Download Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime (Windows) Free

Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime Enables the correct execution format according to the requirements imposed by the build model of the WebView2 application. Additionally, it is an essential component for developing Windows applications built with Win32 C/C++, WPF, WinForms or WinUI3.

Understand the difference between WebView2 SDK and runtime environment

As a developer, you need to produce well-optimized applications and find a comfortable balance between using the native Windows platform, components, and programming languages, and using web technologies such as HTML, CSS, and JavaScript.

Microsoft’s solutions are primarily focused on helping you create flexible programs (hybrid applications) that are at the intersection of native and web applications. They aim to provide this development method by using WebView2. The WebView2 SDK includes a list of components and tools strictly required during development.

On the other hand, once a WebView2 application has been developed, for it to run seamlessly, the WebView2 runtime component needs to be installed on each computer running the application. Fortunately, there are several ways to integrate the required tools onto the system that will run your program.

A seamless execution model for scalable and flexible applications

The Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is a set of utilities available in different formats. First, there are offline executables, which, once initialized, install on your machine the components needed for a perfectly synced environment that can run your hybrid application. These executables are available for 32-bit, 64-bit and ARM system architectures (Evergreen standalone installer).

Second, the online installation comes either as a Bootstrapper (a small installer that matches your device architecture and has the correct installation method, and proceeds to download and install it) or as a link automatically integrated into your application Match the machine’s architecture to the desired version of the runtime environment (this makes it easier for the end user to get the correct system configuration to run the application).

Third, there is the CAB package, which allows you to download a fixed version of the WebView2 runtime, along with all its components, libraries, dependencies, etc.

final consideration

In conclusion, with WebView2 you can now integrate everything the web has to offer with the power of Microsoft development frameworks and APIs such as Win32 C/C++, WPF, WinForms and WinUI3.

Additionally, with the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime, you can easily provide your hybrid application with all the necessary parts for a correct execution model on any computer.