Feature Request: Stop copying WebView2 files to Appdata Local
Microsoft Edge and Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime are both installed. Whenever LinqPad 8 (8.2) is set to display results using Edge WebView2 it copies files into AppData Local (same version as already installed, doesn't seem to install a new one). Can't it just use the installed version without wasting 500-600MB?
I've tried checking/unchecking the "Use Retail" option with no success.
Comments
LINQPad creates a private WebView2 folder when one of the following conditions occurs:
Regarding condition 3, the WebView2 runtime is somewhat highly strung and occasionally glitches for no apparent reason. When LINQPad detects a malfunction and is unable to restart the runtime, it creates a copy of your retail Edge and switches to this on the fly. This is better than falling back to IE11 or simply failing to display any results, which is the alternative.
Thanks for the explanations.
A couple of questions - is "retail" the normal browser, not the runtime?
To rule out 1). Is the installed runtime normally located under C:\Program Files (x86)\Microsoft\EdgeWebView\Application? I have listed in the Installed programs as "Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime".
Can I reset the "glitchy status" somehow so LinqPad doesn't always try to copy files?
Retail is the normal browser.
You can verify whether WebView2 is installed in Windows Apps | Installed Apps. Look for Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime.
To reset, just restart LINQPad. Go to Help | About to determine whether LINQPad is using Retail or WebView2.