Today, on the Chrome dev channel for Windows, you can try the Chrome app launcher--a dedicated home for your apps which makes them easy to open outside the browser. This is the same experience as the app launcher on Chromebooks, but for other platforms. It’s available on Windows now, and will be coming to Mac OS X and Linux soon.

You’ll need to install a Chrome packaged app, such as IRC client CIRC or Text Drive, in order to try out the Chrome app launcher. Chrome packaged apps deliver a native-like experience across multiple platforms with the security properties of a web page. Just like web apps, packaged apps are written in HTML, JavaScript, and CSS. But packaged apps launch outside the browser, work offline by default, and have access to powerful APIs not available to web apps.


You’ll get the app launcher as an icon on your Windows taskbar the first time you install a packaged app. Chrome packaged apps are not yet searchable on the Chrome Web Store - but you can build your own packaged app, upload it to the Chrome Web Store and access it via its direct link.

Try out the app launcher and let us know what you think. If you have any questions or comments, you can use Stack Overflow or chromium-apps. File your bugs and feature requests here.

Posted by Sriram Saroop, Product Manager