The web app manifest, explained
Your app should not appear on a home screen with a mystery name and a tiny unreadable logo. A manifest gives supporting browsers information about how the installed app should appear. It is a small JSON file linked from your pages.
Start with what the reader sees
Choose a name people recognize and a shorter version for tight spaces. Supply icons that remain readable at small sizes. Keep the important shape inside a safe area so a device’s icon mask does not cut it off.
Do not use the icon to promise features the app does not have. A cloud symbol, for example, can imply that records are backed up when they are only local.
Choose where the app opens
The start_url suggests the first page to open. The scope identifies the paths belonging to the app’s installed experience. A display setting such as standalone asks for an app-style window, subject to browser behavior.
For this guide site, opening the homepage makes sense because it contains search and topics. For a job checklist, the current job list may be a better starting point than a marketing page.
For builders: keep identity and paths deliberate
Link the manifest from every page. Use paths that match the deployment location. Set a stable id appropriate to that origin and app; do not change it with each release. Test root and subdirectory deployment if you intend to support both.
Validate that icons load and that the start page is inside the intended scope. The manifest scope and the service worker’s scope are different settings. Review both.
Check the installed result
A valid file does not guarantee an install prompt on every device. Inspect the app’s name, icon, starting screen, and navigation on the browsers you support.
Record the versions you checked. If installation is unavailable, the ordinary website should still let people read or use the core task. Do not block them behind an Install button that cannot work.
Sources & verification
Documentation checked October 25, 2026. Platform instructions are documented guidance; physical-device behavior has not been verified for this article.
Your choice stays on this device. It is not sent to the site owner.