Microsoft has announced a significant shift in its approach to the Windows user interface by committing to convert more Windows UI elements to WinUI3. This transition marks a departure from years of inconsistent legacy UI, where modern panels coexisted with outdated dialogs, leading to increased RAM usage in applications that were intended to be native. Developers have often resorted to creating web wrappers for popular Windows applications due to a lack of confidence in Microsoft’s commitment to a stable UI framework.
Microsoft confirms more of Windows 11 to switch to WinUI, not a reskinned Win32 dialog
WinUI serves as Microsoft’s native UI framework, designed to replace older technologies such as Win32 and UWP with a modern, GPU-accelerated interface that aligns with the Fluent Design system. An early preview of the redesigned Properties dialog revealed that it was entirely rebuilt in WinUI, showcasing distinct native elements like the Pivot-style tab header and the AccentButtonStyle on the Restore button, which are absent in the traditional Win32 property sheet.
In response to inquiries about whether the redesign was merely a cosmetic update or a genuine rebuild, March Rogers, Microsoft’s Partner Director of Design, clarified, “the file properties dialog was rebuilt in WinUI3. We do have a few places where we implemented dark mode support in the legacy UI as a low risk quick fix, but our plan is to bring more of the Windows UI to WinUI3.”
The “quick fix” isn’t the right way to go about it
Windows 11 has already experienced the pitfalls of hastily integrating dark mode into legacy code. A previous update introduced dark mode to File Explorer’s legacy dialogs, resulting in a bug that caused the screen to flash white during tab switches or when opening the Details pane. While Microsoft resolved the issue, it exemplifies the risks associated with what Rogers described as a “low risk quick fix.”
Fortunately, Microsoft is really sticking with WinUI this time
Historically, Microsoft has cycled through various UI frameworks, leaving developers hesitant to fully invest in any single one due to the company’s frequent shifts. The evolution from Win32 to MFC, WinForms, WPF, Silverlight, UWP, and now WinUI has fostered skepticism among developers, many of whom opt to deliver popular applications like WhatsApp as web wrappers instead of native Windows apps.
The decision to rebuild a 30-year-old dialog like Properties, which first appeared in Windows 95, signals a genuine commitment from Microsoft to invest engineering resources into this initiative. At Build 2026, Chris Anderson from Microsoft confirmed that the company has no plans to develop another framework, even dropping the “3” from WinUI 3 to eliminate any implication of an impending new version.
Windows is moving to WinUI and it may solve the RAM and performance issues
Microsoft’s strategy to “bring more of the Windows UI to WinUI3” is evident in the ongoing updates across various dialogs and system components. The file copy dialog has already been rewritten in WinUI, with the common file open dialog next in line for a refresh. Additionally, the Windows Design and Research lead has indicated that the “Switch to a local account” dialog, which still references the outdated “Search charm,” is slated for a WinUI update.
The Run dialog has also transitioned to WinUI, with Microsoft’s telemetry indicating that the new version loads faster than its Windows 95-era predecessor—94ms compared to 103ms. This suggests that a WinUI rewrite does not necessarily incur a performance penalty, which is promising for future updates.
However, the Start menu presents a more complex challenge. Microsoft is working on rewriting it in WinUI to move away from the current React Native components, but the rollout is being cautiously managed. Current memory usage issues with WinUI need to be addressed first; for instance, File Explorer’s Home tab, built on WinUI, has been noted to load slower than the traditional This PC view.
Interestingly, even the recently redesigned Windows Search is still operating on WebView2 rather than WinUI, despite the emphasis on native code. Microsoft is aware of these challenges and is actively working to enhance WinUI’s memory usage and integrate it with the Windows system compositor for improved performance. This foundational work is crucial before proceeding with the Start menu rewrite.
While Microsoft has acknowledged that WinUI has faced challenges with basic polish—such as visible tearing when resizing apps—the full rebuild of the Properties dialog signifies a serious commitment to this new framework. The success of this initiative will ultimately depend on how swiftly Microsoft can resolve the performance issues within WinUI, as the framework currently lags behind the legacy code it aims to replace.
