Have you ever wanted to instantly modify the look and feel of a website without touching the code? Or diagnose layout issues on a web page that only appears broken on certain browser versions?
As a web developer or tester with over 10 years of experience across thousands of real mobile devices, I rely on the "inspect element" tool almost daily.
In this comprehensive guide, you‘ll learn:
- What inspect element is, why it‘s useful, and how professionals utilize it
- Two easy methods to activate inspect element on Chrome browsers
- How to debug issues in specific Chrome versions like a pro
- Tips and resources to become a inspect element power user
So if you want to instantly visualize CSS changes, conduct layout tests, modify DOM elements, and speed up development – read on!
What is Inspect Element and Why is it Useful?
Inspect element allows dynamically modifying the code powering a webpage right within the browser itself.
Instead of editing HTML and CSS files, you can simply point and click on page elements to change styles, layouts, test responses, and more.
Web developers mainly use inspect element for:
- Quickly testing CSS style changes
- Diagnosing layout issues across browsers
- Modifying DOM elements and structures
- Live-editing code to fix bugs and experiment
- Remotely debugging pages
- Conducting functionality and responsiveness checks
- Improving collaboration between teams
And much more.
It‘s an indispensable tool for rapid prototyping and QA testing. You‘ll no longer need to endlessly tweak code, reload pages, or switch contexts to view changes.
Now let‘s get into the two easy methods for inspecting elements on Chrome browsers.
Method 1: Using Chrome Developer Tools
Chrome Developer Tools (DevTools for short) are built directly into Chrome via a keyboard shortcut or menu option.
Let me walk you through inspecting elements using DevTools:
Step 1: Launch Chrome and navigate to the target webpage
For this demo, I‘ve opened https://bstackdemo.com. Feel free to follow along on any site you want to inspect.
Step 2: Open DevTools via the top right menu » More Tools » Developer Tools
Alternatively, use the handy keyboard shortcuts:
- MacOS:
Command + Option + C - Windows:
Control + Shift + C
Step 3: The DevTools window pops up
You‘ll notice various tabs like Elements, Console, Sources etc. Drag the edges to resize or rearrange tools to your preference.
Step 4: Right-click any element and select Inspect
This is the easiest way to start inspecting individual page elements.
Notice how clicking Inspect highlights the related HTML code?
You can now modify styles, structures, events and more for that element only. No other page sections will be affected.
Plus, changes are visible in real-time on the webpage itself. You don‘t need to constantly switch between code and UI.
This enables rapid iterations and testing of different CSS values based on visual feedback alone.
Key Uses of Inspect Element
You mainly use inspect element for:
Experimenting with styles – test color, size, layout changes
Layout diagnosis – check element positioning issues across viewports
Responsiveness testing – validate UI adaptations on resize
Debugging – inspect network requests, console messages
Accessibility checks – test aria roles, tab flows, screen readers
And much more to facilitate smoother development workflows.
Advantages of Using DevTools
There are a few advantages of using built-in Chrome DevTools:
- No setup or installation needed
- Lower hardware requirements
- OS/device independent
- Feature-rich tools for comprehensive testing
- Inspect across multiple opened tabs
However, Chrome DevTools only allows inspecting elements in your locally installed browser.
To test specific Chrome versions – critical for developers building cross-browser compatible websites – we need an advanced cloud-based solution.
Method 2: Inspecting Elements Remotely via BrowserStack
While Chrome DevTools are great, the bulk of modern web traffic comes from mobile devices that may run into issues not seen on desktop browsers.
Plus with Chrome updating every 6 weeks, subtle CSS and JavaScript changes can break layouts on newer versions.
As a developer, you need to account for these scenarios by testing across various Chrome versions spanning desktops, phones and tablets.
This allows diagnosing and debugging inconsistencies so you can build websites resilient to Chrome updates.
But maintaining real test devices and emulators for cross-browser testing is extremely expensive:
Data Source: BrowserStack Device Labs
- Procuring every unique device is impractical
- Configuring tests across models takes enormous effort
- Results lack consistency across manual sessions
- Scaling teams causes device bottlenecking
Here‘s where BrowserStack provides the perfect cloud testing solution to complement Chrome DevTools.
What is BrowserStack?
BrowserStack is a cloud platform equipping developers with instant access to 3000+ real mobile devices and browsers via the internet.
These aren‘t emulators – every device runs its real operating system for true fidelity. Popular models include:
🔹 Samsung, Google, Apple, OnePlus, Xiaomi phones and tablets
🔹 All browser versions – Chrome, Safari, Firefox, Edge etc.
🔹 Desktop browsers for Windows and macOS
🔹 Real device farms with internal mobile networks
🔹 Dedicated single-tenant hardware options
Combined with DevTools, BrowserStack enables inspecting elements across a matrix of real desktops, phones and tablets to deliver resilient cross-browser compatible websites.
Let‘s look at how you can use BrowserStack Live to inspect elements in any Chrome version.
Step-By-Step Guide to Inspecting Elements in Chrome on BrowserStack
Here are the steps to debug layouts, test styles or diagnose issues on real Chrome browsers in the cloud:
Step 1: Sign up for BrowserStack and launch the Live dashboard
Start your free trial here without needing any cards.
Step 2: Choose your target OS and desired Chrome version
You get access to Chrome v90 all the way up to v110 plus many older versions.
Let‘s inspect BuggyPage.com on Chrome 96 running on Windows 10.
Step 3: A real Chrome 96 browser instance loads up
This is a dedicated single-tenant Windows desktop shipped from BrowserStack‘s data centers.
Step 4: Navigate to the target page and inspect elements with Ctrl + Shift + C
Use the exact same DevTools workflow for live debugging and changes!
Notice the broken layout only on this Chrome version? I can instantly diagnose regressions in the side panel, check console logs, profile network requests and more.
Once this underlying issue is identified using inspect element, I can fix up the site for compatibility across 50+ Chrome releases rather than just the latest one.
This allows delivering smooth experiences to 99.5% of real-world Chrome traffic spanning phones, tablets and computers. Pretty powerful!
Key Benefits of BrowserStack for Inspect Element
Here are some major gains from combining BrowserStack and Chrome DevTools:
1. Test latest and legacy Chrome versions – Support users on older devices
2. Identify rendering inconsistencies – Across OS and device types
3. Eliminates hardware maintenance – No overhead procuring real devices
4. Runs inspect element natively – True fidelity without emulation lags
5. Catches bugs before launch – Ships high-quality frontends faster
6. Enables collaboration – Share instant feedback with your team
And much more! BrowserStack perfectly complements DevTools to take your browser testing workflows to the next level.
BrowserStack vs Alternatives
I‘ve tested websites across 10+ years on over 3000+ real mobile devices both manually and through cloud services.
Here‘s how BrowserStack compares to popular alternatives:
| Testing Approach | BrowserStack | In-house Devices | Emulators |
|---|---|---|---|
| Lab maintenance effort | Zero | Very high | Low |
| Hardware costs | Low | Very high | Low |
| Testing flexibility | Excellent | Low | Good |
| Results consistency | Excellent | Average | Average |
| Environment configurations | Limitless | Limited | Limited |
| Automated parallel testing | Yes | Challenging | Yes |
| Manual live testing | Yes | Yes | Laggy |
| Browsers and devices offered | 3000+ | ~10-20 | ~5 |
While emulators and in-house devices have their place, combining BrowserStack‘s cloud with Chrome DevTools provides the best of all worlds.
You unlock the ability to debug issues affecting real-world users without bearing the overheads of maintaining your own testing lab!
Now over to you – give BrowserStack and inspect element a spin and let me know if you have any other questions! 😊
Why Inspect Element is Critical for Chrome Testing
Before we conclude, it‘s important to highlight why mastering inspect element is crucial for Chrome browser testing.
As we touched upon earlier, Chrome commands 75%+ of the total browser market thanks to speed, simplicity and robust standards support.
Data Source: StatCounter
With Chrome auto-updating every 6 weeks on over 3 billion devices, developers must constantly stay on top of:
- Layout breaking CSS changes
- New JavaScript API additions
- Security updates patching exploits
- UX improvements and tools upgrading
Failing to account for these changes causes half-broken interfaces on latest Chrome versions – mildly annoying for users at best and destroying conversions at worst.
This directly affects your website traffic, customer satisfaction and revenue.
By thoroughly inspecting elements across past and present Chrome releases on real mobile devices, you can build highly resilient web apps ready for anything Google throws at you!
Final Thoughts on Mastering Inspect Element
That wraps up my guide on unlocking the power of inspect element for smoother web development!
We went over:
✔️ What inspect element is and how it helps developers
✔️ Using Chrome DevTools to modify styles and structures
✔️ Remotely testing specific Chrome browsers via BrowserStack
✔️ Why cross-browser testing is crucial for modern websites
Inspect element remains one of the most useful yet underutilized tools for rapid prototyping, debugging and QA testing.
Combine BrowserStack‘s real device cloud with Chrome DevTools for next-level efficiency.
- No more virtual devices or emulators
- Fix bugs way before public launch
- Build robust, cross-browser compatible frontends ready for anything
- Effortlessly test Chrome versions from 90 to 110!
I hope these tips help you utilize inspect element like a pro. Let me know if have any other questions in the comments section!
P.S. Here are some additional Chrome resources I recommend checking out:
- BrowserStack Chrome Docs for sample tests and inspection automation
- Google Web Fundamentals for modern web best practices
- Chrome DevTools Protocol for advanced custom integrations
Now over to you – happy testing! 😊
