How to Fix Request Desktop Site Not Working on iPhone?

Jerry Cook
Updated on 2022-08-09 to Fix iPhone

Why request for desktop site doesn’t work? Hey. I’m currently on an iPhone 8 Plus. I recently browse some sites from it and I needed the desktop version because has more features than the mobile and I saw that is not functioning well on iPhone. I tried 3 sites and the browsers are safari, chrome and Firefox. None worked! How can I make this possible? Every time I request desktop site it’s only just refreshing my mobile version of them.

- A user from reddit.com

It is often seen that iPhone users browse the web and prefer the desktop view version. They need the desktop version because it has more features than the mobile view. Many of them ask “how do I force a desktop site on iPhone?” if you are also one of those, not to worry, there are solutions for the desktop view issue. These can be solved by fixing the browser's request sites from quick solutions, from Chrome or iPhone settings.

The fixing process is straightforward and takes a few minutes to complete. Let us know about them in detail and get this fixed as soon as possible.

Part 1: Why Visit the Desktop Version of A Website on A Mobile Browser?
Part 2: Fix Chrome’s Request Site Not Working on iPhone [Quick Solutions]
Part 3: Fix Chrome’s Request Site Not Working on iPhone [from Chrome Side]

Solution 1: Update Google Chrome
Solution 2: Reinstall Google Chrome

Part 4: Fix Chrome’s Request Site Not Working on iPhone [from iPhone Side]

Solution 1: Update iOS
Solution 2: Fix iOS By Yourself Like a Pro

Tip: How to Request A Desktop Site on iPhone for Safari/Chrome?

Part 1: Why Visit the Desktop Version of A Website on A Mobile Browser?

Web browsers like Chrome and Safari are very user-friendly which makes it accessing the web easier on the respective iPhone devices. Although, few websites are present that do not provide a comfortable surfing experience on iPhone devices. As a result, the bad experience might make a user bothered as he/she may not be able to get access to the needed functionalities of that particular webpage on an iPhone browser.

In these instances, the need of changing the iPhone device browser to the desktop version comes in handy. This enables the user to view the whole web page at once.

So, let us move straight to the problem and know why the request desktop site iPhone is not working and how to fix it.

Part 2: Fix Chrome’s Request Site Not Working on iPhone [Quick Solutions]

Solution 1: Reload Chrome

Chrome is often seen getting glitched, and the request desktop site is not working on Chrome is one issue many people face. During these issues, users must try to reload the webpage they want to view in desktop mode in a new tab. If the users activate the “Request Desktop Site” feature, sometimes Chrome still displays the mobile version view of that particular site. Reloading can help it force-enable the desktop view version. Chrome can reload a website by default when the user toggles on the "Request Desktop Site" feature.

With the "Request Desktop Site" activated, tap on the three-dotted menu icon located at the bottom right corner and tap on “Reload” to complete it.

Solution 2: Zoom Page in

The user might initially think that the "Request Desktop Site" feature does not work. Just pinch the screen to zoom the page which will then provide a better view to the users.

Hence, if the desktop view feature does not work, the user will have to zoom the page to desktop view manually.

Solution 3: Disable Portrait Orientation Lock

In some cases, Chrome cannot load the desktop version even after activating the "Request Desktop Sites" feature. You can disable Portrait Orientation Lock and turn device horizontally into landscape mode to get a greater field of view on your device. As some websites are designed for only viewing in desktop view mode, if the user's device's display is in landscape mode, then it might be a problem.

So, to fix the problem with your Chrome’s “Request desktop Site” option, rotate your iPhone after turning off the Orientation Lock. You can get the Orientation Lock option by swiping down from the top right corner of your screen and clicking on the padlock symbol. You can then see a "Portrait Orientation Lock: off" text at the top of your iPhone's screen.

Part 3: Fix Chrome’s Request Site Not Working on iPhone [from Chrome Side]

Solution 1: Update Google Chrome

If still the Chrome does not change the website into the desktop view even after you have enabled the "Request Desktop Site" feature, then you must make sure that you have the latest version of Chrome installed on your iPhone. If not, outdated Chrome version can be the reason and updating it is the solution. Hence, to update Chrome, follow the below mentioned steps: -

Step 1: Go to the device’s App store.
Step 2: Select the search icon.
Step 3: Write Chrome into the search box, and click on the search button on the keyboard.
Step 4: If “Update” button is present next to the Chrome app, click on it to update the app. If an “Open” button is present next to the Chrome app, the device already has installed the latest version.

Solution 2: Reinstall Google Chrome

If the problem is still the same, uninstall and re-install Google Chrome might help you. Here is the way to uninstall the Chrome app: -

Step 1: Move towards the "Settings" of the user's device.
Step 2: Get to the “General” option followed by "iPhone Storage" option.
Step 3: Choose “Google Chrome” there.
Step 4: Select "Google Chrome", users can then see the "Delete App" option.
Step 5: Click on the option and confirm it in a pop-up.

Let us now go through how Google Chrome is installed from the app store. Follow the steps: -

Step 1: Move to the App Store and select the search icon.
Step 2: Search for "Google Chrome" followed by clicking the "Install" button next to the Google Chrome icon.

After completing both the steps mentioned above, check for the issue has been resolved or not.

Part 4: Fix Chrome’s Request Site Not Working on iPhone [from iPhone Side]

Solution 1: Update iOS

After retrying all the above-mentioned ways, if users are still facing the same issue with Chrome, then here’s a quick solution. The user can try updating their iOS version to the latest one. This can help the user fix their problem.

For updating the iOS version, follow the steps: -

Step 1: First open iPhone’s “Settings”.
Step 2: Then, select “General”.
Step 3: Select the "Software Update" option on the page appearing.

Solution 2: Fix iOS By Yourself Like a Pro

Here is the pro solution if unfortunately the problem has not been solved. We recommend you UltFone iOS System Repair tool, designed only for iOS devices, to help them solve every possible technical issue occurring on their iPhone devices. Whether request desktop site iPhone is not working. The key features of UltFone app are listed below: -

Just a single tap for entering and exiting through recovery mode on iPhone/iPad/iPod.
This tool can fix over 150+ system issues like reboot loop, black screen without data loss and Apple logo.
It can reset the user’s device without password/iTunes/Finder.
Users can downgrade to the iOS 16 beta version without iTunes.
The app supports all iOS versions and iPhone models, including the latest iPhone 13 series and iOS 16 beta version.

Now, let us check out the steps to Repair the iOS System without any data loss. Follow the steps to know:

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Step 1At first, download and install the UltFone iOS System Repair tool on a PC. Then tap on "Start" to enter the app and proceed further.
Step 2 On the page appearing, select “Standard Repair” for continuation.
Step 3 Now, before continuing with a system error, tap on "Download" to download and get matching firmware package for the device. Change the saved way by tapping "Browse" to select another location for storing firmware packages.
Step 4After storing the firmware package successfully, click on the "Start Standard Repair" to fix the iOS issues in your device. It will take some moments, so wait patiently for the problem to settle in the machine.
Step 5 After repairing, click on “Done”.

Tip: How to Request A Desktop Site on iPhone for Safari/Chrome?

For Safari:

Here are the steps mentioned to request desktop site on iPhone for Safari, if your iPhone has installed iOS 13 version or later:

Step 1: Go into the Safari browser app and search for any random website.
Step 2: After the website loads, tap on the "aA" icon in the top corner beside the address bar. This will open the website's view menu.
Step 3: Choose the "Request Desktop Website" option.

If the user is having iOS version of 12 or below, they need to follow the following steps: -

Step 1: Go in the Safari browser window and search any random website. After the website loads, select and hold the "Refresh" icon beside the address bar.
Step 2: A pop-up will be seen at the bottom of the screen. Tap the "Request Desktop Site" from the appearing options.

These steps will help users to enable desktop view on their iOS devices.

For Chrome:

For the users using Chrome as their primary browser, follow the steps below –

Step 1: Tap on the “Chrome” icon present in your iOS device.
Step 2: Search for any website, and then tap on “More” for the menu list to see.
Step 2: After searching, scroll and select the "Request Desktop Site" option present.

The website will then load, and the user can see the desktop view of that website.

Conclusion

Hopefully, all iOS users have the answer to "How do I force a desktop site on iPhone?" There are many ways such as fixing browsing apps, updating iOS versions, updating /reinstalling browsing apps which can help the users to fix the issue. You are now familiar with the UltFone iOS System Repair tool, which can help you to fix this problem. This tool can resolve the issue of requesting desktop site safari in iOS 15 and every other version.