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My aim is to be treated like other normal internet users, regardless of the orientation of my monitor. Since I use portrait 1080p monitor, my browser is very easy to categorize, sites show me very specific ads even after using VPN and disabling third party cookies. How do I spoof a common resolution?

In exact words: I need my browser to report a common resolution like 768x1024, even if that breaks apart HTML layout. Surely most websites will work just fine.

Not good solutions:

  1. Tor Browser: The websites will categorize me as security conscious user, many sites will even ban me. I might even mistakenly maximize the tor window!
  2. Change browser's window size/viewport size/zoom level: This website shows 1080x1920 resolution regardless window size/viewport size/zoom level.
  3. Change DPI/resolution from windows: Other applications start acting crazy.
  4. Protect privacy using scripts: I don't want to break functionality of website that depend on ads. I just want to be treated as a normal user who does not have any kind of privacy protection.

My own solution: Buy a new monitor (1920x1080p) and keep the browser window inside this new monitor at all times.

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  • if you did, everything would display incorrectly. most responsive frameworks use client side code to make layout decisions, so if that information is leaking, it is because client side code is sending it up, as analytics or whatever, so the same code that makes the page look right at your res is also responsible for the leaks. – Frank Thomas Oct 6 '17 at 1:32
  • I can make the window size 1024x768 easily, and I would love it if website thinks this is my exact resolution, instead of portrait 1080p – user257838 Oct 6 '17 at 1:54
  • by the way, the site is running a script that checks the javascript properties screen.height and screen.width: w3schools.com/jsref/prop_screen_height.asp The site cannot read my resolution, because I use noscripts and have not allowed that domain. – Frank Thomas Oct 6 '17 at 2:31
  • @FrankThomas disabling scripts will just make it easier for the website to know it is me again. The website can ban visitors like me easily. – user257838 Oct 6 '17 at 2:47
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    I found a similar topic here. I guess you just have to write your own extension that changes the screen object. – SpiderPig Oct 6 '17 at 7:46
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There is far more than your screen resolution that is being used to uniquely identify you. Click this link to see.

It’s really hard to make you anonymous on the web with standard software. If you are truly looking to hide your identity you should use Tor.

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  • I don't want to use Tor, it is too slow. I need a way to spoof my resolution, that's all. – user257838 Oct 6 '17 at 1:53
  • I tried Tor, it gave 1000 X 968 resolution. I think now it is even easier for the websites to pin point me. Along with special Tor IP address. And now google shows captcha :( – user257838 Oct 6 '17 at 2:00
  • you are far easier to track based on IP and cookies than you are by screenres/plugin fingerprint. Tor addresses that, and a proper configuration for it hides other identifying information. browser fingerprinting is only helpful to the adversary to match observed flows to a physical browser configuration, which means that the police are already at your door before it can be used to identify you, and then the only time it adds value to their investigation is when they can use it to map together multiple obfuscated connections (like with Tor). otherwise they arleady have you by IP. – Frank Thomas Oct 6 '17 at 2:22
  • @FrankThomas I can use VPN on my PC. I can use new chrome profile for each website I want to work on. I can disable third party cookies. The website will still know it is me because of my special resolution. Stop suggesting Tor, it just makes the website more suspicious of me. it can ban me and force me to use normal browser. I am not doing anything illegal, just don't want the website to recognize that I use portrait 1080p monitor. How do I make my question more clear? – user257838 Oct 6 '17 at 2:50

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