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There is no current official YouTube desktop program to download from the Chrome Web Store for Windows, macOS, or Linux. Google ended support for Chrome Apps on those platforms after December 2022.
The supported desktop option is to install YouTube.com as a Chrome web app. It opens in its own app-style window and can be placed in your Start menu, Applications folder, desktop, dock, or taskbar. If Chrome does not offer the web-app installation option, you can create a website shortcut instead.
Before you install YouTube on a computer
You need Google Chrome installed on your laptop or PC. The YouTube item created by Chrome is a web app: it uses YouTube in the browser but gives it a separate app-style launch entry. It is not a separately downloaded YouTube executable.
Google’s current desktop requirements for Chrome include:
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Install YouTube as a Chrome web app
- Open Google Chrome.
- Go to
https://www.youtube.com. - Select the three-dot More button in the upper-right corner.
- Choose Cast, save and share.
- Select Install page as app….
- Follow the on-screen instructions.
On some versions of Chrome and on some websites, an Install icon appears on the right side of the address bar. Select that icon to start the same web-app installation process.
After installation, open YouTube from your computer’s app launcher. On Windows, you can search for YouTube from the Start menu. On macOS, look in Applications or use Spotlight. Linux users can use their desktop environment’s application menu.
Create a YouTube shortcut if the install option is missing
Chrome does not expose an install control for every website or browser state. If you do not see Install page as app… or the address-bar Install icon, this does not mean that a YouTube download file is missing. Use a shortcut instead:
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- Open Chrome and visit
https://www.youtube.com. - Select More ⋮.
- Choose More Tools.
- Select Create shortcut.
- Enter a name such as YouTube.
- Select Create.
Google documents this shortcut method as adding a website “as an app” on Windows, Linux, and Chromebook. Depending on your operating system and Chrome settings, the shortcut may appear on the desktop, in an application folder, or in another selected location.
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Put the YouTube app or shortcut on the desktop or taskbar
If Chrome has added YouTube to its app list, you can create another shortcut from Chrome’s app launcher:
- Open a new Chrome tab.
- Enter
chrome://appsin the address bar and press Enter. - Right-click the YouTube app or shortcut.
- Select Create shortcut.
- Choose where to place it, such as the desktop or Start menu.
- Select Create.
On Windows, you can usually right-click the resulting shortcut and select Pin to taskbar. On macOS, drag the application or shortcut to the Dock if your version of macOS permits it. Linux desktop environments vary, but the application menu normally provides an option to add an app to favourites or the panel.
Make YouTube open when you start the computer
You can configure the installed YouTube web app to launch with Chrome’s startup apps:
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chrome://appsin Chrome. - Right-click the YouTube app.
- Select Launch at startup.
To stop it launching automatically, return to chrome://apps, right-click YouTube, and clear Launch at startup.
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Install Chrome first if it is not on your computer
Windows
- Download the Chrome installation file from Google’s Chrome website.
- Open the downloaded file and select Run if Windows asks.
- Select Yes when Windows asks whether to allow the app to make changes to your device.
- Follow the installation prompts. On Windows 10 and later, Chrome opens after installation.
If the Windows computer cannot access the internet, use another computer to open Chrome’s download page. Select Other platforms under Chrome family, choose the target operating system, download the installer, move it to the target PC, and run it there.
macOS
- Download Chrome for Mac.
- Open the downloaded
googlechrome.dmgfile. - Drag Chrome to the Applications folder.
- Open Chrome from Applications. macOS may request an administrator password.
Linux
- Download the Chrome package for your Linux distribution.
- Open the downloaded package.
- Select OK, then select Install package.
- Enter an administrator password when requested.
After installation, Chrome is added to the system’s software manager so it can receive updates.
Remove the YouTube web app
- Open the installed YouTube web app.
- Select More ⋮.
- Choose Uninstall [app name].
- Select Remove.
If Chrome offers Also delete data from Chrome, select it if you also want to remove the web app’s stored Chrome data. Removing the app does not delete your Google account or YouTube channel.
Why you should not search the Chrome Web Store for a desktop YouTube app
Older guides may instruct you to install YouTube from the Chrome Web Store. That advice refers to Chrome Apps, which Google says stopped working on Windows, Mac, and Linux after December 2022. There is therefore no current Windows, macOS, or Linux YouTube Chrome App to install from that store.
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Be cautious with unofficial downloads labelled “YouTube for PC” or “YouTube desktop app.” For normal desktop viewing, use YouTube’s website through Chrome and install it as a web app or create the documented shortcut.
What to do if installation is blocked
- The install menu is absent: Use More → More Tools → Create shortcut. Chrome does not guarantee an install control for every website.
- The device belongs to work or school: An administrator may block app installation or prevent changes to Chrome. Contact the organization’s IT administrator.
- Chrome itself will not install: Check the operating-system requirements, use the correct installer, or use Google’s offline Windows installer on a computer with internet access.
- The shortcut opens a normal browser tab: Recreate it using Install page as app… if that option is available. A shortcut and a web app are related but are not identical: the web app is intended to open in its own app-style window.
Downloading YouTube videos is a different feature
A YouTube desktop web app does not automatically download videos for offline viewing. YouTube Premium subscribers may be able to download videos on a computer by signing in at YouTube using Chrome, Edge, Firefox, or Opera, opening a video’s Watch page, and selecting Download below the video.
That feature saves supported videos for offline playback inside YouTube. It does not install a desktop YouTube program, and it is separate from installing YouTube as a Chrome web app.
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FAQ
Is there an official YouTube app for Windows, Mac, or Linux?
There is no current YouTube desktop app distributed through the Chrome Web Store for Windows, macOS, or Linux. The supported Chrome option is to install YouTube.com as a web app or create a website shortcut.
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Why can’t I find YouTube in the Chrome Web Store?
Chrome Web Store Chrome Apps stopped working on Windows, Mac, and Linux after December 2022. Current desktop instructions use Chrome’s web-app installation menu rather than a Chrome Web Store app listing.
Does the YouTube web app work without internet access?
The web app is an app-style way to open YouTube, but it does not make all YouTube content available offline. YouTube Premium downloads are a separate feature and are available only for supported videos and accounts.
What if Chrome does not show “Install page as app…”?
Create a shortcut instead by selecting More → More Tools → Create shortcut. Google describes this as adding a website shortcut as an app on Windows, Linux, and Chromebook.
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The instructions in this guide use Chrome’s web-app and shortcut features. You can still visit YouTube in other supported browsers, but the exact app-installation controls differ by browser.
The Bottom Line
On a Windows, Mac, or Linux computer, do not look for an old Chrome Web Store YouTube app. Open YouTube in Chrome and select More → Cast, save and share → Install page as app…. If that option is unavailable, use More → More Tools → Create shortcut. Both methods give you a convenient computer entry for YouTube, while Premium video downloads remain a separate feature.
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