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.
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.
Note that normally, we advise users to be wary of unnecessary browser extensions and applications. But in this case, you’re merely using a standard website, and it’s no more dangerous than any other (though, do make sure the site itself isn’t dangerous, of course).
To get this done, open the site you want to use as an “Open as window” link, then open Applicationize.me in a new tab. Copy and paste the site from the first tab into the field marked “WEB APP URL.”
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