Browser identity

Sometimes, if you have problems displaying a site in Opera, or have received a message saying that you are using an unsupported browser, you may be able to resolve issues by changing how Opera presents itself to the site.

When a web browser connects to a website, it tells the site which browser it is. Some websites will then provide content tailored for particular browsers, not taking other browsers into account. However, as browsers are in constant development, assumptions made by site designers may not always have the intended effect.

To change your browser identification, right-click a page of the website and select "Edit site preferences". Select the Network tab and select an option to identify as a different browser. In extreme cases, you may need to mask as another browser. Press F5 to reload the page.

Note: Selecting "Identify as" means Opera will present itself as another browser, while still mentioning that it's Opera. Selecting "Mask as" completely hides Opera's identity, which is rarely necessary, but sometimes helps when visiting badly designed or broken sites.

There is also a menu option designed for making it easier to report problems with specific sites. This will report the URL, your comments, and some basic system settings to Opera, and we will investigate these reports and see if there's anything that can be done to circumvent the problem. Go to Help > Report a Site Problem.

Java issues

Some online banks may use a Java applet for the secure log-in process. If you do not have Java installed, or if Java does not work correctly, logging in to the online bank may not work.

Related topics

• Report a site
• Java

See also: Open the web and Opera for web designers