Chrome has the useful ability to open a website as a window that doesn’t show the browser interface or open external links in a new tab. Or, rather, it did: in a late 2018 update, Google disabled this functionality on Windows and macOS.
We can’t tell you why Google decided that only its own ChromeOS devices would get this functionality from now on, though if you’re upset at its loss, you’re not alone. I’ve spent years using the “Open as window” function to make impromptu web apps easy to open and manage.
But there’s a way to get them back, at least for the moment. Here’s how.
Update: As of Chrome version 72, the “open as window” functionality linked above has been restored to the Windows version of Chrome. It’s available in Chrome on macOS, too, but you need to enable the following options in chrome://flags:
- The new bookmark app system
- allow hosted apps to be opened in windows
Once both flags are enabled, click the Chrome menu button, then “More tools,” then “Create shortcut.” The “Open as window” option is there, just like in Windows.
Step One: Use Applicationize.me
Applicationize.me turns any standard website into a downloadable CRX file, which can then be “installed” in Chrome as if it were a Chrome extension. It’s not—the “app” will only be the website you choose, in its own thin window with a link. But it’s a useful little hack nonetheless.
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Source : How To Make Chrome “Open As Window” Shortcuts (Now That Google Killed Them)
