Moyes describes Microsoft’s goal of helping developers reuse React Native skills to build desktop apps or extend mobile apps to desktop. He says major Microsoft apps use React and React Native at a scale of over a billion users, and notes growing downloads for both Windows and macOS.
What’s next for React Native for Desktop?
Speakers
Microsoft senior product manager Steven Moyes and senior software engineer Saad Najmi discuss React Native for Windows and macOS at React Universe Conf 2024 in Poland.
Najmi says React Native macOS and Windows released version 0.75, with macOS reaching it faster than before. He describes the work behind syncing desktop with core, including supporting visionOS dependencies, updating macOS RedBox, and aligning the cursor prop with web CSS names. The shared pointer behavior can also support hover effects on visionOS, iPad, and desktop.
Moyes explains that React Native for Windows is moving from UWP, which shipped with Windows and changed slowly, to the Windows App SDK. The SDK ships separately from the operating system and includes WinUI 3, lifecycle APIs, notifications, and other capabilities. This change enables more consistent updates and access to newer Windows features, but migrating is a breaking change.
Najmi says desktop support includes bridgeless mode, React Native DevTools, and newer Hermes versions on macOS, with shared iOS code helping keep the developer experience consistent. Moyes says Windows apps can already be deployed to the Microsoft Store with the New Architecture, while full WinUI 3 support, documentation, and accessibility API gaps remain in progress. He encourages developers and library maintainers to experiment.
Moyes points to desktop APIs for accessibility, theming, multi-window support, and input, and recommends the Windows and macOS gallery apps as examples. Najmi says Windows and macOS had different keyboard event APIs and behavior, making cross-platform code harder to write. macOS added the Windows-aligned `keyDownEvents` prop in version 0.74 and deprecated `validKeysDown`.
Takeaways
- Check whether React Native desktop can extend an existing mobile app using skills your team already has.
- Plan for a breaking migration when moving a Windows app to the New Architecture.
- Try the Windows New Architecture today, while accounting for unfinished WinUI 3 and accessibility work.
- Use the aligned `keyDownEvents` prop for keyboard handling across Windows and macOS.
- Explore platform gallery apps to see how desktop accessibility, theming, and input can shape native experiences.
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What was claimed 14
- role atStephen Moyes is senior product manager at
Microsoft“I'm a program manager on the React Native team at Microsoft.”
0:09inReact Native at Scale: How Microsoft is betting big on React Native to target BILLIONS of usersYouTube Verified3 sources· Talk
- built
“I’ve been working ... primarily on React Native for Windows.”
YouTube Verified5 sources· Talk
- works atSaad Najmi works atMicrosoftworks on Office for Mac and iOS, primarily React Native for macOS
“I work on Office for Mac and iOS. I mostly work on React Native for macOS”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- role atSaad Najmi is senior software engineer atMicrosoft
“I’m a senior software engineer.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureReact Native for Windows: React Native 0.75 released
“we’ve released React Native macOS and React Native Windows version 0.75”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureReact Native for macOS: React Native 0.75 released
“we’ve released React Native macOS and React Native Windows version 0.75”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureReact Native for macOS: Supports visionOS
“we shipped to a new platform called visionOS”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureReact Native for macOS: Supports the latest versions of Hermes
“support for the latest versions of Hermes on React Native macOS”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureReact Native for macOS: Supports React Native New Architecture, including bridgeless support and React Native DevTools
“You'll get a lot of those on React Native desktop, including bridgeless support, React Native DevTools”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- integrates withReact Native for Windows integrates with Windows App SDK
“The modern Windows platform is built on top of the Windows App SDK.”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureWindows App SDK: Ships separately from the operating system and includes features and APIs such as WinUI 3
“a set of features and APIs that ships separately from the operating system”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureReact Native for Windows: Can build a system tray app that runs React Native and Hermes
“we can make a system tray app that runs React Native and Hermes”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureReact Native for Windows: Apps can be deployed to the Microsoft Store on the new architecture
“it's possible to deploy your apps to the Microsoft Store on the new architecture today”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
- featureReact Native for macOS: Supports the keyDownEvents prop; validKeysDown is deprecated
“React Native for macOS has added support for the keyDownEvents prop”
YouTube Unverified1 source· Talk
