How to use the full Facebook desktop site from your phone

People have become more dependent on their smartphones for their navigation needs. Therefore, websites have started creating two separate versions: a mobile version and a full desktop version. Facebook is just one example. The mobile website comes in two versions based on the website code, including normal and lightweight. Light versions of mobile websites usually feature main content. Still, they lack features that are better suited to a full-screen environment, such as menu navigation, link locations, options, and other page elements. Sites increasingly use responsive or adaptive web design, like Facebook, to change and modify to fit screens of any shape or size while displaying content in a reasonable layout.

However, mobile sites like Facebook often prove unsatisfactory in one way or another. More specifically, Facebook hides certain functionality, limiting what mobile users can see or do while browsing the site. While this strategy is applied to preserve usability and work better on mobile platforms, it can often leave power users in the dark when searching for specific skills or options on Facebook. After all, it can be frustrating to try to visit a particular site for a specific feature (like dark mode) and not get the option on the mobile version of the site.

Although in theory the Facebook apps on iOS and Android have the same capabilities as the desktop version, the navigation is different and many apps take you to the mobile version of the website instead of the app. It’s no secret that the Facebook app eats up a lot of battery life and memory on your phone, so the mobile site can be a much faster and more convenient way to access your social networks on the go.

Unfortunately, Facebook’s mobile browser site is more limited than the app in terms of capabilities. Facebook won’t let you use Messenger on the mobile browser. Instead, it will ask you to install the Messenger app. Changing settings or hiding posts from your newsfeed can be irritating.

If you’re fed up with restrictions when using Facebook’s mobile site or need to change a setting that you can’t change from the mobile view, you’re in luck. Both Android and iOS allow you to easily switch between mobile and desktop versions of Facebook with a single option.

Let’s discuss what you need to do to access the full desktop version of Facebook right from your iPhone or Android device.

Mobile browsers supported by Facebook Desktop

As of May 1, 2022, major browsers like Chrome and most Chromium forks like Edge and Opera support Facebook Desktop. However, Firefox, Safari, and other major non-Chromium browsers tend to not work even if they offer a Desktop View option. When we tested Firefox, it kept going to Facebook’s mobile website with “Desktop View” turned on and the URL changed.

Chrome for Facebook Desktop

1. Guy www.facebook.com in the address bar, tap the right arrow key (Enter key) on the virtual keyboard, then log in to Facebook if necessary.
2. Play the vertical ellipsis (three vertical dots) in the upper right corner to open the browser menu.
3. Select desktop site from the menu options. The Facebook page will change, but not completely yet.
4. Play the steering barand then touch the pencil icon below to edit the URL.
5. Change m.facebook.com to facebook.comand then touch the right arrow key (Enter key) on the virtual keyboard.
6. The Facebook page now appears in desktop mode.

Opera for Facebook desktop

1. Start the Opera mobile browser and log in to your Opera account if you want. This action syncs your browser settings, bookmarks, passwords, etc.
2. Guy www.facebook.com in the address bar, then tap the right arrow key (Enter key) on the virtual keyboard.
3. Play the vertical ellipsis in the top right section, then select desktop site. The slider should move to the right and turn blue. You can always check it to make sure it’s on.
4. Play the steering bar and change the URL m.facebook.com to facebook.com, then press the right arrow key (Enter key) on the virtual keyboard to load the desktop site.
5. Facebook should appear in all its glory with all the features of the desktop version.

Microsoft Edge for Facebook desktop

1. Start the Edge Mobile Browser and sign in to your Microsoft account if you want. This action syncs all your browser data, including passwords, history, bookmarks, etc.
2. Guy facebook.com in the address bar, then press the right arrow key (Enter key) on the virtual keyboard.
3. Play the horizontal ellipsis at the bottom to open the Edge browser menu.
4. Scroll up from the bottom to expose all the menu options. Choose View desktop site of the list.
5. Sign in to Facebook if you haven’t already. You shouldn’t need to change the URL from m.facebook.com to facebook.com, but do so if necessary.
6. Microsoft Edge should now display the Facebook desktop site.

If you are not logged into your Facebook account on your chosen mobile browser or logged out, you will be asked to enter your login details. After you sign in, you’ll still get the mobile web version or the Facebook app unless you changed the URL first. Don’t worry; you haven’t done anything wrong. Simply adjust the URL as needed by removing the meter. part in the URL. You must also ensure that the desktop option is activated in the browser for this trick to work.

As tested on May 1, 2022, adding /home.php at the end of the URL no longer works when bookmarking the page for future use. You always have to turn the desktop option Activate and change the URL every time you want to load the desktop version of Facebook. There’s no way around it like there used to be.

Additionally, as long as you browse Facebook in that specific tab, it will remain in desktop mode. Sometimes, however, you can return to a page and it will return to the mobile version. When tested in Edge, the back button remained in desktop mode for the most part since we clicked on several links.

***

While the methods above are useful and fairly easy to achieve, it is important to note that Facebook will try to redirect you to using its mobile app in certain situations. If you reload the home page or try to use specific settings, Facebook will send you back to the mobile site. If this happens, you can always use the methods above to reload the desktop version without too much trouble.

Finally, while testing the above methods on Android, we ran into the occasional issue where requesting the desktop site across all browsers would result in a tablet version, with the same functionality as the mobile version, but moved away from it. . If this happens, the page requests a desktop version of “m.facebook.com”, which redirects to the mobile version of Facebook no matter what device you are using. Simply re-enter “www.facebook.com” into your browser with the “Request desktop site” box still checked, and the traditional screen should load.