Forum Discussion
How to run edge inside MSIX
HI there,
I have a MSIX that starts msedge
(psflauncher.exe and then the config.ini executbable points to edge with an argument to open website.
When testing i see that Edge starts outside the bubble, and does not see the files inside.
Is there a way to run Edge inside the Virtual Environment?
thanks,
11 Replies
Edge also runs in a container, but in that scenario is in a separate container. If it needs to see files in the package, you should try shared package container (Win11 minimum requirement). You'll have to read up on that, but basically you are creating a separate xml file for the package definitions, and use a separate PowerShell command to deploy and activate the xml file. When your app starts, edge should then start in your container.
Hey Tim,
I thought Edge is installed as MSIX too, but after having a closer look, I see the application binaries are installed in the classic Program Files folder, not under the WindowsApps folder.
Under WindowsApps I can find some Edge folders, but they contain just some manifests that seem to be used to register an app identity for Edge, which is most likely needed for toast notifications or other integrations with the OS. I installed a canary build today, this one seems to use a classic installer also, but in a per-user folder, not under program files.
Is there another way to get a full MSIX version of Edge that I am not aware of?Bogdan Mitrache On vacation currently so not diving into this right now.
But I recall that there is something in the schemas about giving identity to a native app. Maybe it was called external content or something like that.
As I recall it, you could add a package that provides the identity for the unpackaged app - which sounds like what you describe. In that case, a packaged app wanting to reference the component would add it as external content in the packaged app AppXManifest. But I thought that was for things other than the exe. The documentation wasn't really clear on the schema (what a surprise!) so this sounds like an area for more detailed testing. There may have been a link to a Microsoft Learning article.
Thanks,
Going to dive into this solution for the next release of this package.
Looks like the issue is that there is always an edge.exe process running. Starting edge within a MSIX or Appv (same behaviour) takes over the current process. First killing al open processes and running then fixes the problem. But offcourse i don't want to kill al open processes of a users session.
OK. I have heard of the complaint from others. It is not a problem that I have looked into. It is something Microsoft will have to address. To gain traction, I would recommend using the feedback hub on this one.
Berg745 Additional thought on this. I found something indicating that Shared Package Container
is not supported by Microsoft for Edge.
But there is a way (possibly) to achieve what you want by adjusting how your application runs in it's container. In your AppXManifest file, for the application that you are running, add the following as child elements of the application. Check documentation on those elements. There may be capabilities that need be added. Also make sure you add the reference for uap10 in the Package element. I have not tested this myself.
<Applications>
<Application ... EntryPoint="some.exe"
uap10:TrustLevel="appContainer"
uap10:RuntimeBehavior="packagedClassicApp">
</Application>
</Applications>
So you're attempting to invoke an external installation of Edge from within an MSIX package, rather than repackage Edge as an MSIX?
