How to make a custom launcher for Chromebooks

Chromebook owners can easily create a custom launcher icon that will sit in among the other icons in the app launcher. Follow these instructions.

1) Create a folder anywhere in the file system called Task Rocket.

2) Create a text file called manifest.json and save it in the Task Rocket folder you just created.

3) Paste the following code into the manifest.json file, replacing both URL’s in the code with the location of your Task Rocket installation (and change the description with something else if you prefer).

4) Save the file.
{
"name": "Task Rocket",
"description": "My Tasks",
"version": "1.0.0",
"manifest_version": 2,
"icons": {
"128": "icon_128.png"
},
"app": {
"urls": [
"http://mydomain.com/"
],
"launch": {
"web_url": "http://mydomain.com/"
}
}
}
5) Place a PNG image of the Task Rocket icon into the folder you created (here’s one I prepared earlier).

6) Open Chrome settings, go to More Tools -> Extensions and enable the Developer Mode checkbox.

7) Click Load Unpacked Extension and browse to the Task Rocket folder you created. Click Open.

All done. You should now see Task Rocket in your app launcher.

❮ Go back to Task Rocket FAQ & Guide