When users right-click a file in Windows 11 or launch a traditional desktop application, they engage with the Win32 API, a relic from the Windows 95 era that remains integral to the world’s most widely used desktop operating system. Surprisingly, this enduring presence was never part of Microsoft’s original vision. In a recent video shared by the official Microsoft Dev Docs account on X, Mark Russinovich, Microsoft’s Chief Technology Officer of Azure, acknowledged that the longevity of Win32 is one of the company’s most unexpected outcomes.
“Did anyone in the 90s expect Win32 to be a first-class API surface in the year 2026? And I think I can safely answer, no,” Russinovich remarked. “Nobody, I think, would have expected that because we were thinking flying cars and, you know, moon stations by the year 2026, not Win32 that was designed back in Windows 95 days.” The persistence of such aged code in a rapidly evolving technological landscape is indeed perplexing.
So, how has a 30-year-old API managed to endure despite numerous attempts at replacement? Russinovich attributes its resilience to the vast ecosystem built upon it. “I think that one of the reasons it’s got the staying power is it’s just a fundamental layer inside of Windows that so many apps have built on… it’s kind of bedrock,” he explained. His own Sysinternals tools, established in 1996, serve as a testament to this. He humorously noted that he would have “bet a million dollars” that his earliest tools wouldn’t remain relevant in 2026, yet they are more pertinent than ever. Sysmon, integrated into Windows with the March 2026 update, and Zoomit, a utility from the early 2000s, continue to thrive within PowerToys today.
Microsoft has a graveyard of Win32 replacements
Despite Win32’s robustness, Microsoft has spent the last two decades attempting to phase it out. Many users find themselves with more Win32 applications on their PCs than modern web apps or those built on contemporary frameworks. While Win32 applications are known for their speed and deep integration with OS hardware, they often struggle to meet modern visual standards, prompting Microsoft’s search for a new framework.
This quest has led to a long list of abandoned app frameworks. Microsoft initially introduced MFC, a C++ wrapper, followed by WinForms for .NET developers. Although these were not direct replacements for Win32, they served as abstractions. The introduction of Windows Presentation Foundation (WPF) marked a significant effort to replace Win32, bringing XAML and hardware-accelerated rendering into the fold.
WPF was envisioned as the definitive future for Windows applications, but the spotlight soon shifted to Silverlight, a cross-platform initiative that ultimately succumbed to the rise of HTML5. The most ambitious attempt to replace Win32 came with Windows 8 and the launch of WinRT, which aimed to encourage developers to create secure, touch-friendly, full-screen applications. However, when the Windows 8 UI faltered, Microsoft pivoted to the Universal Windows Platform (UWP) in Windows 10.
Reflecting on his experiences with Windows 10 Mobile, one developer noted that UWP was meant to create a unified platform for applications across devices. Unfortunately, this vision did not materialize as expected. UWP’s restrictive nature and heavy sandboxing alienated traditional desktop developers who required deeper OS access. As Russinovich pointed out, “There’s been various times in Microsoft’s history where we thought we’d reboot the Windows API surface like WinRT that actually didn’t play out the way that a lot of people expected it to.”
Developers still prefer WebView2 for Windows amid the RAM crisis
In conversations with various developers, a common theme emerged: the preference for RAM-intensive web applications over native ones. This trend can be traced back to Microsoft’s own decisions. The company’s repeated introduction and abandonment of native frameworks eroded developers’ trust in the Windows platform. A developer candidly shared that creating a native Windows app felt like a significant risk, given the possibility of Microsoft deprecating the framework at any moment.
In a surprising turn, Microsoft itself embraced web technologies, introducing WebView2—a developer control that embeds the Chromium-based Microsoft Edge engine directly into desktop applications. Consequently, the OS has seen an influx of web apps, including Microsoft Teams, Clipchamp, and the latest version of Copilot. While these web apps are cheaper to develop and easier to maintain across platforms, they come with significant drawbacks for desktop computing, particularly concerning system resource consumption.
The reliance on WebView2 and Electron has contributed to Windows 11 becoming a memory-intensive environment. For instance, the WhatsApp desktop app, which I use daily, consumes an excessive amount of RAM even when idle, a consequence of its heavy web wrapper. Similarly, Microsoft’s Clipchamp, which I initially used for basic video editing, became cumbersome due to its need for OneDrive synchronization and its lack of deep OS integration.
In contrast, Apple users benefit from highly optimized native applications like iMovie and the Pages suite, available at no cost. Windows users, however, often find themselves relying on web-based alternatives that require constant internet connectivity and consume excessive system memory. Fortunately, the success of Apple’s budget laptops has prompted Microsoft to reassess its app development strategies.
Microsoft is pivoting back to native apps with WinUI 3
In a positive shift, Microsoft appears to be recognizing the need to move away from a web-centric approach, which has alienated power users and negatively impacted system performance. Recently, Rudy Huyn, a Partner Architect at Microsoft, announced the formation of a team dedicated to developing “100% native” applications for Windows 11. The focus is now on WinUI 3, the latest native UI framework under the Windows App SDK umbrella.
WinUI 3 presents an opportunity for Microsoft to reclaim developer interest by enabling the creation of visually appealing, modern applications that retain full access to the underlying Win32 infrastructure. The recent release of the Windows App SDK 2.0 update has equipped developers with essential features such as semantic versioning and improved drag-and-drop support for integrating WebView2 content into native WinUI 3 applications.
Microsoft is retiring legacy Win32 the right way
Microsoft is now taking a thoughtful approach to modernizing Windows 11, gradually phasing out outdated Win32 UI elements in favor of optimized WinUI 3 native code. Notably, the Windows 95-era File Explorer Properties dialog is set to be replaced with a contemporary WinUI 3 version that supports dark mode. Additionally, the legacy Run dialog (Win + R) has been completely revamped into a fast, modern WinUI 3 application, demonstrating that the new framework can match the speed and efficiency of legacy Win32 code.
With the new Run dialog achieving a remarkable median time-to-show of just 94 milliseconds, it stands as a testament to the capabilities of modern WinUI 3 frameworks. As Microsoft continues to transition from heavy WebView2 wrappers to native WinUI 3 components, Windows 11 is poised to become a more efficient operating system, potentially fulfilling the long-awaited promise of a fast, native, and consistent Windows experience that honors its legacy.
