Internet Explorer Modern - View Webpage in Desktop IE

How to View Webpage from Modern Internet Explorer in Desktop IE in Windows 8 and 8.1​

   Information

This tutorial will show you how to quickly switch from viewing the current webpage in modern IE10/IE11 to the desktop IE10/IE11 in Windows 8, Windows RT, Windows 8.1, and Windows RT 8.1.

EXAMPLE: Opening Modern Internet Explorer from Start Screen




Here's How:

1. When you have a webpage opened in modern Internet Explorer, either press Windows + Z, right click on an empty area, or swipe up from the bottom edge of a touch screen. (see screenshot below)

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2. At the bottom right corner, click/tap on the wrench button, and click/tap on View on the desktop. (see screenshot below)

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3. The modern IE window will be suspended, and you will now have a new desktop IE open to the webpage you currently had opened in modern IE. (see screenshot below)

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   Tip

To Return Back to Viewing Webpage in Modern Internet Explorer
NOTE: Since the modern IE is suspended at step 3, if your system runs low on memory, Windows 8 may close modern IE instead of leaving it as suspended. If modern IE is still suspended, then it will open right were you left off. If modern IE was closed, then you will have to manually go back to the webpage again.


1. Open the modern Internet Explorer from App Switcher.
NOTE: You can also press Windows + ALT + Tab to see the opened apps for this.

OR

2. Open the modern Internet Explorer from the :winkey: + ALT + TAB Windows Switcher (Flip 2D).

OR

3. Open the modern Internet Explorer from your Start screen.

That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

---

• How to Open and Close Tabs in Modern IE10 in Windows 8
• How to Open and Close Tabs in Modern IE11 in Windows 8.1
• How to Open Tab in New Modern IE11 Window Side by Side in Windows 8.1
• How to Set URL Links to Open in Modern or Desktop IE10 or IE11 View in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Toggle Google Chrome Browser Between Desktop and Windows 8 (Metro) Mode
• How to Restore Modern Internet Explorer on Start Screen in Windows 8 and 8.1
• How to Pin Site Tile to Start Screen from Internet Explorer 11 (IE11) in Windows 8.1

 

[DougTech]

Yup your right...looks like i have unpinned it! I tried doing a search of programs on the metro start screen and there is no blue icon available

Maybe the option to add it back has not been implemented yet...trust me! lol

Did you ever find a resolution to this? I am having the same issue, only being able to use Desktop View. In my start menu, the Desktop View app is pinned, and is the only one available from the app menu.

 

[Brink]

Hello Doug, and welcome to Eight Forums.

Double check the items in the tutorial below. Since I see Chrome in your screenshot, the problem is most likely that you do not have Internet Explorer set as the default program for IE10 Metro to be available.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15045-internet-explorer-10-metro-restore-windows-8-a.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[DougTech]

Shawn,

thank you for the welcome.

I looked through that tutorial, and that seemed to be the issue (Chrome being default). However, I am dismayed that I cannot use the Metro style with another browser as default. Anyway, thanks for the link.

-Doug

 

[Brink]

You're welcome Doug.

You could, but you would have to toggle back and forth setting which one you wanted as the Metro version (if available for that web browser) as the default program.

Hopefully Microsoft will get it sorted one day to allow multiple Metro browsers at the same time.

 

[harrisonaard1]

This toggle feature. This means that my processor now has to have twice as much information for one program; one for each view. Is there a way to erase the silly metro-part from the program?
@Mikedl, is your Firefox stable? Mine kept on crashing, as did Chrome. I'm now stuck with the prehistoric IE, which hasn't crashed ...yet.

 

[Brink]

Hello Harrison,

I'm afraid that you are completely confused and mistaken on how this work.

If you don't open it, it's not in memory.

If you don't like the IE10 Metro mode, then you could just use the IE10 desktop mode by opening Internet Explorer from the desktop instead. You could also "Pin to Start" the IE10 desktop shortcut on your taskbar to open IE10 desktop from the Start screen as well if you like.

In addition, you could use the tutorial below to have all links set to always open using IE10 desktop.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2346-internet-explorer-10-open-links-win-8-ui-desktop-ie10.html

Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[harrisonaard1]

Thank you Shawn.

 

[Brink]

You're most welcome.

 

[bertie11]

Coming back to the IE10 switching, my wife, on her new Win8 RT told me on Friday that when she uses the desktop IE10 nothing goes into History, and yes, I tried that and she is right. She also says that this only started on Friday, so she is saying that for 3-4 weeks she was getting history in the desktop IE10 (what she does is from the Metro screen she goes into the desktop IE) but on Friday that stopped happening, ie, no History.

Using the 'View on Desktop' works fine but it needs to be set every time (I think), so I don't understand why the behavior changed. She insists on being able to use History in desktop IE, but then she sometimes decides to use the Metro IE so then complains that it hasn't gone into desktop IE!

Is it possible to set view on Desktop permanently?

 

[Brink]

Hello Bertie,

The "View on Desktop" option is just a toggle feature to go there that one time.

You could use the tutorial below to set the "default view for links" to Always in Internet Explorer on the desktop and Open Internet Explorer tiles on the desktop to help to do that.

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2346-internet-explorer-10-open-links-win-8-ui-desktop-ie10.html


Afterwards, you might unpin the IE10 Metro tile from the Start screen, and pin the "C:\Program Files\Internet Explorer\iexplore.exe" file to your Start screen to have a desktop shortcut on the Start screen instead.


http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2352-start-screen-pin-unpin-app-folder-drive-windows-8-a.html


Hope this helps,
Shawn

 

[bertie11]

Hello Bertie,

You could use the tutorial below to set the "default view for links" to Always in Internet Explorer on the desktop and Open Internet Explorer tiles on the desktop to help to do that.

Hello Shawn,

I guessed that 'Show on Desktop' was a one-off but I thought I would ask!

When I tried the above, it takes me straight to desktop IE which is what wife wants, but nothing goes into History which she is most upset about! She is pushing 80, and is very set in her computing ways. She was seduced by touchscreen stuff and Windows 8 in spite of my advice, so this is where we are now!

She just wants to use the desktop IE just as she did on her old win 7 system where any site she visits goes into History but I cannot see how to get it to do that! At the moment the only way I can get a site in desktop IE History is by entering the site from Metro IE. It wouldn't be so bad if the Metro had a 'proper' History like the old one.

I've unpinned the Metro IE and added the Desktop IE to the Metro start page, but I still do not get sites I visit showing in History!

Starts hair-tearing session. I hate W8!

 

[Brink]

Hey Bertie,

IE10 should be set to store 20 sites in history by default. The settings below for this is in "Internet Options".

 

[bertie11]

Hi Shawn,

Yes, it is already set to 20 sites.

I'm now trying to get Metro IE10 back but I can't find it! I only unpinned it,I didn't uninstall. I looked in the Apps folder but the only one there is the desktop IE. Sinking slowly into the mire here!

Thanks Shawn.

 

[Brink]

Here you go: http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/15045-internet-explorer-10-metro-restore-windows-8-a.html

 

[bertie11]

Well, I finally got back to square one. It does seem that some of the links you gave me don't relate to RT which makes them difficult to follow, so I couldn't get the Metro IE back using the links. Then I tried sfc /scannow but I can't even find the Run command, I normally find it under Accessories but RT doesn't seem to have that either!

Anyways, I remembered that I had told Metro IE to go to the desktop each time I opened it so without the Metro tile I was struggling. Then I went into Desktop IE/etc (forgotten already!), and removed the tick that told Metro to open the Desktop one. After that I was fine. I have Metro IE back, but Desktop IE STILL fails to add pages into History, but they do go into DT History when viewed in Metro IE!

I hope that makes sense Shawn , because my brain is beginning to hurt.

I would really love to know how to get history working in DT IE, surely there must be a way?

Thanks for your patience.

 

[Brink]

I hear you Bertie. Just to make sure that we are on the same page, could you post a screenshot of where in IE10 (desktop) you wanted the history to show at?

http://www.eightforums.com/tutorials/2598-screenshots-files-upload-post-eight-forums.html

 

[bertie11]

OK Shawn, I'll be back tomorrow with that.

Thanks.

 

[bertie11]

untitled.png

Back again Shawn

OK, I hope you get this OK. It shows desktop IE10 on wife's machine with History opened and showing 3 sites which she opened from Metro IE10. The open page in the picture was opened in desktop IE but has not been added to History. I have tried closing IE, rebooting but nothing I do will get sites showing in History. It was all working fine up till last Friday morning, wife said she thought Windows updated, so I will need to see what updates were made.

Thanks.

 

[Brink]

Ok. It's the same location I was thinking of.

Does she have any program like CCleaner installed that would delete the browsing history when ran?

You might also check to make sure she doesn't have Internet Explorer set to delete browsing history on exit.

If not, then you might see if completely resetting IE may help.

 

[bertie11]

No CrapCleaner, only similar is Advanced System Care, but the problem isn't to do with history being cleared out but websites not being added to history!

You can see from the screenshot that there are sites in the history for today (From Metro IE) but they remain in place even after a reboot or closedown of IE. Something is preventing sites being added, but I know not what!

She won't thank me for doing a reset I'm sorry to say, so I'll pass on that for a while!