How to debug site in older IE versions?

Question

I'm looking for a way to inspect certain site elements in older IE versions, as I have noticed that the container of my site gets pushed to the right in IE8 and 9. In IE10 it is displayed correctly.

My way of viewing my site in older IE versions is while using IE-tab plugin for firefox. In this plugin there is however no debugging possible.

Is there any way to inspect site elements in older IE versions without having to install these older browsers?

Answer 1

Use IE. Go to the Tool Gear and go to F12 Developer Tools or Hit F12. Now go to Browser Mode. If you are using a Mac you may need Parallels. You should use IE itself.

Answer 2

The F12 Developer Tools are a great source for troubleshooting issues with Internet Explorer. Understand that while Browser Emulation is pretty good, it's not perfect. There could be differences between Native IE7, and Emulated IE7.

One invaluable tool that I have grown to rely on is Fiddler Web Proxy Debugger. It's not related to Internet Explorer, but it makes debugging in IE much easier than ever before. With it you can modify the markup of any page (even those that don't belong to you), modify the JavaScript and CSS, and even setup Auto Responder's to swap out files on arbitrary requests.

Check it out at http://fiddler2.com