Evergreen Webview2 Hot!
You should not ask the user to manually install WebView2. Instead, "chain" the installer to your application's setup.
Microsoft designs WebView2 with strict backward and forward compatibility. The APIs you use to communicate between your native code and the web code remain stable, ensuring that runtime updates rarely break application functionality. Best Practices for Developers
While Windows 10/11 comes with Edge, it is best practice to check if the WebView2 Runtime is installed. If not, use the bootstrapper to install it.
To run any application built on WebView2, the end-user's machine must have the installed. evergreen webview2
Chromium is a massive attack surface. Vulnerabilities are discovered frequently. In an Evergreen model, Microsoft patches the runtime in the background. Your app automatically inherits these security fixes without you needing to recompile or redistribute a new installer.
For developers looking to integrate the Evergreen Runtime deployment directly into their application's installer, Microsoft provides several official sample projects:
: A full installer that can be used for offline deployments or environments with restricted internet access. Built-in OS Support Windows 11 You should not ask the user to manually install WebView2
Deploying the Evergreen WebView2 Runtime with your application requires careful consideration of your target environment and user expectations. Here are the primary strategies Microsoft recommends.
The is the recommended distribution mode for Windows applications, ensuring your app always uses the latest, most secure version of the Chromium platform. Unlike the "Fixed Version," the Evergreen runtime is not packaged with your app; instead, it is installed once on a client machine and updated automatically by Microsoft. 1. Choose Your Distribution Method
In the early days of desktop application development, displaying web content was a compromise. Developers relied on aging engines like Internet Explorer (via WebBrowser control) or were forced to bundle heavy, independent browsers (like CEF/Chromium) with their apps. This led to security vulnerabilities, massive application sizes, and rendering inconsistencies. Enter . The APIs you use to communicate between your
Because the Evergreen Runtime is preinstalled on Windows 11 devices and widely distributed to Windows 10 systems, best practice is to first check whether the runtime is already present before attempting installation. If present, you can proceed directly to launching your application.
As web standards evolve, the Evergreen runtime is updated to support them. You can use the latest APIs from the latest SDK, confident that the underlying platform will support them. 4. Better Performance
Microsoft provides two primary methods for deploying the Evergreen WebView2 Runtime to client machines: the and the Evergreen Standalone Installer [13†L13-L15].
This model offers precise version control—you know exactly which WebView2 APIs are available because you control which version of the runtime is used. However, it comes with significant trade-offs: you must manage the runtime yourself (it doesn't auto-update), each installed WebView2 application consumes its own disk space for the runtime, and you cannot install the fixed version runtime using a traditional installer.
Developers often worry that an automatic update will break their native app's UI. Microsoft mitigates this by maintaining strict backward compatibility for the WebView2 SDK APIs. If a web-standard breaking change does occur within the Chromium project, Microsoft often implements compatibility flags or staggered rollouts to give developers time to adapt. Implementation Strategies for Developers
