How to Rotate a Shapefile in QGIS?

Rotating a shapefile in QGIS allows you to adjust the orientation of your spatial data. This is useful for aligning features with specific directions, representing rotations in your data, or simply improving visual aesthetics. Here's how you can achieve this:

Using the Rotate Tool

1. Select the shapefile: Open your shapefile in QGIS and select the layer you want to rotate.
2. Access the Rotate Tool: Navigate to the "Geoprocessing" menu and click on "Geometry Tools". Then, select "Rotate Features".
3. Define Rotation Parameters:
   • Rotation Point: Choose a point on the map as the center of rotation. This could be a specific vertex, a point you define manually, or the centroid of the selected features.
   • Rotation Angle: Input the desired angle of rotation in degrees. Positive values represent clockwise rotations, while negative values indicate counter-clockwise rotations.
4. Execute the Rotation: Click "Run" to apply the rotation to your selected features. The rotated shapefile will be saved as a new layer in your QGIS project.

Using the "Geometry by Expression" Tool

1. Select the shapefile: Open your shapefile in QGIS and select the layer you want to rotate.
2. Access the Geometry by Expression Tool: Navigate to the "Processing Toolbox" and search for "Geometry by Expression".
3. Define the Rotation Expression: In the "Expression" field, use the following expression:

   rotate( $geometry,  [rotation_angle],  [rotation_point_x],  [rotation_point_y] )

   • Replace [rotation_angle] with the desired angle of rotation in degrees.
   • Replace [rotation_point_x] and [rotation_point_y] with the coordinates of the center of rotation.
4. Execute the Rotation: Click "Run" to apply the rotation to your selected features. The rotated shapefile will be saved as a new layer in your QGIS project.

Using Plugins

QGIS has various plugins that can help you rotate shapefiles. Some popular plugins include:

• Rotate Features: This plugin offers a user-friendly interface for rotating features based on user-defined parameters.
• Geometry Tools: This plugin provides a comprehensive set of tools for manipulating geometries, including rotation.

Additional Tips

• Preview the Rotation: Before applying the rotation, you can preview the results by using the "Preview" option in the Rotate Features tool or by adjusting the expression in the Geometry by Expression tool.
• Save the Rotated Layer: After rotating your shapefile, save the newly created layer to preserve the changes.

Remember, the specific steps and options might differ slightly depending on the QGIS version and plugins you use.