Make PWA Running on Startup in Edge or Chrome in Windows 10

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How to Make a Progressive Web App (PWA) Running on Startup in Edge or Chrome in Windows 10 

Google Chrome, and Microsoft Edge now allow registering Progressive Web Apps to have startup entries in Windows 10. The change had recently landed in Google Chrome, and has subsequently become available in Edge.

Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) are web apps that use modern web technologies. They can be launched on the Desktop and look like native apps. While PWAs are hosted on the Internet, the user can create a special shortcut to launch them like a regular app, or install them in Windows 10 using Microsoft Store.

Besides the Microsoft Store app, Windows users can use the certain Chromium-based browsers like Edge and Chrome to install them. When the browser detects a PWA on a web site, it allows installing it right from the main menu.

Both Google and Microsoft are pushing PWA forward, and working to implement tight integration for PWAs with the Windows shell.

The new feature, first spotted by techdows, allows adding such apps to Windows startup. It is still under development, so it is hidden behind a flag. Also, as of this writing, the flag exists only in Canary versions of both browsers.

To Make a Progressive Web App (PWA) Running on Startup in Edge or Chrome in Windows 10 

  1. Open Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge. Again, I am referring to their Canary builds.
  2. In Edge, type the following in the address bar: edge://flags/#enable-desktop-pwas-run-on-os-login.
  3. In Chrome, enter the following URI instead: chrome://flags/#enable-desktop-pwas-run-on-os-login.
  4. Select Enabled next to the flag name Desktop PWAs run on OS login.
  5. Restart the browser when prompted.
  6. Now, install an app by visiting a web site such as Twitter.  The app installation dialog will have a new option Start app when you sign in to your computer.

In Edge

 

In Chrome

You are done.

Google Chrome Canary can be downloaded from HERE. You can get Edge using the links below.

Actual Edge Versions

Download Microsoft Edge

You can download pre-release Edge version for Insiders from here:

Download Microsoft Edge Insider Preview

The stable version of the browser is available on the following page:

Download Microsoft Edge Stable

Microsoft Edge is now a Chromium-based browser with a number of exclusive features like Read Aloud and services tied to Microsoft instead of Google. The browser has already received a few updates, with support for ARM64 devices in Edge Stable 80. Also, Microsoft Edge is still supporting a number of aging Windows versions, including Windows 7, which has recently reached its end of support. Check out Windows Versions Supported by Microsoft Edge Chromium and Edge Chromium latest roadmap. Finally, interested users can download MSI installers for deployment and customization.

For pre-release versions, Microsoft is currently using three channels to deliver updates to Edge Insiders. The Canary channel receives updates daily (except Saturday and Sunday), the Dev channel is getting updates weekly, and the Beta channel is updated every 6 weeks. Microsoft is going to support Edge Chromium on Windows 7, 8.1 and 10, alongside macOS, Linux (coming in the future) and mobile apps on iOS and Android. Windows 7 users will receive updates until July 15, 2021.

You will find many Edge tricks and features covered in the following post:

Hands-on with the new Chromium-based Microsoft Edge

Also, see the following updates.

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Author: Sergey Tkachenko

Sergey Tkachenko is a software developer who started Winaero back in 2011. On this blog, Sergey is writing about everything connected to Microsoft, Windows and popular software. Follow him on Telegram, Twitter, and YouTube.

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