But what if you can make things easier, faster, and more satisfying with a desktop app that doesn’t require any browser? You can do that through the YouTube app.
Unfortunately, the Microsoft App Store offers only the Xbox version, but there’s a solution for Windows users: installing the YouTube PWA (Progressive Web App). It’s free and straightforward. Let’s see the process step-by-step and the requirements.
Price | Free |
Genre | Entertainment, Video streaming |
Platform | Windows with Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge |
Release Year | 2021 |
Size | Lightweight |
About YouTube
YouTube is a global online media streaming platform launched on February 2005. It’s part of the ‘Google empire’ and is, to date, the second most visited website in the world after Google itself. YouTube offers at least 800 million videos of any genre. Songs and music are the most consumed content.
But as an entertainment platform, YouTube operates in several categories, and the most popular are music, reviews, tutorial and education, interviews, Q&A, gaming, documentaries, challenges, sports, ASMR, and commentary videos.
If you wish to access YouTube without a browser, you must download the related Progressive Web App, the desktop version of the website offering the same experience plus additional features. Many websites developed a PWA, and YouTube ‘joined the club’.
You must have a supported browser to download YouTube PWA. But that would be the last time you use it to watch your favourite YouTube videos. The process will take a couple of minutes and a few clicks. So, let’s see how to download YouTube for Chrome and Edge users.
Download YouTube App for Windows: 4-Step Process Infographic
Make it quick
How to Download YouTube PWA on Windows
Make it detailed
Premise: Forget the Microsoft App Store
You can find the YouTube app on the Microsoft App Store. But it’s only available for Xbox. Therefore, avoid it and move to the next step.
Steps for Google Chrome
Visit the YouTube Website
1 Go to www.youtube.com using the Google Chrome browser.
Access the Google Chrome Menu
2 Click the three-dot button on the top right corner of the browser to open the Chrome menu. Scroll down and select ‘Install YouTube‘.
Install the YouTube PWA
3 Click the ‘Install‘ blue button on the pop-up window (or dialogue box). At completion, the app will open automatically.
Steps for Microsoft Edge
Open Microsoft Edge
1 Launch the Microsoft Edge official web browser.
Visit YouTube & Download the App
2 Go to www.youtube.com using Edge. Then Open the browser menu and click ‘Apps‘ > ‘Install YouTube‘.
Install the YouTube App
3 Click ‘Install‘ on the dialogue box. When complete, you will be asked to configure the launch. Flag one or more options (create Desktop shortcut, pin to taskbar, pin to Start, auto-start on device login) and click ‘Allow‘. The app will open automatically.
Launch the Desktop App & Enjoy
4 Next time, you can run the YouTube streaming platform by clicking the desktop shortcut or from your Windows taskbar and Start Menu.
You may be interested also in learning How to Download Prime Video Free Windows App (Complete Tutorial).
YouTube App System Requirements
Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge browsers
YouTube PWA Key Features
The YouTube app offers most of the main features of a PWA.
- Native app-like high performance
- Push notifications
- Desktop shortcut and an icon in the Windows taskbar and start menu
- Background processing
- Touch support, in addition to mouse and keyboard interactions
- Voice search
- Double-tap to seek within the player
- Web Share and Declarative Link Capturing
- Offline videos (for Chromebook YouTube Premium users).
How to Download YouTube on Windows
Watch the step-by-step guide
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YouTube Windows App/PWA FAQs
What’s your favourite video streaming platform? Do you think the YouTube PWA offers additional benefits compared to the browser version? What do you think is the best YouTube desktop app feature?
Let us know by commenting below, and feel free to request new app and game tutorials you would like us to create for you.