Using a website on Safari on your iPhone, iPad, or iPod but not finding the same features available as you do when using the site on your MacBook, desktop Mac, or Windows computer? What you need is to switch to the desktop version of the site–but just how do you do that?
A lot of websites offer different versions of their sites for mobile devices, usually smaller, limited, and stripped-down versions that run faster when using your cellular data plans. Oftentimes, features we really need are only available when using the Desktop version of a site and it’s frustrating to not find these options when using our iPhones, iPads, and iPods that default to the mobile site.
The good news is that it’s easy to switch from mobile to desktop site versions (and vice-versa.)
Quick tips
Follow these quick tips to see desktop versions of your websites in Safari on iPhone, iPad, and iPod
For iPads using iPadOS, Safari defaults to desktop versions so you don’t need to do anything!
For iPhones and iPods using iOS 13+, tap the AA icon next to the website address and choose Request Desktop Site
To change sites to desktop mode permanently in iOS 13+, tap the AA icon and choose Website Settings–toggle on Request Desktop Site
Change all sites to default to desktop mode in Settings > Safari > Request Desktop Website
For iOS 12 and below, tap the refresh symbol next to the web address and choose Request Desktop Website or tap the share button and choose the Request Desktop Website from the Share Sheet
How to request desktop site in Safari with iOS 13 and iPadOS
For iPads using iPadOS, there’s awesome news: Safari automatically defaults to the desktop versions of all websites you visit!
Because iPads offer larger screen sizes that rival and sometimes beat our MacBook’s screen sizes, Apple decided to default our iPads running iPadOS to the desktop versions of sites! However, iPhones and iPods using iOS 13+ still default to mobile versions–due to their smaller screens.
Manually change Safari’s settings to see desktop versions of sites on your iPhone or iPod
Open Safari
Locate a site that you want to view in desktop mode
Tap on the AA icon that’s to the left of the search bar
Choose Request Desktop Website from the Quick Action menu–the site immediately switches to the desktop version, if available
Tap the AA icon again to return to the mobile version or simply close the tab
The above steps temporarily change the site to the desktop version. Safari does not save or remember this information. So the next time you visit this site, it shows up as the mobile version.
If you instead want that particular site to have desktop mode as its default, read on!
Want a site to always open the desktop version on your iPhone or iPod?
Open Safari
Locate a site that you want to view in desktop mode
Tap on the AA icon that’s to the left of the search bar
Choose Website Settings from the Quick Action menu
Toggle on Request Desktop Website
Tap Done to save your setting
You can also update any other preferences for this particular website for access to your device’s camera, microphone, and location or set the website to always show up in reader mode
This particular site now always shows up with the desktop version
To set the default back to the mobile version, follow steps 1-4 again but toggle off Request Desktop Website
Press Done to save your preference
Review the sites you set to desktop mode on your iPhone or iPod
Open Settings > Safari
Scroll down to the heading Settings for Websites
Tap Request Desktop Wesbite
Review the list of sites
To change back to the mobile version, toggle off the site from the list
For multiple sites, press Edit and delete the site from the list
To remove all sites from displaying in desktop mode, choose Clear All Settings and confirm
Change Safari’s default to desktop versions for all sites on your iPhone or iPod
Open Settings > Safari
Scroll down to the heading Settings for Websites
Choose Request Desktop Website
Toggle on All Websites
How to request desktop site in Safari with iOS 12 and lower
If your device can’t update to iOS 13 or iPadOS (or you don’t want to update,) there are still options for you!
Since iPads run the same iOS as iPhones and iPods in versions iOS 12 and below, these instructions work for all types of iDevices.
Open Safari
Go to the site you want to view in desktop mode
Press and hold the refresh button and choose Request Desktop Site
You can also tap the Share button, scroll the bottom row, and choose the Request Desktop Site button from the Share Sheet
Safari in iOS 13 and iPadOS can do a lot more!
Besides defaulting to desktop website versions, iPadOS has a lot of features to offer!
Open multiple instances of Safari in slide-over or split view and get two instances of Safari side-by-side–both in desktop website versions. Plus, you can access the full Safari toolbar in split view
Use handy keyboard shortcuts in Safari when you attach an external keyboard
Scroll webpages at faster speeds smoothly
And there’s a ton of new iOS 13 & iPadOS Safari features
A Safari Download manager: Check the status of a file that’s downloading, access all your Safari downloaded files quickly, and drag and drop them into a file or email you’re working on. Safari even downloads files in the background so you can go about your business
Jump to open tab from Smart Search field: when you type an address of a site that’s open, Safari directs you to that open tab instead of creating a new tab
Photo upload resize: resize your photos to small, medium, large, or actual size before uploading
Page zoom: can’t read a website’s text? Font too small or too large? Quickly and fluidly zoom in and out of any webpage
Per website privacy settings: choose to enable camera, microphone, and location access for each website you visit
Bookmarks: Need to go? Quickly save a set of open tabs to your Bookmarks and reopen them later, even on another device if using iCloud
Email sharing options: email a webpage as a link, a PDF, or in Reader view–all from your Safari share sheet
For most of her professional life, Amanda Elizabeth (Liz for short) trained all sorts of folks on how to use media as a tool to tell their own unique stories. She knows a thing or two about teaching others and creating how-to guides!
Her clients include Edutopia, Scribe Video Center, Third Path Institute, Bracket, The Philadelphia Museum of Art, and the Big Picture Alliance.
Elizabeth received her Master of Fine Arts degree in media making from Temple University, where she also taught undergrads as an adjunct faculty member in their department of Film and Media Arts.
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