Create web apps from any website and keep them in the Dock
IT WILL TAKE 5 minutes
YOU WILL LEARN How to create and use web apps in macOS Sonoma
YOU’LL NEED macOS 14 or later, Safari
Safari is a great way to view a website but you can easily find yourself opening multiple tabs to see all your favourites. With macOS Sonoma, you can keep your web browser bar a little cleaner by turning websites into web apps that can be launched directly from the Dock. They have simplified toolbars that can even be removed and they behave just like any other app.
There are many benefits to be had. As well as working with Stage Manager and Mission Control, web apps are separate from Safari. Any cookies, settings, data and browsing history amassed while using the web app is solely contained within the web app, too – although cookies are initially copied from Safari when a web app is created.
You could delve into a web app’s settings and select Clear Website Data without affecting any website browsed in Safari. You can also see push notifications displayed as badges on a web app’s icon. It’s even possible to have web apps launch when you log in to your Mac. And the best news? They’re simple to create.
EXPLAINED… Get the most out of your web apps
All pages in a web app can be launched in your browser by selecting File > Open in Safari.
Web apps will use a website icon or the first letter of a page’s title. Click to change it.
Strip any clutter from a web app and make reading easier by going to View Show Reader.
To turn one web page into two web apps, you will need to ensure they’re named differently.
HOW TO Get started with web apps
Launch a web page in Safari and, if you decide that you would like to turn it into a web app, either click the Share button in the toolbar and choose ‘Add to Dock’, or click the menu bar and select File > ‘Add to Dock’.
Safari will suggest a name for the web app, using the title given to the original web page by developers. In some cases, it can be overlong, clumsy or nondescriptive but, if you’re unhappy for any reason, you can change it. Select Add.
The web app will instantly find a place in th
