Category:** Miscellaneous and Personal Stuff I Must Share\ **Created:** [May 2, 2015, 5:28pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108 "2015-05-02T17:28:15Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 14\ **Page:** 2
**Author:** ![jz78817](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jz78817/32/1028_2.png) [@jz78817](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/jz78817)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 1:46pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/21 "2015-05-03T13:46:13Z")
> [@ZipperJJ](#): > > I’ve got an Intel i7. Nothing happens when I do it. > > What’s it supposed to do? Flip your screen? you need: 1. to be using the graphics chip integrated into your CPU; if you have an add-on graphics card this won’t work. 2. to have the Intel graphics configuration utilities installed and hot-keys enabled. yes, these hotkey shortcuts flip/rotate the screen. ---
**Author:** ![Crafter\_Man](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/crafter_man/32/458_2.png) [@Crafter\_Man](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Crafter_Man)\ **Post date:** [May 3, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/22 "2015-05-03T14:02:23Z")
Crap, now how do I undo it? 😕 \*On edit: \*Duh, figured it out (up arrow). ---
**Author:** ![Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/8491ac/32.png) [@Fool\_in\_the\_Rain](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fool_in_the_Rain)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 1:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/23 "2015-05-04T13:30:56Z")
Idle Hands are the playground of the devil, what are Idle Thoughts the playground for? Pranks! 😃 ---
**Author:** ![Mangetout](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/mangetout/32/19_2.png) [@Mangetout](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Mangetout)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 2:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/24 "2015-05-04T14:02:28Z")
If you unlock the taskbar and drag it to the top of the screen before inverting the display, everything gets even more confusing. ---
**Author:** ![Idle\_Thoughts](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/838e76/32.png) [@Idle\_Thoughts](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Idle_Thoughts)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 2:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/25 "2015-05-04T14:18:37Z")
> [@Mangetout](#): > > If you unlock the taskbar and drag it to the top of the screen before inverting the display, everything gets even more confusing. That is deliciously evil. ---
**Author:** ![Tibby](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/tibby/32/17030_2.png) [@Tibby](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tibby)\ **Post date:** [May 4, 2015, 3:38pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/26 "2015-05-04T15:38:46Z")
I pushed “Tab” three times before inverting the screen and my kids disappeared. Don’t tell me how to undo it for a few days, I’m enjoying the peace and quiet. ---
**Author:** ![Grestarian](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/grestarian/32/3227_2.png) [@Grestarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Grestarian)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 12:16am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/27 "2015-05-07T00:16:25Z")
The feature has been part of a lot of graphics cards for quite a while, though not necessarily part of the Intel chipset/motherboards/gpus and Microsoft notes they stopped including it in the OS after XP because the graphics card people were already including it in their features. We don’t include graphics cards on the desktop units, but our field users have such cards on their laptops and occasionally put in helpdesk tickets because they accidentally flipped their screen and can’t make it work right. We tell them it’s a laptop feature for sharing a screen with the client on the opposite side of the restaurant table (flip the screen, then lay the laptop open flat), then we tell them how to flip the screen back again. –G! That’s not a _bug_; it’s an undocumented feature! ---
**Author:** ![cmyk](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmyk/32/3353_2.png) [@cmyk](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmyk)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 12:34am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/28 "2015-05-07T00:34:48Z")
> [@Tibby or Not Tibby](#): > > I pushed “Tab” three times before inverting the screen and my kids disappeared. Don’t tell me how to undo it for a few days, I’m enjoying the peace and quiet. [Word Processor of the Gods!](http://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Word_Processor_of_the_Gods) ---
**Author:** ![yo\_han\_go](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/yo_han_go/32/130_2.png) [@yo\_han\_go](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/yo_han_go)\ **Post date:** [May 7, 2015, 9:44am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/29 "2015-05-07T09:44:38Z")
I accidentally learned this feature when cat jumped on my keyboard. Found it practical when reading e-books (my monitor can rotate 90°). ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 2:02am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/30 "2015-05-08T02:02:41Z")
> [@yo\_han\_go](#): > > I accidentally learned this feature when cat jumped on my keyboard. Found it practical when reading e-books (my monitor can rotate 90°). You just named the reason I always shut it off–albeit we now have lap dogs. ---
**Author:** ![BigT](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bigt/32/12044_2.png) [@BigT](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BigT)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 2:07am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/31 "2015-05-08T02:07:43Z")
> [@Idle\_Thoughts](#): > > That is deliciously evil. You think that’s evil? I was going to recommend taking a screenshot of their desktop, and then flip it in a graphic program and set it as the new wallpaper. Hide the icons and autohide the task bar. Open up the mouse properties and get to the orientation options, and move the mouse the opposite direction of the way it tells you. Then flip it. The screen will be upside down, but the mouse will move normally. However, you won’t be able to click on anything. This is one of those tricks where everyone tries to one-up the previous guy. ---
**Author:** ![ThelmaLou](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thelmalou/32/390_2.png) [@ThelmaLou](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/ThelmaLou)\ **Post date:** [May 8, 2015, 3:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/32 "2015-05-08T03:43:11Z")
My cat does this to me all the time by running across the keyboard. The first time, I googled (on my kindle, as using the screen when it was sideways was crazy-making), and apparently LOTS of people’s cats do this. ---
**Author:** ![california\_jobcase](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/9d8465/32.png) [@california\_jobcase](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/california_jobcase)\ **Post date:** [May 9, 2015, 10:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/33 "2015-05-09T22:30:07Z")
I used to get on people’s computers and enable the “Marquee” screen saver. I’d put on a harmless message such as “Hey! Who messed up my computer?” Ah, good times. ---
**Author:** ![glowacks](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/glowacks/32/5548_2.png) [@glowacks](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glowacks)\ **Post date:** [May 11, 2015, 4:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108/34 "2015-05-11T04:35:26Z")
Cute. I did this with the right arrow and then restored it, and all my maximized windows were on my second monitor (which is to the right) instead of the original. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/so-ive-discovered-ctrl-alt-arrow-key-and-think-ill-pull-a-few-pranks/719108.md?page=1)