Simulate mobile devices with Device Mode

Use Device Mode to approximate how your page looks and performs on a mobile device.

Device Mode is the name for the loose collection of features in Chrome DevTools that help you simulate mobile devices. These features include:

• Simulating a mobile viewport
• Throttling the network
• Throttling the CPU
• Simulating geolocation
• Setting orientation

Limitations #

Think of Device Mode as a first-order approximation of how your page looks and feels on a mobile device. With Device Mode you don't actually run your code on a mobile device. You simulate the mobile user experience from your laptop or desktop.

There are some aspects of mobile devices that DevTools will never be able to simulate. For example, the architecture of mobile CPUs is very different than the architecture of laptop or desktop CPUs. When in doubt, your best bet is to actually run your page on a mobile device. Use Remote Debugging to view, change, debug, and profile a page's code from your laptop or desktop while it actually runs on a mobile device.

Simulate a mobile viewport #

Click Toggle Device Toolbar to open the UI that enables you to simulate a mobile viewport.

Figure 1. The Device Toolbar

By default the Device Toolbar opens in Responsive Viewport Mode.

Responsive Viewport Mode #

Drag the handles to resize the viewport to whatever dimensions you need. Or, enter specific values in the width and height boxes. In Figure 2, the width is set to 628 and the height is set to 662.

Figure 2. The handles for changing the viewport's dimensions when in Responsive Viewport Mode

Show media queries #

To show media query breakpoints above your viewport, click More options and then select Show media queries.

Figure 3. Show media queries

Click a breakpoint to change the viewport's width so that the breakpoint gets triggered.

Figure 4. Click a breakpoint to change the viewport's width

Set the device type #

Use the Device Type list to simulate a mobile device or desktop device.

Figure 5. The Device Type list

The table below describes the differences between the options. Rendering method refers to whether Chrome renders the page as a mobile or desktop viewport. Cursor icon refers to what type of cursor you see when you hover over the page. Events fired refers to whether the page fires touch or click events when you interact with the page.

Mobile Device Viewport Mode #

To simulate the dimensions of a specific mobile device, select the device from the Device list.

Figure 6. The Device list

Rotate the viewport to landscape orientation #

Click Rotate to rotate the viewport to landscape orientation.

Figure 7. Landscape orientation

Note that the Rotate button disappears if your Device Toolbar is narrow.

Figure 8. The Device Toolbar

See also Set orientation.

Show device frame #

When simulating the dimensions of a specific mobile device like an iPhone 6, open More options and then select Show device frame to show the physical device frame around the viewport.

Figure 9. Show device frame

Figure 10. The device frame for the iPhone 6

Add a custom mobile device #

To add a custom device:

1. Click the Device list and then select Edit.

   

   Figure 11. Selecting Edit

2. Click Add custom device.

3. Enter a name, width, and height for the device. The device pixel ratio, user agent string, and device type fields are optional. The device type field is the list that is set to Mobile by default.

   

   Figure 12. Creating a custom device

Show rulers #

Click More options and then select Show rulers to see rulers above and to the left of your viewport. The sizing unit of the rulers is pixels.

Figure 13. Show rulers

Figure 14. Rulers above and to the left of the viewport

Zoom the viewport #

Use the Zoom list to zoom in or out.

Figure 15. Zoom

Throttle the network and CPU #

To throttle the network and CPU, select Mid-tier mobile or Low-end mobile from the Throttle list.

Figure 16. The Throttle list

Mid-tier mobile simulates fast 3G and throttles your CPU so that it is 4 times slower than normal. Low-end mobile simulates slow 3G and throttles your CPU 6 times slower than normal. Keep in mind that the throttling is relative to the normal capability of your laptop or desktop.

Note that the Throttle list will be hidden if your Device Toolbar is narrow.

Figure 17. The Device Toolbar

Throttle the CPU only #

To throttle the CPU only and not the network, go to the Performance panel, click Capture Settings , and then select 4x slowdown or 6x slowdown from the CPU list.

Figure 18. The CPU list

Throttle the network only #

To throttle the network only and not the CPU, go the Network panel and select Fast 3G or Slow 3G from the Throttle list.

Figure 19. The Throttle list

Or press Command+Shift+P (Mac) or Control+Shift+P (Windows, Linux, Chrome OS) to open the Command Menu, type 3G, and select Enable fast 3G throttling or Enable slow 3G throttling.

Figure 20. The Command Menu

You can also set network throttling from the Performance panel. Click Capture Settings and then select Fast 3G or Slow 3G from the Network list.

Figure 21. Setting network throttling from the Performance panel

Override geolocation #

To open the geolocation overriding UI click Customize and control DevTools and then select More tools > Sensors.

Figure 22. Sensors

Or press Command+Shift+P (Mac) or Control+Shift+P (Windows, Linux, Chrome OS) to open the Command Menu, type Sensors, and then select Show Sensors.

Figure 23. Show Sensors

Select one of the presets from the Location list, or select Other... to enter your own coordinates, or select Location unavailable to test out how your page behaves when geolocation is in an error state.

Figure 24. Geolocation

Set orientation #

To open the orientation UI click Customize and control DevTools and then select More tools > Sensors.

Figure 25. Sensors

Or press Command+Shift+P (Mac) or Control+Shift+P (Windows, Linux, Chrome OS) to open the Command Menu, type Sensors, and then select Show Sensors.

Figure 26. Show Sensors

Select one of the presets from the Orientation list or select Custom orientation to set your own alpha, beta, and gamma values.

Figure 27. Orientation