Apple - How to make Web Apps appear as First-Class Mac Desktop Citizens
Found a great way on Chrome Version 75.0.3770.100:
1) go to the website you want to convert to an app
2) click on three dots / more tools / Create Shortcut + make sure to tick 'open in new window'
That's it - you now have an app that you can pin to your dock and you can cycle through them with cmd + tab. Awesome!
Just 3 Easy Steps: 1 chrome reboot, but no software/installation required
- Step 1: (Re)Enable Chrome's feature to create OS level [shortcuts to] "applications"
- type
chrome://flags
in Chrome’s address bar. - find the following settings:
- The new bookmark app system
- Allow hosted apps to be opened in windows
- Creation of app shims for hosted apps on Mac
- Quit notification for hosted apps
- Change/set these flag settings so that look like the image below:
.
- type
- Step 2: Create the [shortcut to] your Chrome App
- Restart Chrome
- Navigate to the page you want to run/launch as a Web Application (e.g. https://www.gmail.com)
- Create the "Chrome Application" and OS level "shortcut"...
- Click on the hamburger/'three dots menu' button in the top far right of Chrome.
- Select 'More Tools ►'
- 'Add to Applications…' or 'Create Shortcut...' (has changed over versions)
- A small window will pop up - make changes to the Title as you like
- Check/Tick 'Open in (Separate) Window'
Step 3: Using your App/Shortcut/Dock Icon throughout MacOS
- The "shortcut" itself acts like most other apps, i.e., it will actually be a '.app' folder with all the usually files and subfolders that any Mac Application has (e.g.
<my app>/Content
,<my app>/Content/Resources
, etc.):- the Shortcut/Dockable Icon should appear in the root of your "System Applications" folder, or in a subfolder for all Chrome Apps (probably
/Applications/Chrome Apps
)
...OR... - the Shortcut/Dockable Icon might have been created in your "User Applications" folder (
/Users/<your username>/Applications/Chrome Apps
)
- the Shortcut/Dockable Icon should appear in the root of your "System Applications" folder, or in a subfolder for all Chrome Apps (probably
- Move, copy, and use the shortcut anyway you'd like, using it like any other icon/shortcut on the desktop or Mac Dock
- When using it in the dock, it should use its own "running indicator" separate from any other Chrome Apps or Chrome itself. However, it will still appear as a running window in the actual Chrome App Dock Icon.
- The "shortcut" itself acts like most other apps, i.e., it will actually be a '.app' folder with all the usually files and subfolders that any Mac Application has (e.g.
Just found an awesome and apparently free solution: https://applicationize.me
It creates a chrome extension for your webapp, which enables you to launch the webapp just like a desktop app.