Evergreen Webview2

: Runtimes can be "chained" into application installers using tools like WiX Burn Bundle or Visual Studio Installer Projects. Key Advantages

For offline deployment scenarios—common in enterprise IT environments where systems are disconnected from Windows Update—include the Evergreen Standalone Installer in your application installer or updater. This ensures that even completely offline systems receive the runtime.

The Evergreen Bootstrapper is a tiny, lightweight installer (approximately 1.69 MB in size) [4†L27-L29]. When executed on a client machine, the bootstrapper performs the following steps:

If you want to dive deeper into deploying this framework, let me know: evergreen webview2

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Or, for machine-wide installations:

In the , the WebView2 runtime is not packaged inside your application installer. Instead, your application points to a shared instance of the runtime installed on the client machine. : Runtimes can be "chained" into application installers

The WebView2 Runtime contains modified Microsoft Edge binaries that are fine-tuned and tested specifically for WebView2 applications. Once installed, it doesn't appear as a user-visible browser—there's no desktop shortcut or Start menu entry for the runtime itself. Instead, it operates quietly in the background, much like the Visual C++ or .NET runtimes, serving as a shared system component.

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.

As of 2025, Microsoft is deepening its investment in WebView2. Windows 11 uses it extensively for Widgets, the Start Menu, and even parts of the Settings app. The Evergreen runtime is now automatically installed on all new Windows 11 devices. The Evergreen Bootstrapper is a tiny, lightweight installer

: The Stable Evergreen runtime does not include experimental APIs. Only use these for testing in preview environments.

: If missing, run the Bootstrapper or Standalone installer.

var options = new CoreWebView2EnvironmentOptions(); options.TargetCompatibleBrowserVersion = "1.0.1245.22"; var env = await CoreWebView2Environment.CreateAsync(null, null, options); await webView.EnsureCoreWebView2Async(env);