- Download Visual Studio 2022 and Windows APP SDK C++ VS2022 Templates extension (In Visual Studio Installer).
- Create a new project based on Blank project, packaged (WinUI3 in desktop version).
- Update all SDKs in the NuGet package of the solution.
- Delete file Package.appxmanifest.
- Edit file App1.vcxproj
<PropertyGroup Label="Globals">
<AppxPackage>false</AppxPackage>
<WindowsPackageType>None</WindowsPackageType>
<WindowsAppSDKSelfContained>true</WindowsAppSDKSelfContained>
</PropertyGroup>- Build your project and organize the Release folder (At least some files need to be retained to ensure the independent operation of the WinUI3 project).
| File | Role |
|---|---|
| Assets | Resource Folder |
| App1.exe | Main Executable Program |
| Microsoft.WindowsAppRuntime.Bootstrap.dll | WinUI3 Startup Program Entry |
| resources.pri | Compile Resource File |
| *.dll | WinUI3 Library Dependencies |
The size of an executable program compiled for an empty project is about 50MB.
In fact, you can use software such as procexp64 to determine which DLLs your WinUI3 project specifically uses, and then delete the DLLs that the project does not depend on to save space.
In addition, for better compatibility, it is best to also include msvcp140.dll, vcruntime140.dll and vcruntime140_1.dll in the directory.
You can try testing your WinUI3 standalone project in a Windows Sandbox.