Microsoft returns to its roots: Windows 11 will become “faster” by eliminating web technologies in applications

Microsoft is embarking on a major overhaul of its software ecosystem, prioritizing the development of «fully native» apps for the Windows 11 operating system. The move marks a radical departure from the company's reliance on on web technology when creating key OS interfaces.

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According to the company's internal plans and updated developer guidelines, Microsoft intends to gradually replace applications built on web frameworks (such as Electron or WebView2) with solutions that use direct access to processor and graphics resources through Windows system APIs.

In recent years, many popular tools, including Microsoft Teams and the updated Outlook, have been criticized by the enterprise sector for excessive memory consumption and slow response times. The problem was that such programs actually launched an instance of the browser within themselves to display the interface. The transition to native code will allow applications to work “closer to the hardware,” which will ensure instant launch and smooth animation even on mid-range devices.

Technological sovereignty of Windows

«We're seeing a turning point in Windows philosophy,» says industry analyst Strategy Analytics. “Microsoft realized that in an attempt to make life easier for developers by making applications cross-platform, it sacrificed the user experience. The priority now is to make Windows 11 as responsive as Windows 7 was in its heyday.»

A key tool in this strategy will be expanding the capabilities of the WinUI 3 platform and the Windows App SDK. Microsoft has already begun to demonstrate the results of this approach: the updated Explorer and Task Manager in the latest system builds demonstrate a significant increase in performance thanks to native rendering of elements.

Consequences for the market and developers

For the end user, Microsoft's initiative means more than just increased speed. Native applications are more energy efficient, which is critical for the growing market for ARM-based laptops. Optimizing the code for the architecture of a specific chip allows you to extend the battery life of the device by 15–20%.

However, this decision creates certain challenges for the industry. Third-party developers accustomed to creating one product for web, macOS, and Windows simultaneously will have to invest more resources into creating a Windows 11-specific version if they want to meet Microsoft's new quality standards.

A look into the future

Investors reacted positively to the news about the change in course. Amid slowing growth in personal computer sales, Microsoft is betting on the “quality of experience.” It is expected that the Office suite and system widgets will be the first to receive a complete native redesign.

The corporation also plans to integrate Copilot’s AI functions directly into the system’s native libraries, which will allow neural networks to work faster without waiting for a response from cloud servers or heavy web interfaces.

Microsoft declined to officially comment beyond the published technical roadmaps, but sources within the company confirm: “The era of the web inside Windows is coming to an end. We're bringing the operating system back to its true power.»

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Xrust Microsoft returns to its roots: Windows 11 will become “faster” by abandoning web technologies in applications