Glossary
Definition
Standalone display mode
Short definition
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.
Reviewed July 8, 2026
Standalone keeps navigation, history and cookies scoped to the app, so the user cannot accidentally navigate away or lose session.
Detect standalone at runtime with window.matchMedia('(display-mode: standalone)').matches — useful for hiding "Install" UI once installed.
The alternative values are browser (normal tab), minimal-ui (Chromium desktop only) and fullscreen (games). Most PWAs use standalone.
Related terms
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.
Service worker
A service worker is a JavaScript file the browser runs in the background, separate from the page. It intercepts network requests, caches responses so the site works offline, and receives web-push events so the site can notify the user when it is closed.
beforeinstallprompt
beforeinstallprompt is a window event Chromium browsers fire when a site meets the PWA install criteria. Capturing the event and calling prompt() later lets you show the install dialog at a moment of your choosing instead of at page load.
name (manifest field)
name is a required-in-practice string field in the Web App Manifest that gives the full, human-readable title of the app. Browsers show it on the install dialog, the splash screen and in the OS app switcher. It can be up to 45 characters before some UIs truncate it.
short_name (manifest field)
short_name is an optional manifest string, typically under 12 characters, used wherever screen space is limited — the home-screen label, the app switcher, or a launcher grid. When short_name is absent the browser falls back to the full name field, which may get truncated with an ellipsis.
start_url (manifest field)
start_url is the manifest field that sets the exact URL loaded when a user taps the installed app icon. It is resolved relative to the manifest URL, so "start_url": "/?source=pwa" launches the origin root with a query string you can use to distinguish installed-app sessions from browser-tab sessions in analytics.