Microsoft's Decision to Close Source WebView2 for Linux and macOS: A Surprising Shift
Brook.X
In 2021, there were inquiries on GitHub about whether Microsoft's WebView2 component would support Linux and macOS. WebView2, an open-source rendering component developed by Microsoft based on the Microsoft Edge browser, acts like a mini version of Edge itself.
Over the past few years, Microsoft has been increasingly adopting WebView2 in its applications, including the new Outlook and Microsoft Teams. For many developers, the Chromium-based WebView2 offers better performance than Apple's WKWebView.
Thus, developers have been eagerly awaiting the release of WebView2 for Linux and macOS. Three years have passed since the original discussion, and Microsoft has finally decided against developing it.
Microsoft engineer @novac42 stated in the discussion:
"After careful consideration and review of our long-term product strategy, we've decided to halt the plans for publicly releasing WebView2 on macOS and Linux. Instead, we will focus on delivering maximum value to customers on currently supported platforms.
Thank you for being a valuable member of our community and sharing your feedback. Meanwhile, if you have any other questions or suggestions, feel free to share them with us. Your input is invaluable as we continue to improve WebView2. We appreciate your understanding."
From the engineer's reply, it's clear that the emphasis was on "public release." The Microsoft Edge browser supports both Linux and Mac, implying there could be support for WebView2 components, but Microsoft might not open-source it any further.
This news has disappointed many developers, especially since Microsoft had announced plans to support WebView2 on macOS in November 2020, and as of March 2023, there were still indications of Mac support (though not for Linux).
After a four-year wait, the decision not to open-source WebView2 has been a blow to developers. Some argue that since WebView2 is developed from the Chromium open-source project, it should be made open-source through SDKs or source code.
It remains unclear whether Microsoft will reconsider and open-source WebView2 in the future. However, developers planning to migrate their software to WebView2 may need to look for alternatives, such as Electron.
