display

The value of the display member is a string. The possible values include fullscreen, standalone, minimal-ui, and browser. If a browser does not support the specified display mode, it follows a pre-defined fallback chain: fullscreen → standalone → minimal-ui → browser. If display is not specified, the default value browser is used.

fullscreen

Opens the app with browser UI elements hidden and uses the entirety of the available display area. Use this value for apps where fullscreen engagement is crucial and desired. For example, use it for a game app that can take up the entire screen without any browser controls visible, providing a fully immersive gaming experience.

Note: The fullscreen value of the manifest's display member works separately from the Fullscreen API. The fullscreen display mode changes the state of the entire browser window to full screen, while the Fullscreen API only makes a specific element within the window go full screen. Therefore, a web app can be in fullscreen display mode while Document.fullscreenElement is null and Document.fullscreenEnabled is false.

standalone

Opens the app to look and feel like a standalone native app. This can include the app having a different window and its own icon in the app launcher. The browser will exclude UI elements such as a URL bar but can still include other UI elements such as the status bar. For example, use it for a task manager app that opens in its own window without the browser's URL bar, while still displaying the device's status bar for battery and notifications, thereby providing an integrated experience.

minimal-ui

Opens the app to look and feel like a standalone app but with a minimal set of UI elements for navigation. The specific elements can vary by browser but typically include navigation controls like back, forward, reload, and possibly a way to view the app's URL. Additionally, the browser may include platform-specific UI elements that provide functionality for sharing and printing content. Use this value for apps where displaying a minimal browser interface is beneficial. For example, use it for a news reading or other general reading apps that show only the essential browser controls like back and reload buttons, providing a cleaner and less distracting interface.

browser

Opens the app in a conventional browser tab or new window, using the platform-specific convention for opening links. Use this value for apps that are designed to be used within a browser context, where full browser functionality is needed. This is the default value if no display mode is specified.

After a browser applies a display mode to an application context, it becomes the default display mode for the top-level browsing context. The browser may override this display mode for security reasons or provide users with a means for switching to another display mode.

Use the display-mode media feature to determine the current display mode applied by the browser, which is useful for ensuring your app behaves as expected in different display contexts. Additionally, the display-mode media feature allows you to adjust your app's styles based on the display mode currently being used. This can help provide a consistent user experience regardless of whether the website is launched from a URL or from a desktop icon.

Note: The value of the display-mode media feature reflects the actual display mode being used, which might differ from the one requested in the manifest's display, because the browser might not support the requested mode.

As shown in the code below, you can adjust an app's style depending on the display-mode used.

@media (display-mode: standalone) {
  body {
    background-color: #f0f0f0; /* Light grey background for standalone mode */
  }
}

@media (display-mode: fullscreen) {
  body {
    background-color: #000000; /* Black background for fullscreen mode */
  }
}

The following example manifest file for the web app named "HackerWeb" defines how the app should appear and behave when installed on a user's device. The display member is set to standalone, which specifies that the app should open in a separate window without the typical browser UI elements like the URL bar.

{
  "name": "HackerWeb",
  "short_name": "HackerWeb",
  "start_url": "/index.html",
  "display": "standalone",
  "background_color": "#ffffff",
  "description": "A readable Hacker News app",
  "icons": [
    {
      "src": "images/icons/homescreen192.png",
      "sizes": "192x192",
      "type": "image/png"
    }
  ]
}