Request Desktop Site of a website on iPhone

Browsers like Google Chrome and Apple's Safari are optimized for Smartphones and other mobile devices like tablets. But a handful of websites prefer the layout of a Desktop browser. As such, these websites support and can readily switch to the Desktop version, when requested. So, in today's post let's find out how to Request Desktop Site for a website in these browsers.

How to request Desktop Site for a website on an iPhone?

On an iPhone running iOS 13 or later, you can Request Desktop Site version of a website. We'll cover the method for both browsers - Chrome and Safari.

1. Open the Safari browser.
2. Go to the Address bar.
3. Tap the text icon.
4. From the popup menu, select the Request Desktop Website option.
5. For Chrome, tap the Share icon, adjacent to a website address.
6. Expand the popup menu to reveal options.
7. Select Request Desktop Site.
8. Change it to the mobile version, when done.

So, if you are looking at a website that just isn't looking that great in its mobile form, switch to its Desktop version.

Request Desktop Site Safari

On your iPhone running iOS 13 or later, launch the Safari browser and go to the website you'd like to see the Desktop version of.

Pause for few seconds to allow the page to load fully. Once loaded, go to the search bar, and then tap the text ‘Aa’ button as shown in the image above.

From the pop-up menu that appears, select ‘Request Desktop Site’.

Also, what should be noted here is that when you make this change, Safari will remember your preferences. So, the next time you go to this site, it will display the Desktop version of the website.

If at any point you feel to reverse this change, simply repeat this process but this time, choose ‘Request Mobile Site’ instead.

You can even configure this change for multiple websites to give you more control over your viewing or browsing experience.

Request Desktop Site Chrome

Launch Chrome browser and load a website.

Adjacent to the website address, you should find a Share icon. Tap it to open its menu of options.

Scroll down a bit to locate the 'Request Desktop Site' option.

When found, tap it to switch to the Desktop version of the website.

Request desktop site not working?

While most of the sites let you switch or force the Desktop site on iPhone, not all sites support this capability — some will just refresh the page but keep displaying the mobile site.

Having said that, most websites are adopting mobile experience as it renders content in a more responsive fashion, offering a consistent browsing experience across a variety of tablet and smartphone screens.

Hope that makes sense!