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


  1. 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:
      1. The new bookmark app system
      2. Allow hosted apps to be opened in windows
      3. Creation of app shims for hosted apps on Mac
      4. Quit notification for hosted apps
    • Change/set these flag settings so that look like the image below: .
      enter image description here

  1. 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"...
      1. Click on the hamburger/'three dots menu' button in the top far right of Chrome.
      2. Select 'More Tools ►'
      3. 'Add to Applications…' or 'Create Shortcut...' (has changed over versions)
      4. A small window will pop up - make changes to the Title as you like
      5. Check/Tick 'Open in (Separate) Window'

  1. 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.):
      1. 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...
      2. the Shortcut/Dockable Icon might have been created in your "User Applications" folder (/Users/<your username>/Applications/Chrome Apps)
    • 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.

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.