Definition

display_override (manifest field)

Short definition

display_override is a manifest array, for example "display_override": ["window-controls-overlay", "standalone"], that lets a site opt into newer or experimental display modes such as window-controls-overlay on desktop, while still declaring a safe fallback. The browser walks the list in order and uses the first mode it understands.

Reviewed July 21, 2026

window-controls-overlay lets a desktop PWA draw its own title bar content into the space normally occupied by the OS window controls, queried at runtime via the Window Controls Overlay API and CSS env(titlebar-area-x) variables.

Unlike display, which accepts a single value, display_override is a priority list, so unsupported entries are simply skipped rather than causing installability to fail — this is what allows progressive adoption of new modes.

If display_override is present, browsers that understand it ignore the plain display field entirely for choosing the mode, though display is still required as the ultimate fallback for browsers with no display_override support.

The feature is documented at https://developer.mozilla.org/en-US/docs/Web/Manifest/display_override and is currently Chromium-specific.

Related terms

display (manifest field)

display is the manifest field that chooses the browser chrome level for the installed app. Accepted values are fullscreen, standalone, minimal-ui and browser. "display": "standalone" is the most common choice because it hides the address bar and tab strip while keeping the OS status bar visible.

Standalone display mode

Standalone is a value of the display field in a Web App Manifest. It tells the browser to launch the PWA in its own window with no address bar or tabs, so it looks and behaves like a native app. It is the most common display mode for installable PWAs.

Web App Manifest

A Web App Manifest is a JSON file (usually manifest.webmanifest) that declares your app's name, icons, start URL, theme colour and display mode. The browser reads it to render the install prompt and the home-screen icon.

theme_color (manifest field)

theme_color is a manifest field, e.g. "theme_color": "#0f172a", that tints the Android status bar, the task-switcher card header and, on some platforms, the browser toolbar while the site is open. It accepts any valid CSS colour value.

background_color (manifest field)

background_color is a manifest field, for example "background_color": "#ffffff", used only for the auto-generated splash screen Android and Chromium OS show between tapping the app icon and the first paint. It should match your page's actual background to avoid a visible colour flash.

icons (manifest field)

icons is a manifest array of objects like {"src": "/icon-512.png", "sizes": "512x512", "type": "image/png"}. Chromium requires at least a 192x192 and a 512x512 PNG for install eligibility; the browser picks the closest size for each surface (home screen, splash screen, task switcher) rather than scaling a single image.