XAML.io v0.8 lets existing WPF apps run in the browser, code intact
OpenSilver team ships XAML.io v0.8, letting existing WPF apps run in the browser with original C# and XAML intact. Live demo and before/after source diff included.
The OpenSilver team has released version 0.8 of XAML.io, its free browser-based .NET IDE, introducing a 'Migrate from WPF' feature that runs an existing WPF application on the web without rewriting it. The demo uses Family.Show, Microsoft's old WPF reference app, with 97% of the original C# and XAML left unchanged and diffable against the original source.
A key design principle is that this is not an AI-driven rewrite: C# code (code-behind, view models, WASM-compatible NuGet packages) continues to execute as real .NET, and XAML remains XAML, with any unavoidable changes kept small and visible. Rendering targets the browser's real DOM rather than a canvas or GPU surface, preserving text selection, accessibility, browser extensions, and search indexing. Apps can mix in HTML/CSS/JS, embed Blazor components, and access the web ecosystem via JS interop, all within roughly an 8MB compressed runtime.
The tooling includes a self-serve, account-free compatibility analyzer that runs entirely in-browser via WASM (code never leaves the machine), Roslyn analyzers with one-click fixes, design-time warnings listing every automatic edit, and non-blocking runtime alerts that let partially migrated apps keep running. Version 0.8 also adds a sample gallery, static web build export, and the OpenSilver 3.4 preview with new WPF features like LayoutTransform, CombinedGeometry, and multi-window support.
The team is upfront about limitations: in-browser source import is a technology preview best suited to small-to-mid, self-contained projects, and third-party UI suites plus native interop/P-Invoke aren't supported yet. OpenSilver itself is MIT-licensed, while paid migration services for large production apps fund the open-source project.