What you need to know
- Microsoft today officially launched Edge WebView2 into general availability.
- The launch allows developers to integrate the latest web tech from Edge in their Windows apps.
- Developers can get started with WebView2 at Microsoft (opens in new tab).
After months of testing, Microsoft announced today that Microsoft Edge WebView2 is now generally available, giving developers access to the latest Edge web tech within their apps. WebView2 uses the new Chromium-based Edge as a rendering engine for web-based elements withing apps. Moreover, it will stay updated alongside Edge to keep the rendering engine current.
If you're unfamiliar with WebView, it allows developers to bake web elements via HTML, CSS, and JavaScript within their apps. WebView then uses Edge as a rendering engine to display that content within an app. Developers can even build native applications using a webview.
"This means that as a Windows app developer you will now have access to the latest web tech in both existing and new apps," Microsoft said in its blog post announcing the WebView2 launch. "WebView2 lets you combine the ease and agility of developing for the web with the power of building a native desktop application."
Going forward, Microsoft says that it plans to keep WebView2 updated alongside the major Microsoft Edge releases. The company plans to release a new SDK every six weeks, which it says will "generally align" with new releases to the Microsoft Edge stable channel. Pre-release SDKs will also continue to be available for developers to test out "experimental APIs."
If you're a developer, you can get started with the Microsoft Edge WebView2 controler with Microsoft's documentation (opens in new tab). If you haven't tried the new Microsoft Edge, you can download the stable version now via the official Edge website (opens in new tab).
Dan Thorp-Lancaster is the Editor in Chief for Windows Central. He began working with Windows Central as a news writer in 2014 and is obsessed with tech of all sorts. You can follow Dan on Twitter @DthorpL and Instagram @heyitsdtl. Got a hot tip? Send it to daniel.thorp-lancaster@futurenet.com.
