Chrome App Launcher gives quick access to your favorite apps and launches them in their own separate windows outside Chrome browser similar to desktop apps. App Launcher is currently available for Windows and Mac, in Windows to get it you need to install any app from ‘For Your Desktop‘ collection in Chrome Web Store, then it appears on your Taskbar.
If you’ve not used it for a while unpinned it from taskbar for that reason, now are you wondering how to get it back?, We’ll tell how to do that.
Adding Removed Chrome App Launcher in Windows to Taskbar
Click the Start Menu>All Programs>Google Chrome>right click on ‘Chrome App Launcher’ and select ‘Pin to Taskbar’
Not found App Launcher under Google Program on Start Menu?, Follow below steps.
1. Right click on Chrome desktop shortcut and select ‘Create Shortcut’
2. Right click on new shortcut you created just now and select ‘Properties’
3. And in Target field after Chrome.exe ” after giving space add
--show-app-list
and, click ‘OK’ to apply the changes.
4. Now double click it, App Launcher opens, right click on it and select ‘Pin this program to taskbar’.
If you still can’t add App Launcher to taskbar, ask me in comments I am happy to help.
My app launcher isnt working.. and it isnt pinning to the task bar. I followed all the instructions..and still :(. I used to have my calendar pinned and it used to work brilliantly.. until last night some unknown reason.. clicking it would take me to a IE window.. very frustrating
When I edit the shortcut and then click on the modified target, it successfully opens up the app launcher, but once I right-click and choose pin to taskbar, windows then instead pins a chrome shortcut to the taskbar and when I click on it, it opens the chrome browser and not the app launcher. I can pin the modified shortcut to the taskbar, but then it opens the app launcher in a new icon on the taskbar which disappears once the app launcher is closed.
Any ideas about how to pin this without it changing itself into a chrome browser shortcut? Thank you
Adrian, visit this page https://chrome.google.com/webstore/launcher in Chrome and click on ‘get the launcher’, app launcher icon will be pinned to the taskbar. Has that worked you? Let me know if you’ve more doubts, happy to help.
Hey Venkat,
I don’t see a ‘get the launcher’ button anywhere on that site, just the animation showing the app launcher on the taskbar on a laptop. What do you see when you go to the launcher site?
Thanks,
Sean
Damn its redirecting to apps page on the store, Sean adding –show-app-list at the end of Chrome.exe in the Target field of shortcut Properties window still working me, how about you?
Hey there! I followed the instructions as specified, but the modified shortcut insteads opens up the following webpage: xn--show-app-list-hn6g/ (which does not resolve itself).
The App Launcher will still not open.
Please ensure there are two hyphens before show-app-list in the switch. Now try and let me know, its working for me.
Hi,
I tried out your steps but it says that The name [URL] specified in the Target box is not valid. Make sure that path and file name are correct.
You need to give space after Chrome.exe in the target field before adding the switch.
I tried that and it stills says that The name [URL] specified in the Target box is not valid. Make sure that path and file name are correct.
What should i do
Updated the switch correctly in the post now, sorry for the trouble, please try adding it again.
I tried all your steps that you mentioned above but still i can’t see any ‘get the launcher’ button and unable to pin chorme app launcher. When I try to pin it pin’s Chrome browser insted of app launcher :(. Now I am getting sick of this damn thing. “Need Help”
Do this: install any app after visiting this page: https://chrome.google.com/webstore/category/collection/for_your_desktop
this does not work for me. i add random app. nothing happens.
But its working me for on my computer, try resetting Chrome and then install any free app from desktop section.
hi, your instructions for “Not found App Launcher under Google Program on Start Menu?” do not work for me, because i have 3 chrome profiles, and they are all already pinned to the taskbar, and so the new shortcut you instruct to make just says “unpin from taskbar” on right-click.
Ok, after adding –show-app-list to the new shortcut, THEN i was able to “pin to taskbar”. However, this app launcher has two drawbacks: it opens a full window instead of a popup launcher, and it does not show all installed apps until i click the “all apps” icon. Not very convenient. -thx
ok, i went to chrome://flags/ and DISabled the “experimental App Launcher”, and now i get a mini-launcher showing ALL apps. Fyi.
Hi!
So I’ve done all of the steps and its opens just fine but once I go to right click to pin it to the taskbar, it closes and disappears from the task bar. What should I do?