Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime

Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is a powerful utility that offers seamless integration between web content and native applications. It is useful for the Microsoft 365 suite and empowers users with the Microsoft Edge rendering engine for embedding web technologies, such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript, into Windows applications.

It is a free and open-source utility that helps to create a model of WebView2 applications while executing the format accurately. It works more reliably for applications built on Win32 C++, NET, WinUI, and so on.

What is Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime?

Microsoft has developed Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime to enable local applications to host the web content while integrating with the Microsoft Edge rendering engine. You can more reliably use the Microsoft Office 365 suite, Microsoft Power BI, Visual Studio, and so on. 

The innovative software works as a redistributable runtime and open-source utility to allow developers to get the newer web support, including HTML, CSS3, JavaScript, and so on, for building a highly interactive web experience. 

Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime Features

Deploying WebView2 Applications

WebView2 Runtime allows quick deployment of WebView2 applications. It is pre-installed in devices with Windows 11, but not available for Windows 10, and it can create a critical situation for developers to deploy the runtime with the applications they are managing on Windows 10. To fix the issue for developers, it has been added to the Consumer rollout that the devices with active Windows 10 will have pre-installed WebView Runtime. 

Integrated into the web Code

The seamless integration to web code enables users to manage their native applications while adding the web-based content, or use an exclusive WebView2 instance for creating the entire app. So, the developers can easily create an awesome combination of their native applications and web content while using modern web tools. 

Flexible Program Creation

The uses of multiple modern web technologies, including HTML, CSS, JavaScript, etc, enable developers to create well-organized applications with enhanced flexibility. The developers need only to create a balance between Windows native web platforms, programming languages, components, and other web technologies as well. The developers can create hybrid applications while using the WebView2 SDK to access the required libraries and tools. Keep in mind, the created application will run on the system with the installed WebView2 Runtime. 

Lightweight Utility

Similar to Consumer rollout, the rollout for WebView2 Runtime is also a lightweight and requires very little storage space, and as the app is integrated with the Edge web browser, and if both are installed on an exclusive device, there would be a great advantage for saving storage. 

Simple Installation

The lightweight and simple-to-use utility is available in different formats, such as using the offline executable to install entire important components to sync the environment for running the hybrid applications. You can get an executable for 32-bit, 64-bit, and ARM system architectures. 

The other is an online installation process that offers a Bootstrapper that is available in two ways;

• a small installer integrated into the architecture with your device 
• Use a link integrated into the application and have auto-matching to the machine’s architecture

CAB packages are the third solution to enable users to download a fixed version of the app

Enhanced Performance

WebView2 Runtime offers robust performance for multiple Microsoft tools, especially for 365 packages. It is automatically inserted into modern Windows operating systems by Microsoft, and you need to manually configure it. However, you can configure the update behavior, and if you don’t want the rollout, you can configure the install policy of WebView2, but it can be risky for some apps, such as Outlook. 

Pros

• compatible with multiple operating systems, including Windows, Mac, Linux, etc
• support web content such as JavaScript, CSS, HTML, etc
• Simple installation process
• Seamless integration with the Edge rendering engine
• Compatible with extensions to customize applications
• Offers rich creation of graphics while supporting WebGL

Cons

• Old operating systems aren’t compatible
• Maintaining the functionality is possible through regular updates