How to turn your Coda.io doc into a standalone desktop app using the chrome browser — for free.
This guide shows you how to turn your Coda.io doc into a standalone desktop app for free using the chrome browser.
If you are like me, you have a coda.io doc that you use every single day.
For me, that’s my Life Dashboard 2.0. It’s an advanced all-in-one tracker and manager. I use it to track my tasks, time (Pomodoro timer), habits, moods and finances — All in one Coda.io doc. You can copy it here.
Since I use it daily, I wanted my coda doc to be a standalone app on my desktop. Now I can easily switch between other tasks and use shortcuts without having to find a specific browser window all the time..
How to turn any Coda doc into a desktop app:
- Go to your Chrome browser and open the coda doc that you want to turn into an app. (In my case, the CODA Life Dashboard)
- Hit the “Dot-Menu” on the top right of the browser.
- Navigate to “More Tools” > “Create Shortcut”.
A pop up opens.
4. Give your Application a name (e.g. Coda Life Dashboard) and hit the checkbox “Open as window”. This turns it into a standalone window instead of just opening a new tab in Chrome.
5. Hit “Create”.
That’s it. You can now add this app to your sidebar, search it and easily switch between it just like with any other app.
The same also works with other browsers like Microsoft Edge and basically any website.
Alternatives
For me, the chrome browser trick is all I need. However, here are two alternatives:
- Surfable.App: Free, open-source tool, one-click install.
- Unite 4: Paid tool with more customisation.
What is Coda.io?
Coda is a productivity tool similar to Notion and allows you to build custom docs with advanced databases, buttons, logic and automation. You can sign up for free and try out my templates or explore other docs in their gallery.
I hope you enjoyed this short how-to.
About me:
I am a Berlin-based product manager and interaction designer dedicated to solving the climate crisis with meaningful technology.
I have a product management degree from CODE University, co-founded Susteyn, an indoor farming startup building office farms, and love using no-code tools.
Recently I launched climesumer.com, a climate action platform for individuals. 500+ resources in 12+ categories help anyone live the most sustainable lifestyle possible and take individual climate action. It’s built with Softr.io and Airtable.
Follow me and find all my projects and links here.
