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Evergreen Webview2 May 2026

WebView2 offers two primary distribution modes:

| Feature | Evergreen | Fixed Version | |------------------------|------------------------------------|----------------------------------| | Runtime updates | Automatic (via Microsoft) | Manual (developer-controlled) | | App size overhead | None (shared runtime) | Large (runtime embedded) | | Security patches | Immediate (OS-level) | Developer must redistribute | | Chromium version | Latest stable (rolling) | Pinned at development time | | Network deployment | Simple (check for runtime presence)| Complex (include binaries) |

The Evergreen mode is the recommended default for most applications because it reduces the developer’s burden to ship security updates and ensures users always have a compliant, up-to-date web platform.

| Solution | Update Model | Shared Runtime | Vendor Support | Modern Web APIs | |-------------------|-------------------|----------------|----------------|------------------| | Evergreen WV2 | Automatic (OS) | Yes | Microsoft | Yes (Edge/Chromium) | | Fixed Version WV2 | Manual (app) | No | Microsoft | Pinned version | | CEF (Chromium) | Manual (app) | No (usually) | Community | Yes | | WebBrowser (IE) | OS (but outdated) | Yes | Microsoft | No (legacy) | | Electron | Manual (app) | No | OpenJS | Yes (Chromium) | evergreen webview2

Evergreen WebView2 uniquely combines modern Chromium engine, automatic updates, and OS-level shared runtime.

Your installer does not need to carry 100MB+ of WebView2 binaries. You either:

Microsoft offers two distinct distributions of WebView2. The "Evergreen" distinction separates them from the "Fixed Version." WebView2 offers two primary distribution modes: | Feature

Instead of shipping a PDF library (and dealing with licensing and security patches), you simply navigate your WebView2 to a local PDF file. The Evergreen runtime includes the full Chromium PDFium engine—with annotation support, form filling, and accessibility. As Adobe security patches roll into Edge, they automatically roll into your app.

| Feature | Evergreen | Fixed Version | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Automatic security updates | Yes (Microsoft) | No (You handle) | | App installer size | Small | Large | | Disk usage (per app) | Shared (~1 copy) | Duplicated (N copies) | | Control over version | Low (Microsoft decides) | Total (You decide) | | Works offline (air-gapped) | Requires pre-install | Yes (bundled) | | No admin rights required | No (system-wide) | Yes (app-local) |

Recommendation: Start with Evergreen. Switch to Fixed Version only if you have a concrete requirement (air-gap, version lock, or no admin rights). | Solution | Update Model | Shared Runtime

| Feature | Evergreen WebView2 | Fixed Version WebView2 | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | Update cadence | Automatic, frequent (roughly every 4-6 weeks) | Developer-controlled; you ship a specific version | | Disk footprint | Shared (one copy per machine) | Per-app (each app bundles its own runtime) | | Network bandwidth | One download for all apps | Each app downloads its own copy | | Security model | Always patched | You must republish to patch | | Best for | Most line-of-business apps, public-facing apps | Air-gapped, appliance-like, or strict version control scenarios |

Even though the runtime updates automatically, you aren’t completely hands-off.