Edge WebView2 Downgrade Policy (MC1338819) Guide

Message ID: MC1338819

[What and Why:]

To help enterprises respond quickly to critical application regressions, Microsoft is introducing a new Downgrade Version policy for the Microsoft Edge WebView2 Evergreen Runtime. This policy enables administrators to temporarily roll back WebView2 to a previous supported version (N‑1 or N‑2) on a per‑application basis, without disabling Evergreen updates entirely.

This change strengthens enterprise‑grade manageability, giving admins a controlled, time‑bound mitigation option while maintaining the security and update benefits of Evergreen servicing.

This message is associated with Roadmap ID 561329.

[Rollout Schedule:]

General Availability (Worldwide): We will begin rolling out in early June 2026 and expect to complete by mid-June 2026.

[Impact on Your Organization:]

Who is affected:

Organizations managing enterprise‑managed Windows devices (domain‑joined or MDM‑enrolled) that use WebView2‑based applications

Platforms/Services:

Windows devices
Microsoft Edge WebView2 Evergreen Runtime
Group Policy / MDM (msedgewebview2.admx)

What will happen:

A new Downgrade Version policy becomes available in msedgewebview2.admx.
Admins can map specific application executables to a previous WebView2 version (N‑1 or N‑2).
The Edge Updater installs the target version side‑by‑side.
The WebView2 Loader redirects only the targeted apps.
Downgrades automatically expire as new WebView2 versions are released:
- Apps pinned to N‑1 remain on that version until the next release (then move forward).
- Apps pinned to N‑2 revert automatically to the current Evergreen version.
The policy applies only to enterprise‑managed devices.
No change occurs unless the policy is explicitly configured.

[Action Required / Recommendations:]

No action is required before rollout.

Recommended actions:

Review existing Group Policy or registry configurations related to WebView2 to understand potential usage scenarios.
Update internal incident response or app compatibility playbooks to include this downgrade option.
Share guidance with application owners on when and how to request a temporary WebView2 rollback.

Learn more: Microsoft Edge WebView2 Policy Documentation | Microsoft Learn

[Compliance considerations:]

An admin control is added that allows configuration of WebView2 runtime versions per application. No other compliance impacts are identified.

Source: Microsoft