Whether you are an SEO pro, marketer, aliases web developer, you mightiness often request to alteration your browser’s user-agent to trial different things.
For example, ideate you’re moving a MAC-OS-specific campaign. To find retired if your run is moving decently and not targeting Linux users, changing nan user-agent of your browser tin thief you test.
Changing user-agents is almost a regular task for web developers, arsenic they request to trial really websites behave successful different browsers and devices.
What Is A User-Agent?
A user-agent is an HTTP petition header drawstring identifying browsers, applications, aliases operating systems that link to nan server.
Browsers person user-agents, and truthful do bots and crawlers specified arsenic hunt engines Googlebot, Google AdSense, etc.
Here, we will study really to alteration your browser’s user-agent.
The process is called user-agent spoofing.
Spoofing occurs erstwhile a browser aliases customer sends a different user-agent HTTP header from what it is and fakes it.
While nan word whitethorn beryllium alarming, this is not a vulnerable activity and will not origin you immoderate problems. (Feel free to spoof your user-agent arsenic overmuch arsenic you want.)
How To Change Your User-Agent On Chrome & Edge
Since Microsoft Edge is now utilizing Chromium, the settings for some Chrome and Edge are nan same.
1. Right Click Anywhere On Webpage > Inspect
Alternatively, you tin usage CTR+Shift+I connected Windows and Cmd + Opt +J connected Mac.
2. Choose More Tools > Network Conditions
Screen new.
Click connected nan 3 vertical dots successful nan precocious correct corner.
3. Uncheck Select Automatically Checkbox
4. Choose One Among The Built-In User-Agents List
If nan user-agent you want doesn’t exist, you tin participate immoderate drawstring you want connected nan section beneath nan list.
For example, you tin participate nan pursuing (Googlebot’s user-agent) into nan civilization field:
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html)This whitethorn beryllium useful for SEO professionals to place if location is simply a cloaking connected nan website wherever nan webpage shows circumstantial contented to Googlebot and different contented to website visitors.
Alternatively, you tin usage nan Chrome hold User-Agent Switcher and Manager.
That said, I effort not to usage browser extensions erstwhile nan browser tin execute nan action I want. This is to debar overloading nan browser pinch add-ons.
Also, extensions person a wont of breaking websites unexpectedly sometimes.
While you mightiness deliberation nan website you visited has an issue, nan guidelines origin tin beryllium 1 of nan add-ons you’re using.
How To Change User-Agent On Safari
1. Go To Preferences
2. Enable Develop Menu Bar
Go to Advanced and cheque Show Develop paper successful paper bar.
3. Navigate To Develop > User-Agent
You tin again prime from a predefined database aliases participate a civilization user-agent drawstring by choosing “Other…”
How To Change User-Agent In Firefox
In Firefox, it is imaginable to alteration user-agents via nan browser’s built-in settings.
However, it is not arsenic user-friendly arsenic connected Chrome aliases Safari.
It is simply a existent symptom to usage nan browser’s built-in feature.
Instead, we will usage a Firefox add-on called User-Agent Switcher.
After installing nan add-on, you will spot an icon successful nan precocious correct corner.
You tin prime 1 of nan predefined user-agents aliases participate a civilization user-agent by clicking connected nan pen icon below.
Another hold you tin usage is User-Agent Switcher and Manager.
User-Agents Are Easy To Spoof
The user-agents are easy to spoof, and anyone tin usage these easy tricks to change them.
This characteristic is useful for testing web apps against various devices, particularly erstwhile nan HTML is different for mobile aliases tablet devices.
It is simply a cost-efficient measurement to trial websites arsenic 1 doesn’t request to person galore beingness devices to beryllium capable to test.
However, definite issues whitethorn look connected nan existent instrumentality but not erstwhile testing by changing nan personification supplier and utilizing a browser emulator.
In that case, if you want to trial connected aggregate existent devices, I propose utilizing Browserstack, which offers testing opportunities connected almost each devices.
FAQ
What is simply a personification agent?
User supplier is simply a HTTP petition header drawstring identifying browser, application, operating strategy which connects to nan server. Not only browsers person personification supplier but besides bots, hunt engines crawlers specified arsenic Googlebot, Google Adsense etc. which are not browsers.
What is user-agent spoofing?
When browser aliases immoderate customer sends different user-agent HTTP header from what they are and fakes it that is called spoofing.
How does changing nan user-agent thief SEO professionals?
SEO professionals whitethorn find changing nan user-agent to beryllium a captious portion of their audit process. It is beneficial for respective reasons:
- Identifying cloaking issues: By mimicking different user-agents, specified arsenic Googlebot, SEO experts tin uncover whether a website presents different contented to hunt engines than users, which violates hunt motor guidelines.
- Compatibility: It ensures web applications are compatible crossed various browsers and devices.
- User Experience: Developers tin optimize nan personification acquisition by knowing really contented is rendered connected different systems.
- Debugging: Changing nan user-agent tin thief pinpoint browser-specific issues.
- Quality Assurance: It’s an basal measurement successful value assurance and helps support nan integrity and capacity of a website.
Can changing your browser’s user-agent airs a information risk?
No, changing your browser’s user-agent, commonly called user-agent spoofing, does not inherently airs a information risk. While nan word “spoofing” mightiness propose malicious intent, this believe successful nan discourse of user-agents is harmless. It is simply a instrumentality for developers and marketers to trial really websites and applications interact pinch various devices and browsers.
More resources:
- An Introduction to Rendering For SEO
- Using Chrome DevTools To Diagnose Site Issues In An Audit
- 7 Essential SEO Browser Extensions & Plugins
Featured Image: /Shutterstock
All screenshots taken by author, May 2024