The Google Chrome web browser comes with options to launch sites in borderless windows to maximize the display space for these websites.
The default version of Google Chrome displays website content and interface elements. Interface elements are the address bar and toolbar icons, and the tab bar. Chrome includes no options to display a sidebar or status bar, or any other toolbar.
You may configure specific websites to open in a borderless window when opened in Chrome. This can be useful to maximize screen estate. Chrome supports several options to display sites in an exclusive window: you may run Chrome using the –kiosk parameter to get rid of all browser chrome elements and display only the site in question on the screen. Another option that you have is to run Chrome with the -app parameter instead to only display a title bar but no address bar or tab bar.
Another difference between kiosk and app is that the former runs in full screen mode while the latter in window mode.
Kiosk Mode
You may use the –kiosk parameter to run specific sites in kiosk mode using Chrome. Kiosk mode is a fullscreen mode that displays no browser chrome; no address bar, no title bar and no tab bar. There are no buttons to close the Chrome window which means that you need to use other means such as Alt-F4 to close the browser window.
To use Chrome in Kiosk mode, run the browser with the parameter –kiosk SiteURL, e.g. –kiosk https://www.ghacks.net/. You may add the parameter to a shortcut permanently to always open the site in question in kiosk mode when executed.
Read also: Chrome’s JavaScript popups handling changes
The following instructions are for Windows:
- Right-click on the Chrome shortcut in the taskbar, right-click on Google Chrome again when the menu pops up, and select properties from the second menu that opens.
- Append –kiosk https://www.ghacks.net/ to the target field. Make sure there is a space between the existing target value and the new –kiosk value.
- Click on ok.
Whenever you execute the shortcut now, Chrome opens the selected site in Kiosk mode.
App Mode
App mode is different from Kiosk mode: a title bar is displayed in the mode, and the site in question is displayed as a window that you may resize. To create an app version of a site in Chrome do the following:
- Load the site in question in Google Chrome.
- Select Menu > More Tools > Add to Desktop.
- Type a name for the shortcut.
- Check the “open as window” box.
- Click on Add.
Chrome adds a shortcut to the desktop that uses the –app parameter to launch the selected site in a window. Only the title bar and window controls are displayed, the address bar and tab bar are not displayed.