Use your favorite websites as native apps for Windows 10 using Microsoft’s web browser.
Since its transition to the Chromium rendering engine, Microsoft Edge has offered support for Progressive Web Apps (PWAs) which allows you to install any website as a native Windows 10 application. favorite as you would use a native application is quite possible.
The main advantage is that websites transformed into applications open in a separate window. If they are still in an instance of Microsoft’s browser, it lacks an address bar and all of the physical characteristics of a browser window.
The application created in this way then takes its place among the other applications installed on Windows 10, and can be launched from the Start menu, pinned to the taskbar, etc., and will work like a classic application.
1. Download Microsoft Edge
If you haven’t already done so on your machine, download and install Microsoft Edge. Microsoft’s web browser, in its current form, has nothing to do with its predecessor. Simpler, faster and clearer, the browser is closer to Chrome, which uses the same rendering engine.
Download Microsoft Edge for Windows 10 (Free)
Download Microsoft Edge for Windows 7/8 (Free)
2. Transform a site into an application
Once installed on your machine, launch Microsoft Edge and go to the site you want to be able to use as an app.
Several possibilities may arise for installing your Progressive Web App. Certain sites, such as Twitter, Spotify, or the various tools of Microsoft’s office suite, Office Online, have been specially developed to be used in this form.
Microsoft Edge detects this automatically and will then display a + Install button directly to the right of the URL in the address bar.
All you have to do is click on this button, then confirm the installation via the Install button for the application to join the other programs on your machine.
Also read: How to use Microsoft Office for free on Windows 10
For other websites, not detected as Progressive Web App, the installation method differs.
Click on the main Edge menu represented by three small dots, enter the Applications menu and click on Install as application.
Enter or customize the name of the application and then validate its installation by clicking on the Install button. The window should then close and reopen immediately outside of the active Edge window.
The new applications thus installed will be placed directly in the list of applications in the Start menu.
3. Uninstall PWAs
If you have multiplied the PWAs and want to do a little cleaning, you can uninstall them very easily, and that, directly from Microsoft Edge.
To do this, click on the main menu of the browser, then in Applications, enter the Manage applications menu.
You just have to click on the cross displayed in front of each installed application to uninstall it from your computer.