While standard setups often use a tiny "bootstrapper" that downloads the runtime on the fly, the offline installer contains the full set of binaries required to enable the WebView2 control in your software. Why You Need the WebView2 Offline Installer
For organizations operating in secure networks, air-gapped environments, or strict enterprise configurations where the Microsoft Update service is disabled, the default "Evergreen" online installation fails. This necessitates an "Offline Installer" strategy where the runtime is packaged and deployed alongside the application. webview2 offline installer