Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime on Windows 11: What is it?

By opening the Task Manager in Windows 11, you will detect a process or several Microsoft Edge Webview2, and even when you have removed the Edge browser. In addition, by opening the uninstall program, you can see the ” Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime “, which is responsible for the msedgewebview2.exe process.

Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime

What is Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime on Windows 11?

The Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is a runtime setup used to render web functionality to desktop applications using the Edge engine. WebView2 allows developers to embed and display web content directly in their applications, including JavaScript, HTML, and CSS.

For example, having worked for many years on the client Word, you are used to all the functions and know the location of the tabs, and then you start using the web version of Word, which differs in the arrangement of tasks so that the functions are the same on all platforms, using WebView2. This way, whether you’re using the Office apps on your PC or the web, they’ll be everywhere.

Is it Possible to Uninstall WebView2?

In Windows 10, Microsoft began to implement this environment as preinstalled in version 2101 and automatically through the update centre in version 2004. In Windows 11, it is preinstalled. In Windows 10, you can uninstall Microsoft Edge WebView2, and in Windows 11, the uninstall button is no longer active.

There is no point in uninstalling the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime, as it will be installed back automatically when an application needs it or installed with a system update. If you think that opening the Edge browser will work with Microsoft Edge WebView2, you are wrong, as these are two independent processes. In addition, it is not used all the time on your system but only when needed by the application, which will call the msedgewebview2.exe process to start the WebView2 environment.

Download Microsoft Edge WebView2

If you have already uninstalled the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime or, for some reason, you need to download it. Then this can be done from the official Microsoft website, where you can select the ARM, x64, and x86 architecture and version.

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