Changing default page title for Sitecore Desktop, Launchpad and Content Editor

My client really wanted to change default page title for Sitecore Desktop view. I have found that I can change it for Launchpad - by Item /sitecore/client/Applications/Launchpad and field "BrowserTitle" in Core database:

But to change default Desktop name in page title in Sitecore 8 it is more tricky. Using only Sitecore, without changing application code, you can make it by changing /sitecore/system/Dictionary/D/Desktop on Core database. It will change browser title of website/sitecore/shell/default.aspx. I have tested that, and it works but for me it is very strange solution - it changes the proper translation of "Desktop" word!

As an alternative you can change the Title attribute of the FormPage node in the following file:
\sitecore\shell\Applications\Shell.xml - hightlighted as red:

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="utf-8" ?> 
<control xmlns:def="Definition" xmlns="http://schemas.sitecore.net/Visual-Studio-Intellisense">
  <Shell>
    <Favicon Src="/sitecore/images/favicon.ico" />
    <Stylesheet Src="Shell.css" DeviceDependant="true"/>
    <Stylesheet Src="Startbar.css" DeviceDependant="true"/>
    <Script type="text/JavaScript" src="/sitecore/shell/controls/SitecoreObjects.js" />
    <Script type="text/JavaScript" src="/sitecore/shell/controls/SitecoreWindowManager.js" />
    <Script type="text/JavaScript" src="/sitecore/shell/controls/lib/scriptaculous/scriptaculous.js?load=effects" />
 
    <Script type="text/JavaScript" language="javascript" key="TrackModified">
      scSitecore.prototype.setModified = function(value) {
        this.modified = false;
      }
    </Script>
 
    <FormPage Submittable="false" TrackModified="false" ForceGlobalHeader="true" Title="My Custom Desktop Title">
      <CodeBeside Type="Sitecore.Shell.Applications.ShellForm,Sitecore.Client" FrameName="Shell"/>
      <img ID="Wallpaper" src="" alt=""/>
      
      <Border KeyDown="ShowStartMenu" KeyFilter="c91">
        <Border Class="DesktopArea" ID="Desktop" ContextMenu="ShowContextMenu">
          <Border ID="Links" Click="ClosePopups" DblClick="Launch"/>
        </Border>
        <div class="scStartbar">
          <Startbar />
        </div>
      </Border>
    </FormPage>
  </Shell>
</control>

For Content Editor application you can do similar, in the file \sitecore\shell\Applications\Content Manager.aspx change highlighted string:

<title><%= Translate.Text(WebUtil.GetQueryString("he", "My Website Content Editor")) %></title>

I hope that in next versions it will be more simple to customize, just like Launchpad, because some clients are very alerted to such details as title in the browser :)

Radoslaw Kozlowski

Author & Editor

Sitecore MVP, passionate Sitecore & .NET developer and architect. Sitecore Community evangelist.