4 Ways to View Websites in Desktop Mode on iPhone

Co-authored by Chiara Corsaro and Megaera Lorenz, PhD

Last Updated: June 19, 2024 Fact Checked

When you visit a website on your iPhone, your browser will often display a streamlined version designed for mobile viewing. But in some cases, you might prefer to view the full desktop version of the site. By changing a few settings, you can easily switch to desktop mode in iPhone’s built-in browser, Safari. You can also view the desktop version of a website in the iOS version of Chrome. In this article, we’ll talk you through a few simple methods for switching to desktop mode on iPhone.

Method 1

Method 1 of 4:

Temporary Desktop Mode for a Single Webpage (Safari)

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Navigate to the website in the Safari app. Open the Safari browser app on your iPhone and type the URL of the website you want to visit into the address bar. Then, tap go to load the site.^{[1]
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- Depending on the preferences you’ve set for the app, the address bar may be located at either the top or bottom of the screen.
Look for this button to the left of the address bar. Tap it to open a popup menu.^{[2]
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3
Select Request Desktop Website. About halfway down the popup menu, you’ll see the option to Request Desktop Website. Tap this button to switch from the mobile version of the site you’re viewing to the desktop version.^{[3]
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- This setting only applies to the current tab and won’t affect any other websites that are currently open in Safari.

Method 2

Method 2 of 4:

Permanent Desktop Mode for a Single Website (Safari)

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If there’s a website you visit frequently that you prefer to use in desktop mode, you can permanently change the settings for that website in Safari. To start, enter the URL of the website you want to visit in the address bar of the Safari app, then tap go.
This button is located to the left of the address bar. Depending on your Safari settings, you might find the address bar at the bottom of the screen instead of the top.^{[4]
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When the menu pops up, tap Website Settings, which should appear just below Request Desktop Website. This will open a new menu screen.^{[5]
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At the top of the Website Settings menu, locate the Request Desktop Website option. Toggle the
button to the On position.^{[6]
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Tap Done. Once you’ve turned on the desktop mode, tap Done in the upper right corner of the screen to apply the change. From now on, you should see this website in desktop mode every time you visit it in Safari.
- You can always undo the change by going back into the Website Settings menu next time you visit the site.

Method 3

Method 3 of 4:

Permanent Desktop Mode for All Websites (Safari)

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If you prefer to view all websites in desktop mode on your iPhone, you can change Safari’s settings to do this by default. To get started, go to your home screen and open
Settings.^{[7]
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In the main Settings menu, scroll down until you find Safari. Tap it to open a new menu screen.^{[8]
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Scroll down to the Settings for Websites section of the Safari Settings menu. Then, select Request Desktop Website.^{[9]
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When the new menu screen pops up, toggle on All Websites under Request Desktop Website On. From now on, Safari should display all websites in desktop mode unless you go back into settings and turn this option off.^{[10]
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Method 4

Method 4 of 4:

Desktop Mode in Chrome

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Open the website you want to visit in Chrome. Launch the Chrome app on your iPhone and type the URL of the website into the address bar at the top. Then, tap go to navigate to the site.^{[11]
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This button is located at the bottom right side of the screen in Chrome. Tap it to open a popup menu.^{[12]
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Scroll down and tap Request Desktop Site. Once the popup appears, scroll down until you find Request Desktop Site. This option appears close to the bottom of the menu. After you tap it, the website should display in desktop mode.^{[13]
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- If you visit other pages that are part of the same website during your current browsing session, they may also appear in desktop mode. To convert back to the mobile version, open the ••• menu again and tap Request Mobile Site.
- You can also switch to desktop mode by tapping the
  Share icon to the right of the address bar, then scrolling down and tapping Request Mobile Site.^{[14]
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Tips

Another option is to download a browser app that is designed to automatically show websites in desktop mode, such as Desktop Browser or Zoomable. You can find these apps by searching for “desktop browser” in the App Store.

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