Add a web app manifest

Nov 5, 2018 • Updated Feb 24, 2020

Pete LePage

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The web app manifest is a JSON file that tells the browser about your Progressive Web App and how it should behave when installed on the user's desktop or mobile device. A typical manifest file includes the app name, the icons the app should use, and the URL that should be opened when the app is launched.

Manifest files are supported in Chrome, Edge, Firefox, UC Browser, Opera, and the Samsung browser. Safari has partial support.

Create the manifest.webmanifest file #

The manifest file can have any name, but is commonly named manifest.webmanifest and served from the root (your website's top-level directory).

{
  "short_name": "Weather",
  "name": "Weather: Do I need an umbrella?",
  "description": "Weather forecast information",
  "icons": [
    {
      "src": "/images/icons-192.png",
      "type": "image/png",
      "sizes": "192x192"
    },
    {
      "src": "/images/icons-512.png",
      "type": "image/png",
      "sizes": "512x512"
    }
  ],
  "start_url": "/?source=pwa",
  "background_color": "#3367D6",
  "display": "standalone",
  "scope": "/",
  "theme_color": "#3367D6"
}

Key manifest properties #

short_name and/or name #

You must provide at least the short_name or name property. If both are provided, short_name is used on the user's home screen, launcher, or other places where space may be limited. name is used when the app is installed.

icons #

When a user installs your PWA, you can define a set of icons for the browser to use on the home screen, app launcher, task switcher, splash screen, and so on.

The icons property is an array of image objects. Each object must include the src, a sizes property, and the type of image. To use maskable icons, sometimes referred to as adaptive icons on Android, you'll also need to add "purpose": "any maskable" to the icon property.

For Chrome, you must provide at least a 192x192 pixel icon, and a 512x512 pixel icon. If only those two icon sizes are provided, Chrome will automatically scale the icons to fit the device. If you'd prefer to scale your own icons, and adjust them for pixel-perfection, provide icons in increments of 48dp.

start_url #

The start_url is required and tells the browser where your application should start when it is launched, and prevents the app from starting on whatever page the user was on when they added your app to their home screen.

Your start_url should direct the user straight into your app, rather than a product landing page. Think about what the user will want to do once they open your app, and place them there.

background_color #

The background_color property is used on the splash screen when the application is first launched on mobile.

display #

You can customize what browser UI is shown when your app is launched. For example, you can hide the address bar and browser chrome. Games can even be made to launch full screen.

scope #

The scope defines the set of URLs that the browser considers to be within your app, and is used to decide when the user has left the app. The scope controls the URL structure that encompasses all the entry and exit points in your web app. Your start_url must reside within the scope.

A few other notes on scope:

• If you don't include a scope in your manifest, then the default implied scope is the directory that your web app manifest is served from.
• The scope attribute can be a relative path (../), or any higher level path (/) which would allow for an increase in coverage of navigations in your web app.
• The start_url must be in the scope.
• The start_url is relative to the path defined in the scope attribute.
• A start_url starting with / will always be the root of the origin.

theme_color #

The theme_color sets the color of the tool bar, and may be reflected in the app's preview in task switchers. The theme_color should match the meta theme color specified in your document head.

Add the web app manifest to your pages #

After creating the manifest, add a <link> tag to all the pages of your Progressive Web App. For example:

<link rel="manifest" href="/manifest.json">

Test your manifest #

To verify your manifest is setup correctly, use the Manifest pane in the Application panel of Chrome DevTools.

This pane provides a human-readable version of many of your manifest's properties, and makes it easy to verify that all of the images are loading properly.

Splash screens on mobile #

When your app first launches on mobile, it can take a moment for the browser to spin up, and the initial content to begin rendering. Instead of showing a white screen that may look to the user like the app is stalled, the browser will show a splash screen until the first paint.

Chrome automatically creates the splash screen from the manifest properties, specifically:

• name
• background_color
• icons

The background_color should be the same color as the load page, to provide a smooth transition from the splash screen to your app.

Chrome will choose the icon that closely matches the device resolution for the device. Providing 192px and 512px icons is sufficient for most cases, but you can provide additional icons for pixel perfection.

Further reading #

There are several additional properties that can be added to the web app manifest. Refer to the MDN Web App Manifest documentation for more information.