[Problem/Bug]: WebView2 update breaks UI Automation element capture used by RPA/automation tools

What happened?

Summary:
After a recent WebView2 Runtime update was installed on our machines, UI Automation-based element capture used by our RPA bots started failing consistently against WebView2-hosted content. Uninstalling the updated WebView2 Runtime restores normal capture behavior immediately, which strongly points to a change in how the newer WebView2 version exposes its accessibility/UI Automation tree.

Environment:

• OS: Windows Server
• WebView2 Runtime channel: Evergreen (auto-update)
• Automation framework used: Windows UI Automation (via our RPA tool)
• Affected app(s): internal applications that embed WebView2 content

Expected behavior:
UI Automation element identifiers (control type, name, automation ID, or equivalent properties) exposed by WebView2-hosted content should remain stable across Runtime updates, or any intentional changes should be documented in release notes.

Actual behavior:
Elements previously captured via UI Automation are no longer found or matched after the WebView2 update, without any change to our application or automation scripts.

Request:
Could you confirm whether this is a known/intentional change in a recent WebView2 update, and point us to any relevant release notes or guidance for automation tools relying on UI Automation against WebView2 content? We are currently mitigating by pinning to a fixed WebView2 Runtime version but would appreciate confirmation this is a known issue and any guidance on long-term stability.

Importance

Blocking. My app's basic functions are not working due to this issue.

Runtime Channel

Stable release (WebView2 Runtime)

Runtime Version

No response

SDK Version

No response

Framework

Win32

Operating System

Windows 10

OS Version

No response

Repro steps

1. Install the latest WebView2 Runtime update.
2. Run existing UI Automation-based selectors/capture against an application that embeds WebView2.
3. Element capture fails to locate previously-working elements, or returns incomplete/changed automation properties.
4. Uninstall the updated WebView2 Runtime and revert to the previous version — capture works again with no other changes.

Repros in Edge Browser

No, issue does not reproduce in the corresponding Edge version

Regression

Regression in newer Runtime

Last working version (if regression)

No response