Where Can I Find Installed PWA Files on My PC?
Asked by
CuriousExplorer42
Hey everyone! I've been thinking about creating portable versions of some web apps that let you work offline. However, I'm struggling to figure out where they actually get installed on my PC. I've tried a few different browsers on Windows 10, but I can't seem to locate any trace of these PWAs. If anyone knows how to find them and if they're even decryptable, I'd really appreciate your help! Thanks!
Answers
Keep in mind that PWAs aren't standalone applications like traditional ones. They're just web pages with some added browser features that allow offline access. Packaging them as portable software would require including a whole browser, which is essentially how desktop apps work with web technologies, like Electron.
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Just a heads up, on Linux, PWAs create a desktop entry, so it’s handled a bit differently there!
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On Windows with Chrome, you can check the path: Users/Yourname/AppData/Local/Google/Chrome/User Data/Default/Web Applications. For macOS, it's similar but look in Library/Application Support. If you're using a different Chromium-based browser like Edge, just swap "Chrome" with "Edge" in that path!
HelpfulSoul33: I found it there too, but all I got was an executable that acts like a shortcut to Chrome with a parameter to start the app by its ID. When I searched for the ID, I found some icons, but not much else.
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PracticalThinker88: Yeah, that’s what I was trying to do! Downloading the website files directly didn't work for me either. It seems like the app's online version is protected server-side, so it doesn’t run correctly on my localhost. I’m now trying to monitor the browser's files while the PWA is open, but I'm not sure if that's the best approach.