Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime: What is it for?

  • WebView2 Runtime improves desktop app synchronization with web capabilities, especially in Office 365.
  • Allows you to include CSS, HTML, and JavaScript content in applications without opening a browser.
  • Its installation is simple, but may be unnecessary if you don't use Edge as your default browser.
  • It may affect performance on low-end computers, but it offers more benefits than drawbacks.
Daniel Terrasa

5 minutes

webview2 runtime

In the latest versions of Windows, especially those that incorporate Office 365, the tool is installed as standard. Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime. Thanks to it, it is possible to achieve automatic synchronization of desktop applications with web functions.

In this post we explain how it works. This is necessary since it is a component that was included without prior notice in the latest system updates. Many users have found it by surprise, not knowing what it is. In any case, it must be said that it is a positive element for a better functioning of the system, without compensations.

What is WebView2 Runtime?

WebView2 Runtime is a driver that Microsoft designed and installed on Windows computers for the edge browser. In principle, its basic purpose is to enrich common desktop programs (such as the Office suite) with a series of web-based functions. All through Edge.

One of the utilities that should be highlighted is the power include CSS, HTML and JavaScript content in these applications, without having to leave them or having to use a web browser to do so. A direct consequence of this is that All Office tools, even the desktop version, are automatically synchronized, and with more functions available.

webview2 runtime

To know if our computer has been subject to this update and we already have WebView2 Runtime, there is a very simple way to check:

  1. First we use the key combination Windows + i to access the menu Configuration.
  2. Then we will Applications and from there to Installed applications.
  3. In the list of applications that is displayed (they are ordered alphabetically), we look to see if the name of the application appears. Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime o Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime.

How to install WebView2 Runtime

Microsoft installed WebView2 Runtime "by stealth" in the most recent versions of Windows, although most users have only noticed it after updating the system. If we use an older version and want install this component on our PC, This is what needs to be done:

  1. Let's go to the official download page of this Microsoft component.
  2. We select the version we want to download.
  3. We click on the download button.

Once downloaded to our computer, you just have to pay attention to the instructions of the installation wizard and follow all the steps.

Although no one has liked Microsoft's sibylline way of inserting this tool into our computers without asking or warning, it is fair to say that its presence generates more benefits than disadvantages.

To begin with, we must be clear that WebView2 is a function that does not consume excessive resources and that will not cause our computer to run slower. That is something we can easily check by taking a look at the processes window (using the key combination Ctrl + Alt + Delete and clicking on the Task Manager). The space it occupies on the disk is not too worrying either, just 475 MB of space on the hard drive and around 50-60 MB of RAM.

How to uninstall WebView2 Runtime

webview2 runtime

However, its impact may be a little more negative in low end computers. It may also happen that the new tool is interfering with the proper functioning of the equipment, generating annoying mistakes. Only in those cases may it be convenient to uninstall WebView2 Runtime to reinstall it again or simply to get rid of it.

Of course, we must also know that if we finally choose to uninstall, Some Office tools features will not be available. There are two methods to complete the uninstall process:

Method 1

  1. To start we go to the menu "Windows Settings".
  2. Then we click on "Applications".
  3. Next we look for WebView2 Runtime in «Installed applications».
  4. Finally, we click on the option "Uninstall".

Method 2

  • We open the run window with the key combination Windows + R.
  • There we write«control panel» and then press Enter.
  • To complete the process, we look for Microsoft Edge's WebView2 Runtime and click uninstall.

Conclusion

Is it worth having Microsoft Edge's WebView2 Runtime on our computer or is it better to uninstall this component? The first thing to be clear about is that Microsoft has introduced this tool with the intention of improve the performance of our equipment and the applications that we have installed on it.

But in the case of more modest computers, this can be a double-edged sword: the drawbacks (less space, more slowdown in processes) can end up neutralizing the aforementioned advantages.

Another decisive factor when making the decision to adopt this tool or do without it is whether we use Edge as the default browser or not. If so, the advantages are obvious; On the other hand, if we use Chrome, Firefox or any other browser, WebView2 Runtime may perhaps be dispensable.


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