Microsoft is forming a new team to replace web apps with 100% native apps on Windows 11

Microsoft has been pretty vocal lately about improving the Windows 11 experience. The company recently pushed a major Windows 11 update that plans to fix the OS by removing unnecessary Copilot features, reducing File Explorer launch times, adding the ability to resize and reposition the taskbar, and offering a more compact layout closer to the Windows 10 experience.

Luckily, the improvements aren't stopping at just the OS level. Microsoft has now confirmed it will build 100% native apps for Windows 11. Rudy Huyn, a Partner Architect at Microsoft working on the Store and File Explorer, says he is putting together a team specifically focused on building better apps for Windows 11.

"I'm building a new team to work on Windows apps! You don't need prior experience with the platform. What matters most is strong product thinking and a deep focus on the customer," Huyn wrote on X. "If you've built great apps on any platform and care about crafting meaningful user experiences, I'd love to hear from you."

The key detail came in a follow-up response, in which Huyn confirmed that the new Windows 11 apps will be 100% native. Why does that matter? Many of Microsoft's current so-called native apps aren't fully native at all, built only partially with WinUI, while the rest rely on WebView. For example, the built-in video editor Clipchamp is a Progressive Web App, meaning parts of it are essentially just web pages displayed inside an app shell.

A truly native app would be built entirely on the WinUI framework without loading components through WebView, which could meaningfully improve performance, responsiveness, and memory use.

Microsoft has shown little interest in building native Windows 11 apps over the past few years, and third-party developers have followed suit. WhatsApp dropped its native WinUI framework in favor of a Chromium-based app, a decision that drew criticism from users who had preferred the faster native alternative.

That said, this isn't the first time Windows leadership has made such a promise. Back in 2020, Windows president Panos Panay said Microsoft wants users to love Windows, not just need it. But Panay never really followed through and eventually left the company. This time around, there are at least some signs of effort. We have yet to see exactly which apps will be rebuilt or how strictly that 100% native standard will be applied.