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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Wednesday March 9, 2022 11:15 am PST by Joe Rossignol
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Often, the mobile versions of websites make drastic compromises to facilitate smoother navigation on our smartphone screens. That means you will likely end up loading certain sites in desktop mode for instances where you want to access web elements that aren’t present on their mobile counterparts.
If you have updated your iPhone to iOS 13, Safari won’t show the option to launch sites in desktop mode in its usual location any longer. That isn’t surprising considering the various features that Apple has moved around in other native apps as well — the missing Updates tab in the App Store comes to mind.
But instead of simply having its Request Desktop Website option relocated, Safari has also gotten a whole lot better in terms of flexibility. You can now configure a site, or all sites in general, to always launch in desktop mode, which should come in quite useful.
So without any further ado, let’s check out how you go around doing all of that — starting with where the missing option is now located.
Note: If you are on iPadOS, the desktop mode is enabled by default for all sites in Safari.
1. Enable Desktop Mode for a Tab Temporarily
Rather than using the Share Sheet or long-pressing the Refresh icon to access the option to launch a site in desktop mode, simply press the aA icon located to the upper-left corner of the screen instead.
On the menu that shows up, tap Request Desktop Website, and Safari will oblige immediately. The setting only applies to the tab that’s currently active. However, any links within the tab that you choose to open in new tabs will load in desktop mode as well.
The tab will continue to load sites in desktop mode unless you either close the tab or specify it to load the mobile versions of websites again.
Tip:2. Enable Desktop Mode for a Site Permanently
If you would prefer to have a specific site load in desktop mode at all times, you don’t have to go around doing that manually anymore. Instead, iOS 13 now lets you configure Safari to automatically render the desktop version of any site always quite easily.
Visit the site that you want to load in desktop mode. Next, tap the aA icon, and then tap Website Settings. On the menu that shows up, turn on the switch next to Request Desktop Website.
Tap Done, and that’s it. The site will now load in desktop mode all the time regardless of whichever tab you use. If you want to stop that from happening in the future, open the Website Settings pane while you have the site loaded, and then turn off the switch next to Request Desktop Website.
3. Enable Desktop Mode for all Sites Permanently
To make matters even better, Safari in iOS 13 can load all sites in desktop mode by default. Previously, you had to install and use a third-party web browser to gain access to such functionality. Hence, it’s terrific of Apple to provide native support for desktop mode everywhere finally.
Note:However, you can’t enable desktop mode for all sites via Safari itself. Instead, you need to dive into the Settings app of your iPhone to do that.
Step 1: Tap the Settings icon on the Home screen. After the Settings app shows up, scroll down and tap on Safari.
Step 2: On the Safari Settings screen, scroll down and tap Request Desktop Website. Next, turn on the switch next to Request On All Websites.
Exit the Settings app, and then launch Safari. All sites will now load in desktop mode until you decide to turn the option off via the Settings app.
If you want to exclude certain sites from loading in desktop mode, bring up the aA menu, tap Website Settings, and then turn off the switch next to Request Desktop Website.
Desktop-Like Experience on Mobile
As you just found out, you can make a tab load in desktop mode while using Safari, and also configure select sites or all websites to do that. The desktop sites don’t really look all that good on the iPhone, and also there are interaction challenges involved. That said, the additional flexibility that the browser now provides means that you can have desktop mode enabled just for those sites that you visit often. Kudos, Apple!
Next up: Brave is a fascinating privacy-oriented web browser that’s been gaining a lot of traction across all major platforms in recent times. Find out if it’s good enough to make you ditch Safari on the iPhone for good.