Classic SharePoint Site Redirecting to Site Contents on iOS Mobile Devices Instead of Home Page

Question

Classic SharePoint Site Redirecting to Site Contents on iOS Mobile Devices Instead of Home Page

Selvakumar K 25

We are encountering an issue with our classic SharePoint site. When users access the site through a desktop browser, the home (landing) page loads correctly, and all links and tiles are accessible as expected. However, when users access the same site from iOS mobile devices (using Safari or other browsers), they are automatically redirected to the Site Contents page instead of the intended home page. This makes it difficult for users to access important links and tiles available on the landing page.

Observed Behavior:

The Microsoft SharePoint app also opens the Site Contents page instead of the home page Enabling the “Request Desktop Site” option in the browser allows the home page to load, but the experience is not user-friendly due to poor scaling (small text and icons), and users must repeat this step every time

We require a solution to ensure that iOS mobile users are consistently directed to the SharePoint home (landing) page instead of the Site Contents page.

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2 answers

Your answer

Answer 1

Dear @Selvakumar K,

Thank you for reaching out about this behavior. I understand how frustrating it is when mobile users are redirected away from your landing page, especially when that page contains essential navigation tiles and links.

This issue typically occurs because Classic SharePoint sites have a "Mobile Browser View" feature enabled by default. This feature is designed to simplify the interface for older mobile devices, but it often defaults to the Site Contents view rather than rendering the custom home page.

To resolve this and ensure users land on the home page, I recommend the following steps:

Step1: Disable the Mobile Browser View Feature

This is the most effective way to force SharePoint to respect your home page settings on mobile devices.

Navigate to your SharePoint site on a desktop.
Go to Site Settings (Gear icon > Site settings). If you don't see Site settings, click Site information and then click View all site settings. Some pages might require you to select Site contents, and then Site settings.
Under the Site Actions section, click on Manage site features.
Locate the feature named Mobile Browser View.
Click Deactivate.

User's image

Step 2: Verify the Home Page Redirection

Once the feature is deactivated, SharePoint will treat mobile browsers similarly to desktop browsers. To ensure the correct page is targeted:

Go to your desired landing page (e.g., Home.aspx).
In the Page tab of the ribbon, select Make Homepage.

User's image

Step 3: Clear Browser Cache on iOS

After making these changes, please ask the affected users to clear their Safari or browser cache. Because SharePoint redirects can sometimes be "sticky" in mobile headers, a fresh session is necessary to see the change. Please refer to this document: Delete your Safari history, cache, and cookies on iPhone

This link is shared by community members for your convenience. It points to a third-party site that is not managed or verified by Microsoft. I can’t guarantee the quality, safety, or suitability of any content or software found there. Please review carefully and make sure you understand any potential risks before using it.

Note on User Experience: While deactivating this feature will stop the redirection to Site Contents, please note that Classic SharePoint pages are not natively responsive. Users will see the full desktop version of the site. For a truly mobile-friendly experience, Microsoft recommends migrating Classic pages to SharePoint Modern communication sites, which are responsive by design across all devices and the SharePoint mobile app.

I hope this helps! Please let me know if the redirection persists after deactivating the feature.

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Selvakumar K 25 Reputation points

2026-05-04T12:27:31.4433333+00:00

Hi Sophie,We don't want to deactivate the 'Mobile Browser View' since it will impact the entire site. Could you please share any other suggestions?

Thanks!

Answer 2

The behavior is caused by how classic SharePoint sites handle mobile browser redirection and mobile views, not by iOS itself.

On classic SharePoint Server 2013–style sites, a feature named Mobile Browser View controls what mobile users see:

When a supported mobile browser (such as Safari on iOS) accesses the site and Mobile Browser View is active, SharePoint checks the browser and renders either:
- a contemporary view (HTML5-optimized mobile view), or
- a classic mobile view.
These mobile views are simplified and can behave differently from the desktop view, including redirecting users away from the standard home page and into other pages such as Site Contents.
Users can switch to PC View from the mobile view, but this must be done each time, which matches the “Request Desktop Site” workaround that was observed.

Because the mobile view is a separate experience from the full desktop UI, it can lead to users landing on Site Contents instead of the intended home page when using iOS devices or the SharePoint mobile app.

To ensure iOS users consistently land on the home page instead of Site Contents, use one of these approaches (depending on how the site is configured):

Disable or adjust the Mobile Browser View feature (classic on-premises scenarios)
- The Mobile Browser View feature is what redirects mobile browsers to the optimized mobile experience.
- When this feature is active, mobile browsers are redirected and may not land on the same home page as desktop users.
- Disabling this feature (or not activating it) forces mobile browsers to use the full desktop UI, which respects the configured home page.
- This feature is enabled by default for classic templates such as Team Site, Blank Site, Document Workspace, Document Center, and Project Site.
Use “Switch to PC View” as a temporary per-user workaround
- In the mobile contemporary or classic view, users can select Switch to PC View.
- This changes the display from the mobile browser view to the full desktop view of the site, which will load the configured home page.
- However, this is session-based and must be repeated, so it is not a permanent fix.
Plan for a modern/mobile-friendly experience
- Classic sites and pages are not optimized for mobile devices, which is why text and icons appear small when forcing desktop view.
- Modern SharePoint pages and sites are responsive and designed to work well on mobile browsers and the SharePoint mobile app.
- Where possible, consider modernizing the home page or site so that the default experience is mobile-friendly without relying on classic mobile views.

Summary of the practical fix:

For a classic site that is redirecting iOS users to Site Contents, disable or avoid using the Mobile Browser View feature so that mobile browsers use the same home page as desktop users.
Use Switch to PC View only as a short-term workaround.
For a long-term, user-friendly solution, move the landing experience to a modern page/site so that mobile users get a responsive home page without redirection issues.

References: