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Microsoft Confirms Native Apps Return to Windows 11
💡MS fixes PWA bloat hurting AI apps like Copilot on Win11
⚡ 30-Second TL;DR
What Changed
Senior engineer David Fowler declares 'Native apps are back' on X.
Why It Matters
This shift improves Windows 11 app performance, reducing bloat for AI tools like Copilot and encouraging developers to build native apps over PWAs. It signals Microsoft's commitment to a healthier app ecosystem.
What To Do Next
Test .NET 10 Native AOT for deploying low-memory Windows apps.
Who should care:Developers & AI Engineers
Key Points
- •Senior engineer David Fowler declares 'Native apps are back' on X.
- •PWAs like WhatsApp use 600MB idle memory; Electron apps like Discord hit 4GB.
- •Core components like Start menu migrating from React to WinUI.
- •.NET 10 Native AOT reduces startup time and memory for native apps.
- •Copilot app idles at 500MB, peaks at 1GB during use.
🧠 Deep Insight
AI-generated analysis for this event.
🔑 Enhanced Key Takeaways
- •The shift toward native frameworks is part of a broader 'Windows Performance Initiative' aimed at reducing the OS's overall memory footprint, which has been criticized for ballooning due to the proliferation of web-based containerized apps.
- •Microsoft is reportedly updating the Windows App SDK to prioritize WinUI 3 and Native AOT integration, specifically targeting developers who previously migrated to Electron or WebView2 for cross-platform parity.
- •Internal telemetry data suggests that the transition from React-based components to WinUI 3 in the Windows Shell has already resulted in measurable improvements in UI responsiveness and lower CPU overhead during high-load scenarios.
🛠️ Technical Deep Dive
- •Native AOT (Ahead-of-Time) compilation in .NET 10 eliminates the need for the Just-In-Time (JIT) compiler at runtime, significantly reducing cold-start latency.
- •By compiling C# code directly to machine code, Native AOT reduces the memory overhead associated with the .NET runtime's garbage collection and metadata management.
- •WinUI 3 utilizes the Windows App SDK to provide a native UI layer that interacts directly with the Windows Composition Engine, bypassing the browser-rendering overhead inherent in Electron or PWA architectures.
- •The migration from React to WinUI 3 involves replacing web-based rendering pipelines with XAML-based UI definitions, which are processed by the native Windows UI stack.
🔮 Future ImplicationsAI analysis grounded in cited sources
Windows 11 will see a significant reduction in average idle RAM usage by Q4 2026.
The systematic replacement of high-memory Electron and PWA components with Native AOT-compiled WinUI 3 apps directly lowers the baseline memory consumption of the OS.
Microsoft will deprecate or limit the use of WebView2 for core OS shell components.
The shift toward native frameworks indicates a strategic move away from web-based rendering for critical system UI to improve performance and stability.
⏳ Timeline
2020-05
Microsoft announces Project Reunion (later Windows App SDK) to unify Win32 and UWP APIs.
2021-10
Windows 11 launches with a heavy reliance on web-based technologies for the Start menu and Widgets.
2023-05
Microsoft introduces Native AOT support in .NET 8, laying the groundwork for high-performance native apps.
2025-11
.NET 10 is released, featuring enhanced Native AOT capabilities and improved WinUI 3 integration.
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Original source: IT之家 ↗