microsoft / microsoft/react-native-windows

New Architecture for React Native for Windows

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#12,042 opened on Aug 17, 2023 2 comments 20 reactions 0 assignees View on GitHub

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Area: Fabric enhancement New Architecture Workstream: Component Parity

Dominant language: C++
Stars: 17.3k
Forks: 1.2k
Avg merge: 1d 13h
Merged PRs (30d): 33

Description

This issue is a hub for the various internal workstreams underway to bring the current "Paper" implementation of React Native on Windows (RNW) to be replaced with a Fabric implementation. For information for how to consume this, start here.

About Fabric

Fabric is Meta's new rendering system for React Native, designed to share more rendering logic cross-platform in C++. RNW's existing "Paper" renderer is built on XAML, with various parts dropping down into native Composition as need be; the new Fabric renderer targets Composition from the start, but with the ability to host XAML islands within.

Apps on this new architecture are Win32 by default (this is a change from the Paper architecture where apps were UWP by default). The move away from UWP was a decision made to stay in alignment with WinAppSDK and WinUI3 which support Win32 apps (See here for more information). For our customers with UWP RNW apps, we will help with migration instructions once we shift support to Fabric as the default experience.

Can I Try It?

Yes! Start here. Starting with version 0.76 we are ready for folks to preview Fabric on Windows, but we know it's not ready for everyone's needs. Be warned that there are still gaps in both the functionality and the developer experience. Soon we expect to switch Fabric to be the default experience for new apps (but Paper will remain available as a compatibility fallback for some time).

Sticking to finalized releases is the best plan for most, but if you are an early adopter who is comfortable with an unpolished experience and wants to try intermediate builds, you can try that out here. However, understand that documentation will be thin, and please consult the below lists for what is not yet implemented before making any bug reports.

Milestones

Milestone	Milestone Nickname	Milestone Description
☑️ M0	Proof of Concept	Internal contributors can manually create a Win32 app that renders JSX using Composition
☑️ M1	Experimental	User can successfully initialize, build, and run a React Native Windows app on the new architecture. User can use the most common props/API’s. User can use the most common accessibility props/API’s. User can observe basic accessibility support within their app. User will not have access to full API parity with Paper. User can use community modules within their app. User cannot use community modules with native UI within their app.
☑️ M2	80% Parity and Accessibility	User can use 80% props/API’s that were supported on Paper. User can use 90% accessibility props/API’s that were supported on Paper. User can observe compliant/delightful accessibility support within their app.
☑️ M3	Improved Paper parity to 84% and introduction of Modal	Improved progress on paper parity on Fabric to 84% and Modal replaces Flyout and Popup from Paper
☑️ M4	New Default *(Fabric now officially in support)*	New Architecture is enabled by default Paper parity on Fabric at 92%. View, Activity Indicator and Image achieve full parity 100% with Paper React Native for Windows documentation updated with paper to Fabric migration guide React Native Gallery app updated with Fabric (New architecture)
☑️ M5	Improved Parity with Paper and support for Hermes debugger	Improved Paper parity to 95% Enabled modern Hermes debugger for RNW Paper architecture will be available but Fabric will continue to be the new default.
🔜 M6	Deprecate Paper	Paper architecture will be deprecated.

Host Component Parity

(this table last updated April 2025, more detail available through logged issues on GitHub)

Priority	Component	Available	Properties
0	View	✅	98%
0	Text	✅	86%
0	Image	✅	100%
0	TextInput	✅	59%
1	ScrollView	✅	44%
1	Modal	✅	64%
2	ActivityIndicator	✅	100%
2	Switch	✅	100%
2	RefreshControl	🟥	28%

Overall, if you include inherited View props and everything, Fabric is currently at 77% parity relative to Paper.

Host Components are the core RN primitive components directly backed by native UI. This table tracks our progress to reach parity in Fabric (Composition) with our Paper (XAML) implementation. See the parity tracking issue here

Paper Parity

Note that Paper itself never reached 100% parity. So 100% completion in the table above represents reaching 100% of what Paper accomplished, which is represented here:

Component	Completed %
View	99% (129/130)
Text	97% (154/158)
Image	99% (156/157)
TextInput	98% (176/180)
ScrollView	98% (156/159)
Modal	57% (41/72)
ActivityIndicator	98% (127/129)
Switch	99% (136/138)
RefreshControl	0% (NA)

Accessibility and Test Coverage

You can track the state of these important aspects here:

#11422
#11898

Other key issues

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

First steps

Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

This is a broad workstream hub and names no source files or tests. Start with the linked Fabric architecture landing page and parity tracker #11135, then review the remaining host-component gaps and M6 milestone; completion is defined by the issue's listed parity and deprecation goals.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack: cpp, react-native
Domain: desktop-dev
Issue type: Feature
Difficulty: 5/5
Estimated time: Over a week
Activity status: Stale
Clarity: Needs clarification
Newbie friendliness: 25/100

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