Does Safari Mobile have desktop mode?

Learn how to request a desktop site view on the Safari browser when using on iPhone mobile or iPad tablet. The desktop site has all options compare to mobile.

When we are browsing through websites on a mobile device, we often feel that some options are not available and they don’t look familiar compared to a desktop experience. Hence, we log in to the same site using our desktop computer.

What if I say that you no longer need to start your computer for this purpose? Yes, that’s true. The Safari browser does support a feature called Request Desktop Site view. Sounds interesting, right? Basically, when you’re using the Safari browser on your iPhone, you can quickly request the desktop version of the site.

The other day, my father was browsing through an important official website when he complained that some options were not visible on the mobile. He was upset since the work had to be done quickly and the laptop was completely drained out of battery. Then, I helped him discover how to request desktop site on iPhone.

Related: How to View Mobile Site in Safari on Mac Computer?

The Safari browser will quickly reload the website page and display the desktop version of the site on the mobile phone. A very similar feature is also available on Chrome Android and Edge Android.

How to Request Desktop Site on Safari iPhone or iPad?

The built-in feature within the Safari browser running on iOS or iPadOS has the ability to request desktop site safari on small screens. The feature is very handy when used smartly. Perhaps, this will also eliminate desktop computer usage in some cases.

Here are the steps on how to request desktop site on iPhone or iPad:

1. Launch the Safari browser app on iPhone or iPad.
2. Open the Website URL that you want to request a desktop website.
3. Tap on the AA icon within the URL bar.
4. From the available list, select the Request Desktop Website option.

This will reload the website page and load the desktop version of the site. You may not be able to see major differences on the iPad though but on iPhone, you will notice the UI changes.

You can also disable the desktop site view by simply tapping on the Request Mobile Site under the same reading icon. The request desktop site safari is an effective feature when you do not have a computer or laptop handy to load a desktop site.

Bottom Line: Desktop Site on Safari iOS

The Request the Desktop site view on the Safari browser within iPhone or iPad is a great feature. It comes in handy when any desktop site features are not available on mobile sites.

The request desktop site safari feature will also eliminate our urge to access desktop computers for any immediate work. Since now we can do that from hand-held mobile devices with complete ease.

I do use the desktop site view when the content within the mobile site is getting trimmed. For example, tabular data that’s not visible on the phone can be loaded on a full-screen computer site view. This way I’m able to read the trimmed out data.

I helped my father figure out the same by teaching him how to request desktop site on iPhone. He could do his work properly without having to open the laptop or computer now.

Similarly, you can also request the mobile site on a safari mac computer using the developer tools. The developer tools allow us to manage the screen size and watch the changes on websites in real-time.

Let us know what you think about getting a desktop site view on your iPhone? Isn’t it cool to use this feature?

Lastly, here are the recommended web browsers for your computer and mobile phone that you should give a try.

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Back before mobile phones were all tiny computers, trying to see a website on your phone was difficult, and sometimes even impossible.

Today, that's not an issue. Most people browse the internet via their phones, and as a result, almost every website has two separate versions: a mobile version and a desktop version.

When you open a website on your iPhone, the site knows this, and will automatically show you the mobile site. This is usually convenient — until you find a website that has a bad mobile version.

Maybe it doesn't have all the features that the desktop site does, or is just ugly. Because of this, it's occasionally still necessary to view a desktop site on your phone.

On an iPhone running iOS 13, you can still request and load the desktop version of any site. Here's how to do it.

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How to request a desktop site on iOS 13 in Safari

1. On your iPhone running iOS 13, open Safari and head to the website you'd like to see the desktop version of.

2. Wait a few moments for the page to fully load. Once it's loaded, scroll up so that you can see the search bar, and then tap the "Aa" button.

3. From the pop-up menu that appears, select "Request Desktop Site."

Note that while all sites will let you request a desktop site, not all sites will actually give you one — some will just refresh the page but keep displaying the mobile site.

You should also note that when you do this, Safari will remember your preferences, so the next time you go to this site, it will display the desktop version. 

If at any point you want to switch back to the mobile version, just repeat this process — the button in step three will have changed to "Request Mobile Site" instead.

Related coverage from How To Do Everything: Tech:

Mobile versions of websites are a boon for running them on low internet speed. Still, they can be a bane when accessing certain websites designed to work specifically on their desktop versions or probably better.

However, if you’re using Safari on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 14 or 13, you can temporarily or even permanently request the desktop version. Moreover, if you only want to see the desktop versions of websites on your iOS device, you can also enable the feature through settings.

In this article, we’re going to guide you through all the three methods using which you can enable desktop mode in Safari on devices running iOS 14 or 13.

Also read: How to change the hotspot name in iPhone?

How to enable Desktop Mode for a tab in Safari?

With the mobile page of a website opened in a tab, follow the steps mentioned below to temporarily request its desktop mode in Safari on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 14 or 13.

• Tap on the AA icon at the top-left of the browser window [beside the URL address bar].
• Then tap on the Request Desktop Website option from the list that appears.

Your device will now show the desktop version of the website opened on that tab, but this solution is only temporary. If you want to enable desktop mode for the said website permanently, follow our guide below.

Also read: How to fix the ‘Screen Recording Not Working’ issue on iPhone and iPad?

How to enable Desktop Mode permanently for a website?

With the mobile page of a website opened in a tab, follow the steps mentioned below to permanently enable its desktop mode in Safari on your iPhone or iPad running iOS 14 or 13.

• Tap on the AA icon at the top-left of the browser window [beside the URL address bar].
• Then tap on the Website Settings option from the list that appears.
• On the next page, tap on the toggle switch beside Request Desktop Website.

Safari will now enable desktop mode for the selected website until you revoke this feature through device settings [refer to the screenshot at the end of the article].

Also read: How to take full page screenshots on Safari in iPhone and iPad?

How to enable Desktop Mode for all websites in Safari?

Go to your iPhone or iPad settings running iOS 14 or 13 and follow the steps mentioned below to enable the desktop mode for all the Safari websites.

• Scroll down and tap on Safari.
• On the next page, scroll down a bit and tap on Request Desktop Website under Settings for Websites.
• Then tap on the toggle switch beside Request On All Websites.

Now, whenever you open a website in Safari on iOS 14 or 13, you’ll only be served the desktop version and not the mobile version.

Alternatively, if you’ve enabled desktop mode for a single website using the guide above before, then you won’t see the option to request desktop mode for all websites. Instead, you’ll need to tap on the toggle switch beside Other Websites.

You’ll also see a list of all the websites for which you’ve enabled the desktop mode here; tap on the toggle switch beside their names to disable the feature for them on Safari.

Also read: How to enable cookies on your MacBook?

Writes news mostly and edits almost everything at Candid.Technology. He loves taking trips on his bikes or chugging beers as Manchester United battle rivals.

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