At the counter
Left-drag an item and keep holding it while pressing Q (counter-clockwise) or E (clockwise). Release over a clear space to place it. If nothing happens, leave any text field and check Options > Key Binds. Auto-rotate while sorting is a separate setting.
PC source review: November 9, 2026, including the November 8 hotfix. Keyboard defaults are documented by Wikily; patch changes are from the developer. This revision has not been independently play-tested and contains no new gameplay captures.
How to rotate while dragging
- Choose one inexpensive, visibly uneven item and an empty part of your inventory. A square or symmetrical item can make a turn hard to see.
- Hold the left mouse button and drag the item away from its slot. Confirm that it moves with your cursor; hovering over it is not enough.
- Keep the item held and tap Q or E once. Watch its outline before pressing another key. F flips it; R restores its orientation.
- Move the whole outline into free cells, then release the mouse button. If it turns but will not fit, test another clear space before changing your key bindings.
The keyboard defaults below come from Wikily's controls reference. Your saved bindings can differ, so check Options > Key Binds before treating a different response as a bug.
| Task | Documented default |
|---|---|
| Rotate counter-clockwise | Q |
| Rotate clockwise | E |
| Flip held item | F |
| Reset orientation | R |
| Show control hints | O |
| Open Options | K |
Q or E does nothing: check in this order
| Check | What to do next |
|---|---|
| 1. Is a text field active? | Finish typing and return to the inventory. Keyboard shortcuts are inactive while entering text. |
| 2. Is one item actually being held? | Start a single-item drag again. Avoid a group selection while diagnosing the problem. |
| 3. What is assigned in Key Binds? | Set the item down, open Options, and inspect both rotation actions. Use your saved keys; do not assume a guide overrides a custom binding. |
| 4. Is the change visible? | Retry with an uneven shape. Check the outline, not just the picture printed on the item. |
| 5. Did rotation work, but placement fail? | Try free cells in the ordinary inventory. A container can reject an item even when its shape fits; see the AgeWell input checklist. |
| 6. Did all input stop after Alt-Tab? | Check the installed version. The developer lists a fix for losing keyboard and mouse input after switching away while holding an item in 1.0.0.12. |
Work down the list one change at a time. If the problem persists on an updated build, keep the version, binding names and exact failing action with your bug report. That is more useful than resetting every option and losing the conditions that caused it.
Manual rotation versus automatic sorting
| Manual rotation | Auto-rotate while sorting | |
|---|---|---|
| Your goal | Orient the item you are holding | Let the sorter change orientations as it rearranges a grid |
| Starting action | Drag one item, then use its rotation key | Put the held item down, then open the inventory sort menu |
| Result to watch | That item's outline turns before you place it | The arrangement after the sort finishes |
| Setting to inspect | The rotation actions in Key Binds | Auto-rotate while sorting in Options |
Changing the sorting option is not a fix for a held item's Q/E binding. First establish whether the problem happens during a drag or only after sorting.
To compare the two, take a note of a small grid's layout, manually turn one item, then run a sort with automatic rotation disabled. Repeat the sort with the option enabled if you want the sorter to choose orientations. Keep the same inventory contents for both attempts. This is a suggested check, not a reported play-test result.
The developer made sorting's automatic rotation off by default for new players in 1.0.0.5. Wikily's settings table still lists it as on. Use the newer official patch note for that default, and inspect the setting actually saved in your game.
Why some guides say mouse wheel
The developer's Update 049 notes introduced wheel up, wheel down and middle click for rotating or flipping a dragged item. That announcement describes the demo build. If a mouse input behaves differently in your copy, turn on the control hints with O or use the keys listed in Options > Key Binds. Test with one item so you can see which action changed its orientation.
Opening the sort menu and moving groups
Drag across empty space to select several objects. Right-click an empty inventory cell to open sorting, unless that option is disabled. A context click on an item instead opens its interaction menu. These are separate targets even when they look close together on a crowded grid.
Add another Menu / Back key
The 1.0.0.6 update adds Menu / Back in Options so you can assign a second key with the same actions as Esc.
Calling and dismissing customers
The 1.0.0.5 hotfix adds the rebindable bell action on B by default. Holding it dismisses the current customer. Use it when you are ready for the current interaction to end.
Check the record
Sources & version notes
Use the current game prompts when a build changes. This guide distinguishes source review from hands-on testing.
- Wikily: keyboard defaults and options
- Official Steam: Update 049 mouse controls
- Official Steam: sorting, bell and Menu / Back (1.0.0.5–1.0.0.6)
- Official Steam: November release fixes