Pin Firefox Web Apps to Windows 8 Start Screen
The Windows 8 start screen is a nice way to browse through your apps. But what if a website does everything you want and isn't available as an app in the Windows Store? Follow these steps to pin the website (web app) to the Start Screen and have it open in Firefox.
Steps
- Open Firefox and navigate to the web app that you would like to pin to your start screen.
- For this article, the Google Maps site will be used as an example.
- If you have not already done so, then set Firefox as your default Windows 8 browser.
- Resize the Firefox window so that the desktop behind it is visible. Then, drag the small icon to the left of the URL (padlock or globe) onto the desktop. This will create a shortcut to Google Maps.
- Rename the shortcut to the name you want to appear on the Start Screen.
- Open File Explorer and navigate to the following directory: C:\ProgramData\Microsoft\Windows\Start Menu\Programs
- Drag the shortcut you just created into the newly opened Programs folder
- Go to the Start Screen and search for your shortcut by typing its name.
- Right click on the search result and select Pin to Start Screen.
- Navigate back to the Start Screen to check that your tile is now pinned in the correct place. Click on it to check that it opens correctly.
Tips
- If you use Outlook.com or Hotmail as your web email program, you can pin the People web app to the start screen. It is more fully featured than the People app that comes with Windows 8.
- If you plan to add a custom icon image, it must be changed before you move the shortcut to the programs folder. You can create any custom icon from icoconvert.com from nearly any image. If a jpeg is all you have, open it in paint and save as another file type (PNG).
Related Articles
- Use the Start Screen on Windows 8
- Install Tiles in Windows 8
- Add Shutdown Button to Windows 8.1 Desktop
- Change the Start Screen Background in Windows 8
- Use Windows 8
