What happened?
Following the automatic update to WebView2 Runtime version 148.0.3967.83, multiple independent third-party Chromium/Electron wrapper applications (specifically Spark Desktop, GitHub Desktop, etc.) fail to launch. The applications instantly terminate silently in the background before allocating or rendering any host window frame.
Bypassing the system-wide deployment database by manually placing the raw extracted 148.0.3967.83 binaries from the official CAB package into an isolated application folder structure (e.g., creating a local \Application directory structure under a portabilized app instance) successfully loads the UI. However, any attempt to launch apps relying on the global system registration layer results in an instant crash.
Observed Behavioral Logs & Error Codes:
-
The Installer Lockout: Attempting to run the standalone Evergreen or Bootstrapper installers over the current state to force a repair results in the installer window reaching exactly 100% and then silently vaporizing without completing. Running with explicit install and silent flags throws the explicit error code: 0x80040c01.
-
The Deployment MsiInstaller Reconfiguration Loop: Windows Event Viewer captures a successful reconfiguration event from the host app deployment tool right before execution fails completely, pointing to a severe mismatch or corruption in the underlying Windows COM API Registration/App-container linkage layer:
Event ID: 1035
Source: MsiInstaller
Description: Windows Installer reconfigured the product. Reconfiguration success or error status: 0.
-
The Package Manager Crash: Attempting a forced uninstall via winget commands outputs a fatal unhandled sub-system exception: Uninstall failed with exit code: 4294967295 (unsigned -1).
-
Native Exception: Native Windows tools built into modern app packages (like Quick Assist) hook into the engine fine, narrowing the scope down to a regression affecting specific script-heavy UI wrapper instantiations/initialization paths communicating with the global registry keys.
Importance
Blocking. My app's basic functions are not working due to this issue.
Runtime Channel
Stable release (WebView2 Runtime)
Runtime Version
148.0.3967.83
SDK Version
No response
Framework
Other
Operating System
Windows 11
OS Version
26200.8457
Repro steps
- Allow the machine-wide stable runtime channel to update to 148.0.3967.83.
- Attempt to initialize any standard desktop app framework utilizing global WebView2 registration hooks (e.g., Spark Desktop, default GitHub Desktop).
- The process spawns briefly in Task Manager and silently dies without generating a native Windows crash dialog.
Repros in Edge Browser
No, issue does not reproduce in the corresponding Edge version
Regression
Regression in newer Runtime
Last working version (if regression)
No response
What happened?
Following the automatic update to WebView2 Runtime version 148.0.3967.83, multiple independent third-party Chromium/Electron wrapper applications (specifically Spark Desktop, GitHub Desktop, etc.) fail to launch. The applications instantly terminate silently in the background before allocating or rendering any host window frame.
Bypassing the system-wide deployment database by manually placing the raw extracted 148.0.3967.83 binaries from the official CAB package into an isolated application folder structure (e.g., creating a local \Application directory structure under a portabilized app instance) successfully loads the UI. However, any attempt to launch apps relying on the global system registration layer results in an instant crash.
Observed Behavioral Logs & Error Codes:
The Installer Lockout: Attempting to run the standalone Evergreen or Bootstrapper installers over the current state to force a repair results in the installer window reaching exactly 100% and then silently vaporizing without completing. Running with explicit install and silent flags throws the explicit error code: 0x80040c01.
The Deployment MsiInstaller Reconfiguration Loop: Windows Event Viewer captures a successful reconfiguration event from the host app deployment tool right before execution fails completely, pointing to a severe mismatch or corruption in the underlying Windows COM API Registration/App-container linkage layer:
The Package Manager Crash: Attempting a forced uninstall via winget commands outputs a fatal unhandled sub-system exception: Uninstall failed with exit code: 4294967295 (unsigned -1).
Native Exception: Native Windows tools built into modern app packages (like Quick Assist) hook into the engine fine, narrowing the scope down to a regression affecting specific script-heavy UI wrapper instantiations/initialization paths communicating with the global registry keys.
Importance
Blocking. My app's basic functions are not working due to this issue.
Runtime Channel
Stable release (WebView2 Runtime)
Runtime Version
148.0.3967.83
SDK Version
No response
Framework
Other
Operating System
Windows 11
OS Version
26200.8457
Repro steps
Repros in Edge Browser
No, issue does not reproduce in the corresponding Edge version
Regression
Regression in newer Runtime
Last working version (if regression)
No response