How to install a PWA on iPhone, Android, Windows and Mac
Step-by-step guide to installing a progressive web app on iPhone and iPad, Android, and desktop in Chrome, Edge and Safari on Mac — plus how to uninstall it.
You don't download a PWA from an app store — you install it straight from the browser. It takes a few seconds, and the result feels like a regular app: its own icon, its own window, sometimes notifications and offline support. Here is how to do it on every major platform.
New to the idea? Start with what is a PWA, then come back here.
| Device | Browser | Where to find install |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone, iPad | Safari | Share → Add to Home Screen |
| Android | Chrome | More (⋮) → Install and create shortcut → Install |
| Windows, macOS, Linux | Chrome | Install icon in the address bar, or More (⋮) → Cast, save, and share → Install page as app |
| Windows, macOS | Microsoft Edge | App available icon in the address bar → Install |
| Mac | Safari | File → Add to Dock |
How to install a PWA on iPhone and iPad
iOS and iPadOS never show an install pop-up. You add a web app manually from the Share menu.
Open the web app in Safari
Go to the app's address.
Tap Share
On iOS 26 with the default Compact tab layout, tap the ••• button next to the address bar first, then Share.
Choose Add to Home Screen
Scroll down the list of actions if you don't see it right away.
Keep Open as Web App switched on
On iOS 26 and later the dialog has an Open as Web App toggle. On means the site launches in its own window; off makes a plain bookmark that opens in Safari.
Tap Add
The icon appears on your Home Screen. Launch the app from there, not from Safari.
Before iOS 26, a site only opened in its own window if its developer had configured it as a web app. According to the WebKit team, from iOS 26 and iPadOS 26 every site added to the Home Screen opens as a web app by default, and users can switch that off when adding it.
Since iOS 16.4, web apps added to the Home Screen can send push notifications. The permission prompt only appears after you do something like tap a Subscribe button, and you manage it under Settings → Notifications like any other app.
Since iOS 16.4, other browsers such as Chrome and Edge for iOS can also offer Add to Home Screen from their Share menu if they support it. Safari remains the most reliable option.
How to install a PWA on Android
Open the site in Chrome
Many PWAs show their own Install button or banner — you can simply tap it.
Open the More menu
The three-dot icon to the right of the address bar.
Tap Install and create shortcut
Older Chrome versions label it Install app or Add to Home screen.
Confirm with Install
The app appears on your home screen and in your app list.
Chrome (with Google Mobile Services) and Samsung Internet on Samsung devices install PWAs as real Android packages called WebAPKs. Firefox, Edge, Opera and most other Android browsers create a shortcut that opens the site in that browser. In Samsung Internet, open the menu and choose Add page to → Home screen, or tap the install icon in the address bar when a site supports it.
How to install a PWA on Windows and macOS
Google Chrome
Open the site
If the site is installable, an Install icon appears at the right end of the address bar. Click it.
Or use the menu
More (⋮) → Cast, save, and share → Install page as app.
Confirm
The app opens in its own window and gets an icon on your desktop, Start menu or Applications folder.
Microsoft Edge
When Edge detects an installable PWA, an App available icon shows up in the address bar. Click it, then Install. You'll find your installed apps at edge://apps. On Windows, PWAs appear in the Start menu, on the taskbar, in Alt+Tab, and in Settings under installed apps, just like native programs. Many PWAs are also listed in the Microsoft Store.
Safari on Mac: Add to Dock
Open the site in Safari
You need macOS Sonoma 14 or later.
Choose File → Add to Dock
The same option is available from the Share button in the toolbar.
Name it and click Add
The web app lands in your Dock and in the Applications folder inside your home folder.
Safari on Mac turns any website into a web app — a manifest isn't required. Notifications from a Dock web app show a badge on its Dock icon.
Firefox for Android creates home-screen shortcuts. On desktop, Mozilla began testing its own web apps (Taskbar Tabs) on Windows in 2025, without implementing the full PWA feature set. For desktop installs, Chrome, Edge or Safari on Mac are the smoother choice.
How to uninstall a PWA
- iPhone/iPad: touch and hold the icon, then remove it.
- Android: Settings → Apps → See all apps → tap the app → Uninstall.
- Chrome on desktop: open the app → More (⋮) → Uninstall [app name] → Remove. Tick Also delete data from Chrome to clear its data too.
- Edge: go to edge://apps, open Details for the app and uninstall it, or remove it from Windows Settings.
- Safari on Mac: in Finder choose Go → Home, open Applications, and drag the web app to the Trash.
Why a PWA won't install
- The site has no web app manifest with a name, icons and a display mode, so Chrome and Edge won't offer an install (you can still make a shortcut).
- The site isn't served over HTTPS.
- The app is already installed — check your app list.
- You're in a private window or inside another app's in-app browser.
Building a PWA? Run your site through the free installability test and the PWA checker, or browse all PWA tools. Looking for something to install? Explore the PWA catalog.
Sources
- Google Chrome Help: Use progressive web apps
- Microsoft Learn: Use Progressive Web Apps in Microsoft Edge
- Apple Support: Use Safari web apps on Mac
- WebKit: WebKit Features in Safari 26.0 (Home Screen web apps)
- WebKit: Web Push for Web Apps on iOS and iPadOS
- web.dev: Learn PWA — Installation
- OMG! Ubuntu: Firefox 143 release — key changes (Taskbar Tabs web apps on Windows)