msedgewebview2.exe

Application ProcessMicrosoft Corporation

Also called msedgewebview2, webview2, edge webview

WindowsApplication

Microsoft Edge WebView2. Apps embed the Edge engine without opening a full browser window. You can see this process even if you never launch Edge.

What you need to know

This is embedded Edge, not a second browser you installed by accident.

msedgewebview2.exe is the WebView2 runtime. Widgets, installers, Teams, and other apps host it. msedge.exe is the full browser. Ending every WebView can blank those apps.

Safe?: Yes, from Edge WebView
Did I open Edge?: Not required. An app embedded it
Many copies?: One per host app is common

Feex says

If I never open Edge and still see WebView2, I look at Widgets or the app that just drew a web pane. I do not uninstall Edge to kill one embed.

What is msedgewebview2.exe?

msedgewebview2.exe is the Microsoft Edge WebView2 runtime. It is Chromium in another app's window, not the Edge browser chrome.

What does it do?

A host app creates a WebView2 environment. Extra copies are renderer or utility processes for that embed. It is not chrome.exe and it is not Widgets.exe itself.

Why is it running?

An app or a Windows surface needed HTML. Foxhole often sees this near the top of sample counts because so many hosts embed it.

Why are there multiple copies?

Several copies are normal. Match them to the parent app in Process Explorer, not to a second Edge install.

Is it safe?

Usually safe

A signed runtime under EdgeWebView\Application is Microsoft. A webview2.exe in a random game folder is not the Evergreen runtime.

A legitimate copy normally runs from:

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

Evergreen runtime path
Full browser is msedge.exe
Host app is the parent

Can I end it?

The embed goes blank

Ending a WebView2 copy blanks that pane. The host app may restart it. Uninstalling the WebView2 runtime can break many apps at once.

Can I remove it?

Only the unused runtime, carefully

Do not delete the runtime folder by hand. Apps that depend on WebView2 will fail. Windows and Office features are common dependents.

Should it start with Windows?

Host apps start it. A Startup entry named WebView2 is unusual.

Normal resource behavior

These are contextual labels, not universal averages.

CPU: Follows the embedded page
Memory: Chromium-class per host
GPU: When the embed accelerates
Network: If the pane loads the web

File information

msedgewebview2.exe file information
Executable name	msedgewebview2.exe
Common legitimate path	C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application\<version>\msedgewebview2.exe
Publisher	Microsoft Corporation
Signature expectation	Signed by Microsoft Windows

Common problems

People uninstall Edge to stop WebView2

The runtime is a separate install. Edge uninstall may not remove it, and should not be the first step.

High RAM with Widgets

Widgets.exe hosts WebView2. Close Widgets as a test before you blame a full browser.

Troubleshooting

Diagnose before you change anything destructive.

See the parent process

Process Explorer shows which app created the WebView. That app is the article, not Edge Settings.

Repair WebView2 from Apps if embeds crash

Do not download a random webview exe.

Technical details

msedgewebview2.exe technical details
Image name	msedgewebview2.exe
Product	Edge WebView2 runtime

Sources and verification

Reviewed by Feex editorial. Last verified August 2026 Status: Feex Reviewed. How we research.

Microsoft Learn: WebView2 · Embedded Edge runtime
Microsoft: Evergreen WebView2 · Runtime install path
Foxhole process map · First-party samples on Windows PCs. Not a lab benchmark.

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