Microsoft releases WinUI 3 - Project Reunion 0.5 Preview to help devs make modern Windows 10 apps

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What you need to know

Microsoft just released the WinUI 3 Project Reunion 0.5 preview.
It is the first release of Win UI 3 that ships inside the Project Reunion package.
The preview also adds support for in-app acrylic and several other options.

In addition to making it a bit easier to install the latest tools for app development, this preview also adds new options.

Here's what's new in WinUI 3 for the Project Reunion 0.5 preview:

In-app acrylic is now supported!
The Pivot control is no longer supported, and has been deprecated in WinUI 3. We recommend using the NavigationView control for your in-app navigation scenarios.
WinUI 3 and Project Reunion will be supported down-level to Windows 10 version 1809 - it requires build 17763 or newer.

The update also includes several bug fixes, which are detailed in a Microsoft doc.

We've just shipped WinUI 3 - Project Reunion 0.5 Preview! 🎉This is a new preview version of WinUI 3 w/ bug fixes & some new functionality, that's shipping w/ Project Reunion for the 1st time!

👩‍💻Get started: https://t.co/lIV8hcTrgS

📖Full announcement: https://t.co/Lb0JGS1L5YWe've just shipped WinUI 3 - Project Reunion 0.5 Preview! 🎉This is a new preview version of WinUI 3 w/ bug fixes & some new functionality, that's shipping w/ Project Reunion for the 1st time!

👩‍💻Get started: https://t.co/lIV8hcTrgS

📖Full announcement: https://t.co/Lb0JGS1L5Y— Windows UI (@WindowsUI) March 10, 2021 March 10, 2021

If you're new to developing with WinUI 3, here's a description of if from Microsoft:

Windows UI Library (WinUI) 3 is a native user experience (UX) platform for building modern Windows apps. It works with both desktop/Win32 and UWP apps, and includes Visual Studio project templates to help get started building apps with a WinUI-based user interface as well as a NuGet package that contains the WinUI libraries.

In more simple terms, Project Reunion is an effort that helps make modern Windows apps. Developers can use a number of languages and setups to create apps that will work well on Windows 10 and Windows 10X going forward.

Sean Endicott is a news writer and apps editor for Windows Central with 11+ years of experience. A Nottingham Trent journalism graduate, Sean has covered the industry’s arc from the Lumia era to the launch of Windows 11 and generative AI. Having started at Thrifter, he uses his expertise in price tracking to help readers find genuine hardware value.

Beyond tech news, Sean is a UK sports media pioneer. In 2017, he became one of the first to stream via smartphone and is an expert in AP Capture systems. A tech-forward coach, he was named 2024 BAFA Youth Coach of the Year. He is focused on using technology—from AI to Clipchamp—to gain a practical edge.