To add a website to the taskbar in Windows 11, open the site in Microsoft Edge, select the three-dot Settings and more menu, then select More tools > Pin to taskbar. In Chrome, install the site as an app and pin its taskbar icon, and in Firefox 143 or later, use the web apps button in the address bar.
These steps cover Windows 11 with current versions of Microsoft Edge, Google Chrome, and Firefox for Windows. Menu names can shift slightly between browser updates, so update your browser first if a label below doesn’t match.
A pinned site opens with one click, usually in its own window, which is handy for email, calendars, banking, and other sites you keep open all day.
It works for streaming sites too, as our guide to installing JioHotstar on a Windows 11 laptop shows.
Which Method Should You Use?
Windows 11 can’t pin a plain web address by itself. The browser creates the pin, and the pin always opens in the browser that made it. Pick the method that matches the browser you want the site to open in.
| Browser | How it pins | How the site opens |
|---|---|---|
| Microsoft Edge | Pin to taskbar in the menu, or install the site as an app | In Edge |
| Google Chrome | Install the site as an app, then pin its taskbar icon | In its own Chrome window |
| Firefox 143 or later | Web apps button in the address bar | In its own Firefox window |
Before you start, open the exact page you want the icon to open. If you pin your inbox, the pin opens your inbox. If you pin a single message or a search results page, that’s what you get every time.
Pin a Website With Microsoft Edge
Edge comes with Windows 11, so this method works on almost every PC without installing anything.
- Open the website in Microsoft Edge and let the page finish loading.
- Select the three-dot Settings and more menu in the top-right corner, or press Alt + F. The menu opens.
- Select More tools. A submenu appears.
- Select Pin to taskbar.
- If a confirmation appears, select Pin or Yes. The site’s icon appears on the taskbar next to your other apps.
These steps match Microsoft’s Edge pin to taskbar guide. Select the new icon to test it. The site opens in Edge, even if another browser is your default.
Make sure you open Edge’s own three-dot menu at the top right of the window. Many sites, such as Gmail and Outlook, have their own three-dot menus inside the page, and those don’t contain More tools.
Install the Site as an Edge App Instead
Installing a site as an app gives it a separate window without tabs or an address bar, plus its own Start menu entry. This suits web mail, calendars, chat tools, and other sites you treat like programs.
- Open the website in Edge.
- Select Settings and more > More tools > Apps > Install this site as an app. If the site offers its own app, an install icon may also appear in the address bar.
- Change the name if you like, then select Install. The site opens in its own window.
- Type edge://apps in the address bar and press Enter.
- Find the site’s card and select Details.
- Select Pin to taskbar. The same screen also offers Pin to Start and Create Desktop shortcut.
Microsoft lists these options in its Edge apps instructions. The Details page also has an Auto-start on device login switch. Leave it off unless you want the site to open every time you sign in to Windows.
For a video-site example, follow our YouTube app installation guide for Windows 11, then pin the resulting app. Installing the website and downloading videos for offline viewing are separate tasks.
Pin a Website With Google Chrome
Chrome doesn’t have a direct pin command, so you install the site as an app first. The app gets a taskbar icon while it’s open, and you pin that icon.
- Open the website in Chrome.
- Select the three-dot More menu in the top-right corner.
- Select Cast, save, and share, then Install page as app. On some sites you can also select the install icon at the right end of the address bar.
- Select Install. The site opens in its own window, and its icon appears on the taskbar.
- Right-click the site’s icon on the taskbar and select Pin to taskbar. The icon stays after you close the window.
The install step comes from Google’s Chrome web app help.
If Chrome Doesn’t Offer Install Page as App
Not every site can be installed. In that case, make a shortcut and pin it.
- Select More > Cast, save, and share > Create shortcut.
- Keep the suggested name or type a new one. If you see an Open as window box, check it so the site opens without tabs.
- Select Create. A shortcut appears on the desktop.
- Right-click the desktop shortcut, select Show more options, and choose Pin to taskbar. You can also drag the shortcut onto the taskbar.
Google explains the shortcut command in Create shortcuts for websites in Chrome. Once the site is pinned, you can delete the desktop shortcut if you don’t want it there.
Pin a Website With Firefox
Firefox for Windows added web apps in version 143, according to Mozilla. If you installed Firefox from the Microsoft Store, you need version 150 or later. Web apps don’t work in private windows.
- Open the website in a regular Firefox window.
- Select the web apps button in the address bar. Firefox installs the site, adds it to the taskbar, and adds a Start menu shortcut.
- If Windows asks whether to pin it to the taskbar, select Yes. If you skip this, right-click its taskbar icon later and select Pin to taskbar.
The web app window has a read-only address bar and no tab bar, bookmarks toolbar, or sidebar. You’ll find it in the Start menu, usually in the Firefox Web Apps folder.
To remove it, select the same web apps button to move the window back into Firefox. That uninstalls the web app and removes its taskbar pin. Mozilla covers this in Use web apps in Firefox for Windows. If the web apps button is missing, check your Firefox version under Help > About Firefox and restart Firefox.
Pin a Website to the Start Menu Instead
If your taskbar is already full, the Start menu is a good second spot.
- Open the website in Microsoft Edge.
- Select Settings and more > More tools > Pin to Start.
- Select Yes if Windows asks you to confirm. The site appears in the Start menu’s pinned section.
Sites installed as apps from Chrome, Edge, or Firefox also appear in the Start menu’s All list, where you can right-click them and select Pin to Start. For an Edge app, you can also use edge://apps > Details > Pin to Start. Our guide to adding a web page to the Start menu in Edge covers that route in more detail.
The same right-click menus work for regular programs, as our guide to pinning apps and folders to the taskbar shows.
Organize or Remove Pinned Websites
- Move a pin: drag the icon to a new spot on the taskbar.
- Open it with the keyboard: press Windows key plus the icon’s position number, counting from the left, such as Windows key + 3.
- Remove the pin: right-click the icon and select Unpin from taskbar. This removes only the shortcut. The website, your bookmarks, and your sign-ins aren’t affected.
- Uninstall an Edge app: go to edge://apps, select Details on its card, then Uninstall. Edge asks whether to also delete the app’s history and data.
- Uninstall a Chrome app: open the app, select More at the top of its window, then Uninstall and Remove.
Installed Chrome and Edge apps also appear in Settings > Apps > Installed apps, where you can uninstall them like any other program. For other taskbar changes, such as alignment and which built-in buttons show, see how to customize the Windows 11 taskbar.
Troubleshooting
Pin to taskbar is missing in Edge. Update Edge from Settings and more > Help and feedback > About Microsoft Edge, then restart it. Our guide to updating Microsoft Edge walks through it. If it’s still missing, use the Install this site as an app method above.
The option is greyed out or blocked on a work or school PC. Microsoft notes that organization policies can turn off pinning and app installs. Ask your IT department, or use the Start menu instead if that’s allowed.
Pin to taskbar doesn’t appear when you right-click a desktop shortcut. Windows can’t pin a plain internet shortcut, such as one you dragged from the address bar. Make the shortcut with Chrome’s Create shortcut command or Edge’s Create Desktop shortcut option instead, since those shortcuts open the browser itself.
The site opens in the wrong browser. A pin always uses the browser that created it. Unpin it, then repeat the steps in the browser you prefer.
Links you click in other apps follow a separate setting; see how to change the default browser in Windows 11.
The site opens in a tab instead of its own window. Edge’s direct pin opens the site in Edge. For a separate window, install the site as an app in Edge or Chrome, or use Firefox web apps.
The icon is blank or generic. Some sites don’t supply a good icon. Installing the site as an app usually pulls a better one. If not, unpin it, reload the page, and pin it again.
Only pin sites you trust. A pinned phishing page looks just as official as your real bank, so check the address before pinning anything you sign in to.
Frequently Asked Questions
Which browser opens a pinned website?
The browser you pinned it from. A site pinned from Edge opens in Edge, even if Chrome is your default browser.
Is pinning a site the same as pinning a tab?
No. A pinned tab is a small tab that stays at the left of the browser’s tab bar and only exists inside that browser. A taskbar pin is an icon on the Windows taskbar that opens the site even when the browser is closed.
Can I pin more than one page from the same site?
Yes. Open each page you want and pin it separately. Give each one a clear name when the browser asks, so you can tell the icons apart.
Can I put a website on the desktop instead?
Yes. See how to make a desktop shortcut for a website.
How do I pin Gmail?
Use the same steps with mail.google.com, or see how to pin Gmail to the taskbar.
Still on Windows 10? See how to create an internet shortcut in Windows 10 from Chrome, Firefox, or Edge.
Matthew Burleigh is the founder, head writer, and editor of Solve Your Tech, which he launched in 2012. He has written technology tutorials since 2008 and worked in IT since 2003, including small-business support, IT management, and consulting. He holds Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Computer Science from Arizona State University.
Matthew writes practical guides for Windows, iPhone and iPad, Microsoft Office, Outlook, Google apps, and Android. Solve Your Tech’s guides are checked step by step against the device or app maker’s own documentation and tested on his own devices whenever he has the hardware or software, with clear steps, sources, and update dates.
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