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Microsoft Edge WebView2: do I REALLY need it?

Anonymous
2022-05-18T22:42:38+00:00

This is taking up a lot of my resources and it's always running. I don't use Edge as a browser in W11 nor do I use Widgets. I don't have Office installed either.

I know I cannot natively uninstall Microsoft Edge WebView2, I can uninstall with many third party uninstallers though. However, in doing so will this create problems elsewhere?

In other words, besides Microsoft Edge and Widgets, what purpose does Microsoft Edge WebView2 serve and what consequences might there be with W11 stability if I remove it?

Thanks

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Performance and system failures

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  1. Anonymous
    2022-06-10T22:28:46+00:00

    I'm glad to help. Let me know if there is anything else I can help with.

    Unfortunately, my system has become unstable after uninstalling Microsoft Edge WebView2. I performed additional research in other communites and the consensus is do not uninstall Microsoft Edge WebView2. It's tightly integrated with Windows (11).

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  2. Anonymous
    2022-05-19T20:58:06+00:00

    In Windows 11, many of the pre-installed UWP apps, like the Media Player, Photos App... etc require the Edge WebView2 component, if you uninstall that, many apps will stop working and the Edge WebView2 will not be automatically re-installed

    Thank you. Those are vital components in my opinion. And as such Edge WebView2 should not be uninstalled; however, there's quite a bit of discussion online that unless you use Edge and Widgets, it should be uninstalled.

    I would like to see Microsoft due something about the large size of the Edge WebView2 at around 200 MB (always running) and coupled with Defender anti-virus, another 300 MB, you're using almost half a gigabyte of memory. Many newer laptops and PCs are running with 8 GB of RAM and consumes quite a bit of resources, many needlessly (like Photos, Windows Media Player etc.)

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  3. Anonymous
    2022-05-19T04:26:39+00:00

    Thanks for the reply.

    If I'm 100% certain no third party apps use WebView2  then it's safe to remove without it negatively affecting the Windows OS? I'm not concerned about other apps. I can always remove them later but none of my apps use WebView2 .

    Additionally, if a third party app needs WebView2  and it's not there I'm sure it will be smart enough to let me know or install it automatically.

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  4. Anonymous
    2022-05-19T03:00:44+00:00

    Hi, I'm Robinson, and I’m happy to help you today.

    I know how frustrating this may be for you but I'll do my very best to help you.

    WebView2 is used as the rendering engine to display the web content in native apps. Uninstalling the WebView2 you may have a problem not only in the Windows apps but on third-party apps that use the WebView2 to show HTML, CSS, and JavaScript on the app.

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  5. DaveM121 (2) 13,615 Reputation points Volunteer Moderator
    2022-05-19T08:28:56+00:00

    In Windows 11, many of the pre-installed UWP apps, like the Media Player, Photos App... etc require the Edge WebView2 component, if you uninstall that, many apps will stop working and the Edge WebView2 will not be automatically re-installed

    10+ people found this answer helpful.
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