It means Microsoft developers can write a single piece of code that works in both desktop programs and the browser based equivalent. Microsoft Outlook is likely one of the first to make use of WebView2 to expand and standardize features. WBRT is the acronym for Web View2 Run Time

Just in the same way that they don’t know if a VB or C# Runtime module is being used. Ideally, people will use a program and never realize they are working with parts of Edge. Instead of insisting people install Microsoft Edge browser, WebView2 Runtime is a library of Edge functions that work without the full browser installation. The program still looks normal, but it can include bits of HTML, CSS and Javascript. Modern apps can call Edge components to, for example, make user interfaces within programs. WebView2 is a similar thing but it’s based around Microsoft’s Edge browser. Other libraries are installed with Windows.

If you’ve used Windows for years, you may remember installing VB Runtime libraries so that some programs could work. Rather than each programmer ‘reinventing the wheel’ for basic tasks, they call on a library to do the job. These libraries are common features and tools which programs can use. WebView2 is the latest in a long series of programming libraries from Microsoft. At worst, it’ll be installed when an app needs it. You can also try ending the errant process from the Task Manager, breaking it out of the error loop.If it’s not there, the Runtime module may well appear in future. If you see the runtime creating problems on your computer, report the issue to Microsoft and restart your computer. Normally, the processes making up the runtime will not display a resource usage higher than 100 MB of RAM and barely a fraction of CPU. The Edge WebView2 engine is designed to render HTML and CSS elements without taking up too many system resources. And it’s here to stay, considering the increasing number of apps adopting the hybrid approach.

What Should You Do About the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime?įirst, know that the WebView2 runtime is not a virus but a legitimate component of Windows released by Microsoft. And after all that effort, it might just come back due to some random app installing it. Accessing its setup requires locating its directory, which in turn requires that you type the exact version number of your Edge WebView2 runtime. You can technically still force an uninstall through the Command Prompt, though it’s a tricky method.

Microsoft edge webview2 runtime