Google Chrome no longer allows me to create shortcuts to open tabs as windows
When creating shortcuts, there was a checkbox to activate an option to open the tab in a new window as a standalone app (no address bar, ...). This was handy to 'install' Gmail or Slack as 'apps.'
Since few versions ago, I no longer can activate this option. Also, when I create a new shortcut, the icon no longer shows the site's favicon, but rather the Chrome icon.
Is there a way to get it back?
This option has been removed for some incomprehensible brainstorm by the Chrome devs. It might still be possible to force it by this method:
- Go to the webpage
- Choose More Tools > Create Shortcut (which will appear on desktop but not as an app)
- Go to
chrome://apps - Right-click on the new shortcut and choose Open as window
- Right-click again on the shortcut and choose Create shortcuts...
- Choose where to store the shortcut and click Create
This will create the right shortcut with the appid= parameter exactly as before.
However, with Chrome, it's unknown how long this method will keep on working.
The checkbox seems to be back as of Chrome build 72.0.3626.109. Hallelujah!
- Navigate to the webpage
- Click menu (three dots) > More Tools > Create shortcut..
- Check "Open as window" and press "Create" Button
- This should open the webpage in a New Window (if it doesn't go to step 8)
- For taskbar Pinning: Right click icon showing on taskbar and select pin to taskbar
- For Start Menu Pinning: Right click icon showing on the taskbar, and from the popup right click on the icon of the app and select Pin to Start.
- Close Window and see if the icon remains where you pinned it.
- If the icon is not there or the icon reverts to the generic chrome icon, first make sure the apps is closed and unpinned and
- Navigate to chrome://apps/
- Launch app by clicking on it
- Repeat steps 5 through 8