Camera & setup
How to Install a Web App on Windows, Mac or Chromebook
Here's how to install a web app on desktop: in Chrome or Edge, click the install icon at the right end of the address bar (a small monitor with a down arrow) and confirm. On a Mac with Safari, choose File → Add to Dock. The site then opens in its own window, with its own icon in your taskbar, Dock or launcher.
We'll use Omlet (omlet.site), a free random video chat, as the example. Browser menus change between versions, so expect small differences in names and placement.
Quick reference by browser
| Browser | How to install | Where to uninstall |
|---|---|---|
| Chrome (Windows, Mac, Linux) | Install icon in the address bar, or ⋮ → Cast, save, and share → Install page as app | ⋮ menu inside the app window, or chrome://apps |
| Edge (Windows, Mac) | App icon in the address bar, or … → Apps → Install this site as an app | edge://apps |
| Chrome on Chromebook | Same as Chrome | Right-click the app in the Launcher → Uninstall |
| Safari on Mac (macOS Sonoma or later) | File → Add to Dock | Delete it from the Applications folder in your home folder |
| Firefox | No standard install option | Not applicable |
Install a PWA in Chrome on desktop
Chrome calls installable sites progressive web apps, or PWAs. The steps are the same on Windows, Mac and Linux:
- Open omlet.site in Chrome.
- Click the install icon at the right end of the address bar. If it isn't there, open the ⋮ menu → Cast, save, and share → Install page as app. Older versions show an Install option directly in the ⋮ menu.
- Click Install.
- The app opens in its own window. Chrome may offer to pin it to your taskbar or Dock.
Afterward you'll find it in the Start menu on Windows, in Launchpad or a Chrome Apps folder on a Mac, and in your desktop's app menu on Linux. The page chrome://apps lists everything you've installed through Chrome.
Our page on random video chat on Windows PC covers camera settings and other setup for Windows.
Install a website as an app on Windows with Edge
- Open the site in Microsoft Edge.
- Click the app icon that appears at the right of the address bar, or open the … menu → Apps → Install this site as an app.
- Check the name and click Install.
- Edge may offer options such as pinning the app to the taskbar or Start. Pick what suits you.
The page edge://apps lists your installed sites and lets you manage or remove them.
Install a web app on a Chromebook
ChromeOS uses Chrome's install steps: click the install icon in the address bar, or use the ⋮ menu. The app then appears in your Launcher like any other. Right-click it and choose Pin to shelf to keep it one click away.
To remove it, right-click the app in the Launcher and choose Uninstall. More Chromebook tips are in our page on random video chat on Chromebook.
Safari: Add to Dock on Mac
Safari on macOS Sonoma or later can turn any website into a web app:
- Open the site in Safari.
- Choose File → Add to Dock, or click the Share button and choose Add to Dock.
- Edit the name if you like, then click Add.
The web app opens in its own window with a simple toolbar. One difference from Chrome and Edge: it keeps its own website data, separate from your Safari windows. So you may be asked to confirm you're 18+ again in Omlet, and a country filter bought in a Safari tab may not carry over. If you plan to buy it, buy it inside the web app you'll use.
For camera and microphone settings on a Mac, see random video chat on Mac.
Firefox and other browsers
Firefox on desktop doesn't offer the same install option as Chrome, Edge and Safari. Mozilla has experimented with similar features, so check the menus in your current version, but don't count on it. Good alternatives in Firefox:
- Pin the tab: right-click the tab and choose Pin Tab. It shrinks to an icon and stays put each time you open Firefox.
- Bookmark it on the toolbar for one-click access.
- Install it from Chrome or Edge just for this site, and keep using Firefox for everything else.
Other browsers built on the same engine as Chrome often have an install or create-shortcut option in their menus, but the names vary.
How to uninstall a web app on Windows or Mac
- Chrome: open the app, click ⋮ in its title bar, and choose the uninstall option. You may be offered a box to also clear the site's data from Chrome. You can also right-click it on chrome://apps.
- Edge: go to edge://apps, find the app, and choose Uninstall from its menu.
- Windows: apps installed through Chrome or Edge usually appear in Settings → Apps → Installed apps, where you can uninstall them like any program.
- Safari on Mac: open the Applications folder inside your home folder and drag the web app to the Trash. Removing its icon from the Dock alone doesn't delete it.
On Omlet, keep the site's data if you've bought the country filter. Clearing it removes the purchase in that browser.
Before your first call in the app window
The installed app uses the same camera and microphone permissions as the browser it came from. If those were allowed in a tab, they work in the app window too.
- When Omlet opens, allow the camera and microphone. Your own preview appears before you press Start, which is a quick camera check.
- Keyboard shortcuts work in the app window: → for Start or Next, Esc to Stop.
- Close Zoom, Teams or any other app that might be holding your camera.
If something seems off, run through how to test your webcam and mic before a call. Want Omlet on your phone too? Here's how to install a web app on Android.