What Is Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime and Can You Uninstall It

Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime is a shared Windows component that lets ordinary apps show web content using the same engine as Edge. You see it as msedgewebview2.exe, often many copies at once, even with Edge closed. It is not a virus and it is not the Edge browser. Do not uninstall it, because apps that rely on it stop working. If it uses a lot of memory or CPU, the app that started those copies is what to deal with, and you can find that app by name.

What it is

Developers use WebView2 to build part or all of an app's window from web pages. Microsoft's distribution guide says apps on the Evergreen mode "use a shared copy of the Evergreen WebView2 Runtime", which saves disk space, and that it "updates automatically". The same page says the Runtime is part of Windows 11 and is already on the vast majority of Windows 10 devices.

Microsoft's process model explains why there are so many processes: it works like a browser, with one browser process, one or more renderers and helpers such as GPU and audio. Each user data folder, usually one per app, gets its own group.

On a test ThinkPad with Windows 11, twelve copies were running from this folder, with Edge closed:

C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application\<version>\msedgewebview2.exe

Find the app behind it

Each main copy records its host on its command line, in --webview-exe-name. This counts the copies per app:

Get-CimInstance Win32_Process | Where-Object Name -eq 'msedgewebview2.exe' | ForEach-Object {
  if ($_.CommandLine -match '--webview-exe-name=(\S+)') { $Matches[1] }
} | Group-Object | Select-Object Count, Name

On the test PC that printed one name, wetype_update.exe, the updater of a Chinese input method, with ten copies. Helpers such as crash handlers do not carry the flag, so the count can be lower than the total. To confirm, look at the parent of a main copy:

Get-CimInstance Win32_Process | Where-Object { $_.Name -eq 'msedgewebview2.exe' -and $_.CommandLine -notmatch '--type=' } | ForEach-Object {
  (Get-CimInstance Win32_Process -Filter "ProcessId=$($_.ParentProcessId)").Name
}

What to do about high memory or CPU

You can end a stuck group in Task Manager's Details tab. The app using it may show a blank area, reload or close, so close the app itself when you can.

How much disk it uses

The Runtime itself is shared and updates in place, and an older version folder can sit beside the new one for a while. The test PC had two. The larger disk use is usually not the Runtime. It is each app's own data folder, often named EBWebView, under that app's folder in AppData. Its Chromium caches can grow to gigabytes in apps like the new Teams, see clearing the Teams cache.

Is it a virus

The real file sits under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application and is signed by Microsoft. An app can also carry its own Fixed Version copy in its own folder, so another location is not proof of malware, but check the signature:

Get-Process msedgewebview2 | Select-Object -First 1 -ExpandProperty Path | Get-AuthenticodeSignature

The signer should be Microsoft. If it is not, or if the copy runs from Temp, scan with Microsoft Defender.

What not to do

• Do not force-remove the Runtime with scripts from forums. Widgets, Teams, Office features and many other apps can break, and it can come back anyway.
• Do not delete files in EdgeWebView\Application by hand. Apps may be running from them.
• Do not treat it as Edge running in the background. Closing Edge does not affect it, see Edge running in the background.
• Do not install a "RAM cleaner" because of it. The memory belongs to the app using it.

Where Mole fits

Mole for Windows' Status page folds msedgewebview2.exe copies running from the same folder into one row per session, with CPU and memory summed, even when several apps share them. Why is this running? in the row's menu lists the heaviest copies. Click a copy to see what started it and, for a copy running unelevated under your account, the Command with its --webview-exe-name, which saves the PowerShell above. Terminate and Force Quit act on every copy in the row, so more than one app may be affected, and closing the host app is safer. Apps treats the WebView2 Runtime as a shared component and offers no uninstall. Clean can list the new Teams' WebView2 caches.

FAQ

What is Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime?

It is a shared Windows component that lets apps show web content with Edge's engine. It runs as msedgewebview2.exe and is separate from the Edge browser.

Can I uninstall Microsoft Edge WebView2?

Do not. Apps that use it stop working or fail to open, and Windows or another app may install it again.

Why is msedgewebview2.exe using so much memory?

Usually an app is showing web content through it. Find the app with --webview-exe-name, then update it or close it.

Why are there so many msedgewebview2.exe processes?

It works like a browser, with separate processes for rendering, GPU and other helpers, and each user data folder, usually one per app, gets its own group.

Is msedgewebview2.exe a virus?

The real file is signed by Microsoft and normally runs from C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application. Check the signature if it runs from anywhere else.