Copy "Add to Dock"'d applications to a new machine?

[gaggle]

The "Add to Dock" feature creates a new .app file in the applications folder, but I now realize they don't seem to transfer to a new Mac: When I copy those web applications across, they don't work, giving this error:

Does anyone know how to get web apps onto a new machine?

 

[lastargo]

Yeah, those “Add to Dock” web apps are just wrappers created by Safari, and they don’t transfer like regular apps. The best way to move them is to recreate them manually on the new Mac:

1. Open the website in Safari.
2. Click File > Add to Dock again.

If you need to keep things synced across devices, using a browser like Chrome or Edge with progressive web apps (PWAs) might be a better option.

 

[gaggle]

I found it useful to "Show Package Contents" and quicklook Info.plist, and copy-paste the URL found in the bottom to the new machine. Still tedious to do for each web app, but (slightly) better than also having to recall the exact URL to use.

I wonder if an AppleScript could do something like scrape a source folder for web apps to recreate them in a target folder, but I'm not adventurous enough to spend the time doing that now. If anyone ever comes across a proper way to transfer, do give a shout! 🙏