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Whether you are an SEO pro, marketer, oregon web developer, you mightiness often request to alteration your browser’s user-agent to trial antithetic 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 the user-agent of your browser tin assistance you test.
Changing user-agents is astir a regular task for web developers, arsenic they request to trial however websites behave successful antithetic browsers and devices.
What Is A User-Agent?
A user-agent is an HTTP petition header drawstring identifying browsers, applications, oregon operating systems that link to the server.
Browsers person user-agents, and truthful bash bots and crawlers specified arsenic hunt engines Googlebot, Google AdSense, etc.
Screenshot by author, May 2024
Here, we volition larn however to alteration your browser’s user-agent.
The process is called user-agent spoofing.
Spoofing occurs erstwhile a browser oregon lawsuit sends a antithetic user-agent HTTP header from what it is and fakes it.
While the word whitethorn beryllium alarming, this is not a unsafe enactment and volition not origin you immoderate problems. (Feel escaped 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 the same.
1. Right Click Anywhere On Webpage > Inspect
Alternatively, you tin usage CTR+Shift+I connected Windows and Cmd + Opt +J connected Mac.
Screenshot by author, May 2024
2. Choose More Tools > Network Conditions
Screen new.
Click connected the 3 vertical dots successful the precocious close corner.
Screenshot by author, May 2024
3. Uncheck Select Automatically Checkbox
Screenshot by author, May 2024
4. Choose One Among The Built-In User-Agents List
Screenshot by author, May 2024
If the user-agent you privation doesn’t exist, you tin participate immoderate drawstring you privation connected the tract beneath the list.
For example, you tin participate the pursuing (Googlebot’s user-agent) into the customized field:
Mozilla/5.0 (compatible; Googlebot/2.1; +http://www.google.com/bot.html)This whitethorn beryllium utile for SEO professionals to place if determination is simply a cloaking connected the website wherever the webpage shows circumstantial contented to Googlebot and antithetic contented to website visitors.
Alternatively, you tin usage the Chrome hold User-Agent Switcher and Manager.
That said, I effort not to usage browser extensions erstwhile the browser tin execute the enactment I want. This is to debar overloading the browser with add-ons.
Also, extensions person a wont of breaking websites unexpectedly sometimes.
While you mightiness deliberation the website you visited has an issue, the basal origin tin beryllium 1 of the add-ons you’re using.
How To Change User-Agent On Safari
1. Go To Preferences
Screenshot by author, May 2024
2. Enable Develop Menu Bar
Go to Advanced and cheque Show Develop paper successful paper bar.
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3. Navigate To Develop > User-Agent
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You tin again prime from a predefined database oregon participate a customized user-agent drawstring by choosing “Other…”
How To Change User-Agent In Firefox
In Firefox, it is imaginable to alteration user-agents via the browser’s built-in settings.
However, it is not arsenic user-friendly arsenic connected Chrome oregon Safari.
It is simply a existent symptom to usage the browser’s built-in feature.
Instead, we volition usage a Firefox add-on called User-Agent Switcher.
After installing the add-on, you volition spot an icon successful the precocious close corner.
You tin prime 1 of the predefined user-agents oregon participate a customized user-agent by clicking connected the pen icon below.
Screenshot by author, May 2024
Another hold you tin usage is User-Agent Switcher and Manager.
User-Agents Are Easy To Spoof
The user-agents are casual to spoof, and anyone tin usage these casual tricks to change them.
This diagnostic is utile for investigating web apps against assorted devices, particularly erstwhile the HTML is antithetic for mobile oregon tablet devices.
It is simply a cost-efficient mode to trial websites arsenic 1 doesn’t request to person galore carnal devices to beryllium capable to test.
However, definite issues whitethorn look connected the existent instrumentality but not erstwhile investigating by changing the idiosyncratic cause and utilizing a browser emulator.
In that case, if you privation to trial connected aggregate existent devices, I suggest utilizing Browserstack, which offers investigating opportunities connected astir each devices.
FAQ
What is simply a idiosyncratic agent?
User cause is simply a HTTP petition header drawstring identifying browser, application, operating strategy which connects to the server. Not lone browsers person idiosyncratic cause but besides bots, hunt engines crawlers specified arsenic Googlebot, Google Adsense etc. which are not browsers.
What is user-agent spoofing?
When browser oregon immoderate lawsuit sends antithetic user-agent HTTP header from what they are and fakes it that is called spoofing.
How does changing the user-agent assistance SEO professionals?
SEO professionals whitethorn find changing the user-agent to beryllium a captious portion of their audit process. It is beneficial for respective reasons:
- Identifying cloaking issues: By mimicking antithetic user-agents, specified arsenic Googlebot, SEO experts tin uncover whether a website presents antithetic contented to hunt engines than users, which violates hunt motor guidelines.
- Compatibility: It ensures web applications are compatible crossed assorted browsers and devices.
- User Experience: Developers tin optimize the idiosyncratic acquisition by knowing however contented is rendered connected antithetic systems.
- Debugging: Changing the user-agent tin assistance pinpoint browser-specific issues.
- Quality Assurance: It’s an indispensable measurement successful prime assurance and helps support the integrity and show 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 the word “spoofing” mightiness suggest malicious intent, this signifier successful the discourse of user-agents is harmless. It is simply a instrumentality for developers and marketers to trial however websites and applications interact with assorted 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
English (US)