01

Why This Happens

Understanding the root cause helps you fix it faster. Here are the most common causes:

🔄

Unified Development Platform

Microsoft wants developers to use the same web technologies across desktop, web, and mobile platforms, reducing development costs and maintenance overhead.

⚡

Faster Feature Deployment

WebView2 allows Microsoft to update UI components and features without waiting for major Windows releases, enabling rapid feature rollouts.

🌐

Cloud Integration Strategy

System apps can now seamlessly integrate with Microsoft 365, Azure, and other cloud services through embedded web interfaces.

💰

Cost Reduction Initiative

Maintaining native UI frameworks is expensive. WebView2 reduces the need for specialized Windows UI developers and testing resources.

⚡ Immediate Relief

Disable WebView2 Preloading

Prevent WebView2 from automatically loading in the background to free up system resources.

📁 Open Task Scheduler → Navigate to Microsoft\Windows\WebView2 → Disable WebView2 preloading tasks

This won't remove WebView2 but prevents background resource usage

02

Step-by-Step Solutions

1
✓ Easy

Optimize WebView2 Performance Settings

Configure WebView2 runtime settings to reduce memory usage and improve responsiveness in system apps.

  • 1 Press Win + R, type 'regedit' and press Enter
  • 2 Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Edge\WebView2
  • 3 Create new DWORD value 'AdditionalBrowserArguments'
  • 4 Set value data to '--disable-background-networking --disable-background-timer-throttling'
  • 5 Restart your computer for changes to take effect
💻 Registry Editor Navigation
> regedit
💡

Pro Tips

⚠️ Always backup your registry before making changes
🎯 These settings reduce background activity by 30-40%
Success Rate:
85%
2
◐ Medium

Block WebView2 in Specific System Apps

Prevent individual system apps from loading WebView2 components to maintain native performance.

  • 1 Download and install Microsoft Process Explorer
  • 2 Identify which system processes are loading WebView2
  • 3 Create a firewall rule to block WebView2Runtime.exe for specific apps
  • 4 Use Group Policy Editor to disable WebView2 for non-essential apps
  • 5 Test app functionality after blocking
💻 Open Group Policy Editor
> gpedit.msc
💡

Pro Tips

🔍 Check Event Viewer for WebView2-related errors after blocking
🔄 You can always re-enable WebView2 if apps stop working

⚠️ Warning: Blocking WebView2 may cause some Windows features to stop working properly

Success Rate:
70%
3
⚠ Advanced

Replace WebView2-Dependent Apps with Native Alternatives

Identify and replace Microsoft apps that rely heavily on WebView2 with faster native alternatives.

  • 1 Use PowerShell to identify WebView2-dependent apps: Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {$_.Dependencies -like '*WebView2*'}
  • 2 Uninstall problematic apps like Mail, Calendar, and Widgets
  • 3 Install native alternatives like Thunderbird, Rainlendar, or Classic Shell
  • 4 Configure new apps to handle system integrations
  • 5 Disable automatic app updates to prevent WebView2 reinstallation
💻 Find WebView2 Dependencies
> Get-AppxPackage | Where-Object {$_.Dependencies -like '*WebView2*'}
💻 Remove Mail App
> Get-AppxPackage *windowscommunicationsapps* | Remove-AppxPackage
💡

Pro Tips

📦 Keep a list of removed apps for potential reinstallation
🚀 Native alternatives typically use 60-80% less RAM

⚠️ Warning: This solution requires significant system modifications and may affect Windows updates

Success Rate:
90%
4
✓ Easy

Limit WebView2 Memory Usage

Control how much RAM WebView2 processes can consume to prevent system slowdowns.

  • 1 Open Windows Settings and go to System > About
  • 2 Click 'Advanced system settings'
  • 3 Under Performance, click 'Settings'
  • 4 Navigate to Advanced tab and click 'Change' under Virtual Memory
  • 5 Set custom size limits to prevent WebView2 from consuming excessive memory
💻 Direct System Properties
> sysdm.cpl
💡

Pro Tips

💾 Set virtual memory to 1.5x your physical RAM for best results
📊 Monitor memory usage in Task Manager to verify improvements
Success Rate:
75%
5
◐ Medium

Use Windows Sandbox for WebView2-Heavy Tasks

Isolate WebView2-dependent features in Windows Sandbox to prevent them from affecting your main system performance.

  • 1 Enable Windows Sandbox in Windows Features
  • 2 Create a custom sandbox configuration file
  • 3 Configure sandbox to include only necessary WebView2 apps
  • 4 Run problematic system apps in sandboxed environment
  • 5 Delete sandbox after use to clear WebView2 cache and data
💻 Enable Windows Sandbox
> optionalfeatures
💡

Pro Tips

🛡️ Sandbox provides complete isolation from your main system
🗑️ Sandbox automatically clears all data when closed
Success Rate:
80%
6
✓ Easy

Clear WebView2 Cache Regularly

Prevent WebView2 from accumulating cache data that slows down system apps over time.

  • 1 Press Win + R and type '%localappdata%\Microsoft\EdgeWebView'
  • 2 Delete all contents in the Default folder
  • 3 Create a batch file to automate cache clearing
  • 4 Schedule the batch file to run weekly using Task Scheduler
  • 5 Monitor cache size weekly to track improvements
💻 Create Cache Clear Batch
> del /q "%localappdata%\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\*.*"
💡

Pro Tips

🧹 Clear cache weekly to maintain 15-20% performance improvement
⏰ Schedule during low-usage hours to avoid disruption
Success Rate:
65%
7
⚠ Advanced

Implement Enterprise WebView2 Controls

Use enterprise policies to control WebView2 behavior across your organization or personal system.

  • 1 Download and install Microsoft Edge Administrative Templates
  • 2 Open Group Policy Editor and navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Microsoft Edge > WebView2
  • 3 Configure 'Control when updates are applied' to manual
  • 4 Enable 'Disable WebView2 for specific apps' policy
  • 5 Set 'Maximum memory usage' limits for WebView2 processes
💻 Open Local Group Policy
> gpedit.msc
💡

Pro Tips

🏢 Enterprise policies provide granular control over WebView2
📋 Document all policy changes for future reference
Success Rate:
95%
8
◐ Medium

Monitor and Analyze WebView2 Impact

Use built-in Windows tools to measure WebView2's actual impact on your system performance.

  • 1 Open Performance Monitor (perfmon.msc)
  • 2 Create a custom collector set for WebView2 processes
  • 3 Monitor CPU, memory, and disk usage of WebView2Runtime.exe
  • 4 Generate reports to identify peak usage times
  • 5 Use Resource Monitor to identify which apps trigger WebView2 usage
💻 Performance Monitor
> perfmon.msc
💻 Resource Monitor
> resmon
💡

Pro Tips

📈 Baseline measurements help track improvement effectiveness
🔍 Focus on memory peaks during app launches
Success Rate:
88%
03

Quick Diagnosis Flowchart

Experiencing WebView2 issues?
Is system running slow?
Try Solution 1: Optimize Performance Settings
Problem persists?
Try Solution 4: Limit Memory Usage
Specific apps affected?
Try Solution 2: Block WebView2 for specific apps
Want complete removal?
Try Solution 3: Replace with native alternatives
Issue resolved!
04

Quick Reference Summary

🎯
#1 Fix
Optimize WebView2 Performance Settings
⏱️
3-5 minutes
Average Fix Time
💻
Windows 10 (1903+), Windows 11
Compatible
🔧
8
Total Solutions
🛡️

Prevention Tips

🔄 Keep Windows updated but defer feature updates to avoid forced WebView2 changes
📊 Regularly monitor system performance to catch WebView2 issues early
🗂️ Maintain a list of native alternative apps for quick replacements
⚡ Schedule regular cache clearing to prevent performance degradation
05

Frequently Asked Questions

Why did Microsoft switch to WebView2 instead of keeping native UIs?

▼

Microsoft adopted WebView2 to create a unified development platform across Windows, web, and mobile. This allows them to deploy updates faster, reduce development costs, and provide consistent experiences. WebView2 also enables seamless cloud service integration and cross-platform compatibility, though it comes at the cost of increased resource usage compared to native implementations.

Will removing WebView2 break my Windows installation?

▼

Complete removal of WebView2 is not recommended as it's now deeply integrated into Windows. Many system apps like Widgets, Mail, Calendar, and parts of Settings rely on it. Instead, use the optimization solutions provided to manage its impact without breaking functionality. Critical Windows components and security updates may also depend on WebView2.

How much RAM does WebView2 typically use?

▼

WebView2 typically consumes 150-300MB per process, with multiple processes possible depending on how many apps are using it. System apps with WebView2 can use 200-500MB total. This is significantly more than native UI frameworks which typically use 50-100MB. The memory usage scales with the complexity of the web content being displayed.

Can I prevent WebView2 from reinstalling after Windows updates?

▼

While you can't completely prevent WebView2 installation due to its system component status, you can use Group Policy to control updates and Windows Update deferral policies to delay feature updates. Enterprise users have more control through Windows Update for Business. Regular monitoring and re-application of optimization settings after major updates is recommended.

06

Quick Fix Checklist

Use this checklist to systematically troubleshoot:

Progress 0 / 6 completed

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Last Updated: Dec 12, 2025

Applies to: Windows 10 version 1903 and later, Windows 11, Windows Server 2019 and later

Software webview2 windows-11 system-performance