When you have activated the “Internet Explorer” user agent on a Mac, then the Mac sends the message to web servers that the Mac is actually a Windows PC with Internet Explorer, as you can see in the user agent string reported back:Īnd once you switch back to the Safari or Default user agent string, you can also use Google search for “check user agent” to find that the Mac and Safari (webkit) user agent is detected again. You can see how this works yourself by going to Google and typing “check user agent’ into the search box and searching, where Google will report to you what your browser user agent is. Web developers use this functionality frequently for compatibility testing, but it has many other applications for accessing PC only and Internet Explorer only websites from a Mac, like some banking sites and bureaucratic websites, or various other websites that limit access to Windows PC and Internet Explorer.
That’s all there is to it! How this trick works is that it changes what’s known as the User Agent identifier of the Safari and Mac web browser, fooling the target website into thinking your Mac is a Windows PC with Internet Explorer instead.
IE EMULATOR FOR MAC FIREFOX HOW TO
How to Access Internet Explorer or PC Required Websites on MacĪccessing websites that require Internet Explorer or a Windows PC is simple on a Mac, all you need is access to the default Safari web browser on a Mac: This originates from a little web developer trick, and it’s quite easy to setup on your Mac with Safari. The secret? Make your Mac pretend it is an Internet Explorer PC, thereby accessing the PC-only website right from Mac OS. Obviously this PC-only requirement can be an issue for Mac users, since the Mac is not a Windows PC, but nonetheless it can be necessary to view websites that require a Windows PC or Internet Explorer from a Mac anyway.ĭon’t fret Mac users, with an easy trick you can gain access to websites that are Internet Explorer only, right from your Mac, even if you don’t have a Windows PC. Are you a Mac user that needs to access a Internet Explorer or PC only website? It happens, some websites require users to have Internet Explorer or a Windows PC before they will load, often these websites are for banks, governments, utility services, or even media services, and they have limitations to require a PC or Internet Explorer.