It shouldn’t interfere with any apps on your system. There’s no need to pay any attention to it. So, even if the browser isn’t installed on your PC, let alone running, the Runtime process can and will run.Īlthough Microsoft said that it’ll be installing WebView2 Runtime on systems running Microsoft 365 Apps Version 2010 or later, systems that have older versions of Microsoft Office might also have the Runtime installed. It also doesn’t require the Microsoft Edge browser to actually run. WebView2 also doesn’t require anything on your part as Microsoft is installing it automatically on Windows machines. It can be a nuisance to learn where to find the features on Web and desktop apps when they’re not in the same place. Office Add-ins will also rely on WebView2 in the future.Ĭonsider this: thanks to WebView2, the Room Finder and Meeting Insights features in Outlook will be the same whether you’re using Outlook desktop application or Outlook web. So, whether you’re using the Office apps on desktop or the web, it’ll be consistent everywhere. Microsoft uses WebView2 to provide users with Outlook features that are the same across all platforms. The process is absolutely necessary for important functions. Nor should you go about ending the tasks when you see them in your Task Manager next time.

So, the fact that you didn’t install it should not worry you. Microsoft started automatically installing it on machines that have Version 2101 or later installed for Microsoft 365 apps. And it uses Microsoft Edge as a rendering engine to do so. WebView2 is used to provide web-based features in Microsoft 365 desktop applications. Microsoft Edge WebView2 is a Runtime installation that Microsoft began installing on devices earlier this year. Why is WebView2 Runtime Installed on my Device? So, let’s see exactly what it is and why there’s no need to freak out. It can be confusing not knowing what this runtime process is, how is it related to Microsoft Edge or why is it taking up resources on your computer. Of course, you’re going to have a freak-out session. But even then, you keep finding the ‘Microsoft Edge Webview2’ process (or even multiple processes) running in your Task Manager. Better yet, you don’t even have Microsoft Edge on your computer at the moment. You’re not currently using Microsoft Edge for anything on your computer.