Microsoft Eliminates Web-Based Components from Windows 11
Microsoft is making a bold move by removing web-based elements from Windows 11 in an effort to enhance the operating system's native feel and responsiveness.
Since its debut, Windows 11 has been criticized for performance challenges linked to its reliance on web-based frameworks like React Native, Electron, and web wrappers. While these technologies simplified cross-platform development, they introduced drawbacks like higher memory usage, slower boot times, increased CPU load, and subpar animation performance. This caused significant user dissatisfaction, with terms such as “web app slop” frequently emerging in discussions about the OS.
Now, Microsoft is pivoting. At the Build 2026 developer conference, the company unveiled plans to rewrite core aspects of the Windows 11 shell in native code, urging third-party developers to do the same. This marks a departure from using Windows 11 as a platform for heavy web apps.
Microsoft Rebrands WinUI 3 to Bolster Developer Confidence
Encouraging developers to create native Windows applications requires building trust, particularly given Microsoft's track record of discontinuing UI frameworks like WinForms, WPF, Silverlight, UWP, and others. Understanding developers’ concerns, Microsoft is rebranding its current native framework, WinUI 3, by dropping the “3” and establishing it as the definitive platform for modern Windows applications.
During the Build 2026 session, Chris Anderson, Vice President of Software Engineering at Microsoft, assured attendees that no new UI framework (such as a potential WinUI 4) is under development. This step is designed to give developers confidence that WinUI is here to stay.
Microsoft Expands WinUI Usage in First-Party Applications
Microsoft is leading by example by adopting WinUI in its own products. Anderson revealed that the company is fast-tracking the integration of WinUI into the Windows 11 shell. A specialized team, led by Partner Architect Rudy Huyn, has been established to focus on creating “100% native” Windows applications and experiences.
A prime example is the Windows 11 Start menu, which currently relies on React Native for features like the Recommended feed and All Apps list. These web-based components have been criticized for sluggishness and high resource demands. Microsoft is now reengineering these features using native WinUI, significantly boosting performance, reducing RAM and CPU consumption, and improving input responsiveness.
Performance, Resource Optimization, and Bug Fixes Take Center Stage
At the conference, Anderson emphasized that enhancing performance, optimizing memory usage, and resolving core issues are now the top priorities for the WinUI team. Microsoft has made substantial investments in lowering baseline RAM usage and improving performance under load, delivering on its 2026 promises to enhance Windows 11’s responsiveness.
The engineering team is also transitioning to a new system compositor to further elevate the performance of complex user interfaces. These architectural improvements are already visible on public GitHub repositories and will soon be available in experimental previews of the Windows App SDK.
Another area of focus is addressing visual glitches, such as black borders that appear when resizing native Windows 11 apps like Photos. Additionally, Microsoft is tackling enduring developer requests by integrating critical controls like DataGrid and Charting directly into WinUI, essential for enterprise and business applications.
Transparency is another significant shift. Microsoft is committing to open development for WinUI, with engineers working in public repositories. This allows developers to track changes, contribute fixes, and directly shape the evolution of the framework. The company is also improving compatibility with older frameworks like WinForms and WPF, ensuring they can coexist with WinUI without requiring full rewrites of legacy applications.
Microsoft UI Reactor and AI-Assisted Coding Modernize Development
Microsoft is modernizing native development to appeal to a new generation of developers familiar with sleek, declarative programming styles. The company introduced Microsoft UI Reactor, an experimental open-source project that enables developers to build native WinUI apps entirely in C#, bypassing the need for XAML, data binding, or view models. With Reactor, developers can define their UI as a function of state, and the platform automatically syncs the native control tree to the screen.
The platform incorporates modern concepts like hooks, state management, and flex layouts into Windows development. These advancements align seamlessly with Microsoft’s AI strategy, as declarative C# is more accessible for AI coding assistants like GitHub Copilot to interpret and generate. This integration into AI-powered workflows positions WinUI as a cutting-edge framework.
Native Desktop Software Revival Benefits Users
While web technologies such as React, Electron, and Flutter will still have a role in Windows, Microsoft’s renewed focus on native development with WinUI marks a pivotal change. By prioritizing performance, reducing resource demands, and enhancing the user experience, Microsoft is addressing long-standing critiques of Windows 11.
Native applications built with WinUI promise a smoother experience, faster performance, and greater resource efficiency. These improvements will benefit all Windows users, particularly those using budget hardware, by making their devices feel faster and more dependable. By rebuilding key aspects of Windows 11 in native code, Microsoft is signaling the end of the era dominated by sluggish, web-based components.