But Microsoft Edge is what renders all Webview2 content, so even if it is not installed as a web browser, it is running behind the scenes, albeit with a little more stealth, running anything utilizing Webview2. Microsoft does make it clear that Webview2 does not mean Microsoft Edge needs to be installed. The part that made the “new” Microsoft Edge web browser new, is that it is now based on Chromium (basically Microsoft stopped its proprietary code language development and used the industry standard and open source Chromium language).

Chromium is an industry-standard for code and development. a more proprietary Windows based language). On the obvious side, why is there a “2” in the name? Because there is already a “Webview.” The question is, how is Webview2 different from Webview? Webview2 is Chromium based (vs. It is easy to see why Microsoft would want to enable simplifying things in this way now that the O365 suite has essentially become a set of hybrid apps (they run on desktop, but require internet access for components of their functionality – or the same app can run, with almost 100% features, as a web app). But Webview2 allows developers to use consolidated language base, coding for the web, and have a native application use that code – on any platform. Native apps for each OS Windows, Mac, IOS, Android, etc., each have differing coding languages and requirements. So, what does webview2 do? Simply put, it allows you to add web content, HTML, CSS, Javascipt, etc. Project Reunion is an initiative to modernize and evolve Windows Application and Webapp development with a new set of unified tools and API’s. Enter Edge Webview2, which is only one component of Microsoft’s much larger Project Reunion. Microsoft has been hard at work on this transition, and the coding challenges it presents for developers. Further blurring the boundary between native, and web-app development – enter Microsoft Webview2Īs more and more apps become cloud-based there is a near seamless transition between desktop and mobile devices.

Edge webview2