Looking to Access a Website’s Desktop Version on iOS 8 Safari? Here’s How!

Hey there! Have you ever visited a website on your iPhone or iPad and felt like the mobile version just wasn’t cutting it? Sometimes, we want the full desktop experience, with all the bells and whistles that come with it. Well, I’ve got some good news for you – accessing the desktop version of a website on iOS 8 Safari is easier than you might think!

Here’s what you need to do:

Step 1: Launch Safari on your iPhone or iPad. You can find the Safari icon on your home screen – it’s the one that looks like a compass.

Step 2: Once Safari is open, go to the website you want to view in desktop mode. Type in the website’s address in the address bar at the top of your screen and hit enter. Easy peasy!

Step 3: Now comes the fun part. Hold down the refresh button in the top right corner of your screen. It looks like a circular arrow. Keep holding it until a menu pops up.

Step 4: In that menu, you’ll see an option that says “Request Desktop Site.” Tap on it, and voila! The website will now reload, but this time, in its full desktop glory.

And that’s it! You’ve successfully accessed the desktop version of a website on iOS 8 Safari. Pretty cool, huh?

Now, I should mention that not all websites have a separate desktop version. Some websites are designed to be responsive, meaning they automatically adjust to fit the screen size of whatever device you’re using. So don’t be disappointed if you try this trick and nothing changes – it just means that particular website doesn’t have a distinct desktop version.

But hey, it’s always worth a shot! Give it a try the next time you’re browsing the web on your iPhone or iPad and craving that desktop experience. You never know – you might just prefer it!

Happy browsing, my friends!

Hey there! So, you know how some websites have a version that’s specifically designed for mobile devices? It’s called a mobile layout, and it’s meant to make things easier to see and use on smaller screens like smartphones and tablets. The only catch is that sometimes these mobile layouts have less features than the full desktop version of the site. But don’t worry, I’ve got some tricks to help you out.

First off, some websites give you the option to manually switch to the desktop version. You can usually find a small link at the bottom of the site’s page. It’s a handy way to get the full experience if you prefer it over the mobile version. There are also a few techniques that can fool a website into thinking that your iPhone’s mobile browser is actually the desktop version.

However, these tricks aren’t always consistent or available for every website. That’s why Apple came up with a solution for iPhone users with the release of iOS 8. Now, you have an easy way to view the desktop version of a website instead of the mobile version. How cool is that?

Note: This article is specifically for iOS 8, and the process for viewing the desktop version of a website in Safari has changed in iOS 9. Click here to check out the latest instructions.

If you’re checking out a website on your phone and want to see the desktop version, just tap the address bar. Your bookmarks and browsing history will pop up. Then, swipe down to reveal some hidden options at the top, including one that says “Request Desktop Site”.

Tap on “Request Desktop Site” and Safari will reload the website with the layout you’d see on your computer. Keep in mind that the desktop site might be harder to read on your phone because the elements are smaller, but with the big screens on the iPhone 6 and iPhone 6 Plus, this isn’t as much of a problem anymore.
Remember, this is only temporary. If you close Safari and go back to the site later, it will go back to the mobile version. You’ll have to follow the same steps to get back to the desktop version. The trick we just talked about still works, but this new option in iOS 8 is a more reliable way to do it.

The Best Car Charger For iPhone 5s & iPhone 5

7 thoughts on “How to Easily View the Desktop Version of a Website in iOS 8 Safari”

Devon says:

Do you have a write-up on how to view the desktop version in Chrome? I want to share it with our iOS 8 & 9 users. Thanks!

Guest_47 says:

I wish Safari and Chrome had an option to always load the version of the site that I want. With bigger screens now, there are lots of people who prefer the full website version rather than the mobile version. It would be even better if the browser could remember which version to use for each site, or automatically show the full website version when the phone is in landscape mode. But I guess that might be asking too much.

Thank you! I have wasted so much time trying to figure out how to switch to the desktop version. Now I know I just have to tap the address bar. This is a big help.

Dona Girouard Omanoff says:

Thanks for this article, it really helped me. I’m using my iPhone for everything now as I drive a semi-truck and work on a book. It’s practical, but also an experiment (using my iPhone instead of my MacBook Pro). I upload my photos to SmugMug and need the desktop version for all the features.