Turn Any Website into a Desktop App in Windows 10 & 11 with Microsoft Edge

Prerequisites and How Edge Website Apps Work​

Before creating website app shortcuts, verify the following requirements and profile behaviors on your Windows 10 or Windows 11 PC:

• Supported browser and OS versions: This feature requires the Chromium-based version of Microsoft Edge (version 79 or later), which is preinstalled on all current builds of Windows 10 and Windows 11.
• Standard browsing session required: You must open the website in a standard Microsoft Edge window. The option to install a site as an app is disabled in InPrivate windows and Guest mode sessions because Edge binds each installed web app to a persistent browser profile directory.
• Profile isolation: Every website app is tied to the specific Microsoft Edge user profile active at the time of installation. It shares cookies, saved passwords, cached credentials, and site permissions with that profile. If you use separate Work and Personal profiles in Edge, you can install the same website (such as Outlook or Microsoft Teams) under each profile to run two isolated accounts side by side.
• Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) vs. standard websites: If a website publishes a web app manifest (making it a PWA), Edge uses the site's official app name, high-resolution icon, and offline capabilities. If a website does not provide a PWA manifest, Microsoft Edge still wraps the URL in a standalone app container (msedge_proxy.exe) and allows you to supply a custom display name and icon during setup.
• Microsoft Edge dependency: Installed website apps rely on the core Microsoft Edge runtime. Do not force-remove Microsoft Edge from Windows, or all installed PWAs and site apps will stop launching.

Install Any Website as a Standalone App in Microsoft Edge​

Microsoft Edge provides two ways to install a site depending on whether the website natively advertises itself as a Progressive Web App or is a standard webpage. Both methods produce a standalone app registered in Windows 10 and Windows 11.

Method 1: Install Any Website via the Edge Menu​

Use this universal method when you want to turn any webpage, internal company portal, or web tool into an app shortcut:

1. Open Microsoft Edge and verify in the top-left corner of the window that you are signed in to the Edge profile you want the app to use.
2. Navigate to the exact webpage you want the shortcut to open (for example, your inbox dashboard rather than a generic marketing landing page).
3. Select Settings and more (...) in the top-right corner of the browser window, or press Alt + F.
4. Depending on your Microsoft Edge build, follow the menu path shown in your browser:
   • Current Microsoft Edge releases: Hover over More tools, hover over Apps, and select Install this site as an app.
   • Earlier Microsoft Edge releases: Hover over Apps directly in the main menu and select Install this site as an app.
5. In the Install this site as an app dialog box that appears below the address bar:
   • Enter the title you want to appear in the Start menu and taskbar inside the text box.
   • (Optional) If the website's default favicon is blurry or generic, click Edit below the preview icon to browse your PC and select a custom image or .ico file before completing the installation. Note that Microsoft Edge only allows you to replace a site's custom icon during this initial installation step.
6. Click Install.
7. The website immediately switches out of your browser tab into its own standalone application window, and an App installed confirmation dialog appears.
8. Under Allow this app to:, check or uncheck the integration options you want for this app:
   • Pin to taskbar
   • Pin to Start
   • Create Desktop shortcut
   • Auto-start on device login
9. Click Allow to apply your selected shortcuts, or click Don't allow if you only want the app listed inside the Windows Start menu's All apps list and edge://apps.

Method 2: Install a Progressive Web App from the Address Bar​

When you visit a website engineered as a Progressive Web App, Microsoft Edge detects its manifest automatically and displays a direct install button inside the address bar:

1. Navigate to the PWA-enabled website in Microsoft Edge.
2. Look at the right side of the address bar for the App available icon (a small grid of three squares with a plus sign, or a monitor icon with a down arrow).
3. Click the App available icon and select Install in the prompt.
4. Once the standalone window opens and the App installed dialog appears, check your preferred shortcut options (Pin to taskbar, Pin to Start, Create Desktop shortcut, or Auto-start on device login) and click Allow.

Verify That the Website App Is Installed and Registered​

After installation completes, confirm that the app shortcut is properly registered with both Microsoft Edge and the Windows shell:

• Standalone window check: Inspect the top bar of the open app window. It should contain only the page title, back and reload controls (if applicable), an App info (...) menu button, and standard Windows minimize, maximize, and close buttons—with no URL bar or browser tabs.
• Edge Apps manager check: Open a normal Microsoft Edge tab, type edge://apps into the address bar, and press Enter. Your newly created app should appear as a card under Installed apps.
• Windows Start menu check: Press the Windows key and inspect the Pinned section (Windows 11) or pinned tiles area (Windows 10) if you selected Pin to Start. You can also search for the custom app name directly in Windows Search; it will appear labeled as an App rather than a web search suggestion.

Manage, Pin, and Configure Installed Website Apps​

You do not need to reinstall a website app if you skipped creating a desktop or taskbar shortcut during setup. You can add shortcuts, adjust site permissions, or control startup behavior at any time.

Pin or Create Shortcuts After Installation​

1. Open Microsoft Edge, type edge://apps in the address bar, and press Enter.
2. Locate the card for your website app and click Details (or click the More options ... button on the card).
3. Under the Pin app to section (or from the More options menu), select any of the following actions:
   • Pin to taskbar
   • Pin to Start
   • Create Desktop shortcut
4. To make the web app open automatically every time you sign in to Windows, toggle on Auto-start on device login on the same Details page.

Manage Permissions and Link Handling from Inside the App​

Every standalone website app includes an integrated management menu in its title bar:

1. Launch the website app from your Start menu, taskbar, or desktop.
2. Click Settings and more (...) in the top-right corner of the app's title bar and select App info.
3. From the App info flyout, you can:
   • View the publisher domain and check active Cookies and site data.
   • Toggle permissions for Location, Camera, Microphone, Notifications, and Background sync without affecting other websites.
   • Click More settings and permissions to open the site's dedicated entry inside edge://settings/content if you need to allow pop-ups, clipboard access, or automatic downloads for that specific web app.

Alternate Method: Pin a Website to the Taskbar Without Making It a Standalone App​

If you want a dedicated taskbar icon for a website but prefer it to open as a standard browser tab inside your main Microsoft Edge window (keeping full access to the address bar, favorites bar, and all extension buttons), use Edge's Pin to taskbar tool instead of installing it as an app:

1. Open the website in Microsoft Edge.
2. Click Settings and more (...) in the top-right corner.
3. Hover over More tools and select Pin to taskbar (or select Launch taskbar pinning wizard).
4. If you used the direct Pin to taskbar option, confirm the custom name and click Pin, then click Yes if Windows displays a confirmation prompt to pin the shortcut to the taskbar.

Uninstall a Website App and Clean Up Shortcuts​

Removing a desktop or taskbar shortcut only deletes the icon—the website app itself remains installed in Microsoft Edge and Windows until you uninstall it.

Warning: When uninstalling a website app through Microsoft Edge, checking the Also clear data from Microsoft Edge option permanently deletes cookies, local site storage, and cached sign-in sessions for that website's domain across the associated Edge profile. Leave that box unchecked if you still use the website inside regular browser tabs and want to stay signed in.

Click to expand...

Option A: Uninstall from Microsoft Edge (edge://apps)​

1. Open Microsoft Edge, navigate to edge://apps, and press Enter.
2. Find the website app you want to remove, click Details (or the More options ... button on the app card), and click Uninstall.
3. In the confirmation dialog:
   • Leave Also clear data from Microsoft Edge unchecked if you want to keep your saved login session and site settings for normal browsing.
   • Check Also clear data from Microsoft Edge only if you want to wipe all cookies and local storage associated with that domain.
4. Click Remove. Microsoft Edge automatically removes the app along with its Start menu, taskbar, and desktop shortcuts.

Option B: Uninstall from Windows 10 or Windows 11 Settings​

Because Microsoft Edge registers website apps with the Windows operating system, you can also uninstall them directly from Windows Settings just like native desktop software:

• In Windows 11:
  1. Open Settings (Win + I) and select Apps > Installed apps.
  2. Type the name of the website app in the search box.
  3. Click the three-dot menu (...) next to the app and select Uninstall, then click Uninstall again to confirm.
  4. In the Microsoft Edge prompt that appears, decide whether to check Also clear data from Microsoft Edge and click Remove.
• In Windows 10:
  1. Open Settings (Win + I) and select Apps > Apps & features.
  2. Locate and select the website app in the list, click Uninstall, and click Uninstall again to confirm.
  3. Complete the Microsoft Edge removal prompt and click Remove.

Troubleshooting Common Website App Issues​

"Install this site as an app" Is Missing or Grayed Out​

• You are in an InPrivate or Guest window: Close the InPrivate or Guest window and open the site in a normal Microsoft Edge profile window.
• Internal browser pages cannot be installed: System URLs starting with edge://, about:, or local file paths cannot be wrapped as standalone web apps.
• Enterprise Group Policy restriction: On work or school PCs, an IT administrator can block user-initiated web app installations or lock down the app list using Microsoft Edge policies such as WebAppInstallForceList. Check edge://policy in the address bar to see if organizational policies are managing web apps on your device.

The Website App Opens in the Wrong Account or Edge Profile​

Every shortcut created by Edge points to msedge_proxy.exe with a --profile-directory argument matching the profile active when you installed it. If a website app signs in with your personal account instead of your work account:

1. Open edge://apps inside the profile where the app is currently installed and uninstall it (leave Also clear data from Microsoft Edge unchecked).
2. Click your profile avatar in the top-left corner of Microsoft Edge and switch to the intended Edge profile.
3. Navigate to the website and run Install this site as an app from that profile.

Browser Extensions Are Not Visible Inside the Standalone App​

Standalone website apps intentionally hide the standard browser toolbar to save screen space, but enabled extensions still run in the background. To interact with an extension inside a website app:

1. Open the website app window.
2. Click the Extensions puzzle-piece icon in the top-right title bar of the app window (next to the ... button).
3. Select the extension you want to trigger from the drop-down list.

A Website App Launches Automatically Every Time Windows Starts​

If you accidentally enabled Auto-start on device login when installing a website app, you can stop it without uninstalling the app:

• From Microsoft Edge: Go to edge://apps, click Details on the app card, and toggle off Auto-start on device login.
• From Windows Settings: Open Settings (Win + I) > Apps > Startup (in both Windows 10 and Windows 11), find the website app (or its msedge_proxy entry) in the list, and switch its toggle to Off.