How to Convert Websites into Standalone Mac Apps in macOS? In macOS Sonoma and Safari 17, you can convert websites into “web apps” that can live in your Mac’s dock and be opened similarly to any other app without opening a browser. Continue reading to find out how it works.
It’s now possible to turn any page on the internet that you often visit into a separate “web app” that sits in your Mac’s dock, ready for you to open whenever you need it, thanks to a new option in Apple’s Safari browser. Web apps, like any other app, function with Mission Control and Stage Manager and may be accessed via Launchpad or Spotlight Search.
How to Convert Websites into Standalone Mac Apps in macOS?
- Navigate to the website you wish to convert into a web app in Safari.
- From the menu bar, select File -> Add to Dock.
- You can alter the icon by clicking it in the Add to Dock window if you like. The title box also allows you to change the name of the web app.
- To create your web app, click the blue Add button.
When you launch your new web app, you’ll notice a streamlined toolbar with navigation buttons (note: website developers can select whether these are visible). As seen in the image, the site’s theme colour blends into the toolbar for a more seamless appearance.
The scope of the web app is determined by the host of the webpage, thus you can navigate anywhere within the website, but clicking a link outside of the host page will open the connected webpage in Safari. As a result, if you visit a website with a section with a separate host filesystem (typically denoted by a different root URL in the address bar), you should develop separate web apps for each.
