How to convert your website into a standalone Mac app

In macOS Sonoma and Safari 17, you can turn websites into "web apps," which can live in your Mac's dock and be accessed like any other app without opening a browser. Read on to learn how it works.

Thanks to a new option in Apple’s Safari browser, it’s now possible to turn any website on the internet you frequently visit into a standalone “Web App”, located on your Mac in the dock, ready for you to access. The web app works with Mission Control and Stage Manager like any app, and can also be opened via Launchpad or Spotlight Search.

How to turn any website into a web application

1. In Safari, navigate to the website that you want to convert into a web application.
2. Select "File"->"Add to Dock" from the menu bar.
3. If desired, you can change the icon by clicking it in the Add to Dock window. You can also use the title field to edit the name of your web application.
4. Click the blue Add button to create a web application.

When you open a new web application, you will notice that its window contains a simplified toolbar with navigation buttons (note: the website developer can control whether to display these buttons). As shown, the website's theme colors blend into the toolbar for a more seamless look.

In terms of navigation, the scope of a web application is determined by the host of the web page, so you can navigate anywhere within the website, but if you click a link outside the host page, this will Open the linked web page in Safari. Therefore, if you are a frequent visitor to a website that contains sections with separate host file systems (usually indicated by different root URLs in the address bar), you should create separate web applications for each application.

Website Login and Notifications

By default, Safari copies a website's cookies to its web application. Therefore, if you create a web application for the site you are currently logged into, you will remain logged in within the web application. Even if you're not logged in, you can log in effortlessly in the web app because Apple has integrated support for password and key autofill.

If the website already supports web push notifications, and you have signed up for these notifications, you will receive web application push notifications that use web application icons, giving you more than standard Safari notifications and icons context.

When you receive a notification, the badge will also appear on the Web App icon in the Dock. Web app notifications are silent by default, but developers can change them to play sounds. However, the final decision on sound and icon badges is left to the user in "System Settings" - ">Notifications".

Web apps also follow focus mode, so you can include or exclude them from allowed notifications based on the action you're performing. Finally, with privacy in mind, Apple has added the option to control web app access to your camera, microphone, and location in System Settings - Privacy & Security, just like native apps.

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