How to request the desktop version of a website for your iPhone or iPad

By Serenity Caldwell
last updated

While many websites in this day and age have embraced responsive design, which rescales a full webpage to properly fit on smaller screens, there are still a pesky number who insist on serving "slimmed down" mobile versions to iPhone and iPad users. This can be a pain, especially if you're using an iPad and are triggering a far-too-big-for-your-screen mobile display, or you're trying to find a feature that the website owner simply hasn't provided in mobile form.

Thankfully, you can disregard the website owner's wishes and get whatever version you prefer with a quick Safari trick.

Note: While this will work for "m.[domain].com" websites—you just have to retype the original "domain.com" in the URL bar to get the site—you won't get a "desktop"-sized version if the site you're visiting has been responsively designed to scale to certain screen sizes.

How to request the desktop version of a website in mobile Safari

  1. Visit the affected site in Safari.
  2. Tap and hold the Refresh button in the URL bar.
  3. Tap Request Desktop Site.


  1. The website will then reload as its desktop version.

This will last as long as you have that tab open for that website; close the tab, or enter in a new web address in that tab, and you'll revert to the mobile version if you return.

Serenity Caldwell
Serenity Caldwell

Serenity was formerly the Managing Editor at iMore, and now works for Apple. She's been talking, writing about, and tinkering with Apple products since she was old enough to double-click. In her spare time, she sketches, sings, and in her secret superhero life, plays roller derby. Follow her on Twitter @settern.

6 Comments
  • Thank you! No more "baby internet" just because I'm on a mobile device!
  • Thank you...this is so much easier - I dislike -mobile view of websites. This is so much easier than it was in iOS8
  • I'm using sharesheet for requesting desktop site. Though it helped me to find out there is a quick way reloading sites without content blockers. (never experienced an error with my blocker but i anticipate i will sometime) Thanks.
  • The funny thing is apple's own site doesn't respond to this request...it just reloads the mobile site on my iPhone 6 Plus when I try requesting desktop site
  • Thanks for this article. I was cursing the disappearance of the old method to request desktop sites. Glad to have it available yet.
    Now if only far more sites would honor the desktop request rather that reopen the mobile version! Grrrr!!!
  • I wish iMore wouldn't redirect to subdimain 'm.' As favorites are shared with desktop Safari. Also this setting doesn't stick. You have to do it every time - loading the site twice. And the Full Site button on the bottom of iMore doesn't work. Couldn't help but notice Serenity has Content Blocker on iMore. I'm sure it is to get cleaner shots for this help article.