Microsoft Silverlightfor Windows

Silverlight is a powerful tool for developing engaging and creative user experiences on the web and mobile applications that are interactive and memorable. This is a free plug-in powered by the .NET framework.

Microsoft Silverlight was a big deal back in 2007. It was like a Swiss Army knife for websites, allowing them to show cool videos, live streams, animations, and colorful graphics. Think of it as a competitor to Adobe Flash, but with a Microsoft twist, using something called XAML to make everything look nice and .NET Framework to make it all work together. This meant that web creators could make their sites do fancy things without needing the old-school media players from Windows.

What is Microsoft Silverlight and do I need it?

Silverlight made it easy for websites to show all kinds of media, like videos and music, in a way that worked well with Windows computers. But as time went on, the internet changed. Websites started using newer, better technologies, and Microsoft itself told people to stop using Silverlight in 2015. Fast forward to 2018, and hardly any websites were using it anymore. So, the short answer to whether you need it is no, not really.

Develop for the web

The browser-focused tool is ambitious, letting you run content-rich media on your open webpage.

Powered by the Microsoft .NET Framework, Silverlight is a development tool that brings an entirely new level of web interactive to your projects. It’s used by popular web platforms you love, such as Netflix and the IMDB application available for Windows phones.

It is the solution to web browsers, letting you view more than a glorified text document by running applications enabled on a website. This is especially handy to use with older sites.

As an all-purpose plug-in that allows you to run videos, animations, live streams, and vibrant graphics when you’re online. Silverlight is capable of doing this thanks to the reliance it has on other Microsoft tools.

Enhance your overall viewing experience when you’re watching your favorite series or another episode of Game of Thrones. You’ll be extremely pleased to use Silverlight as you’ll be able to view your subscribed channel’s recently released content or the newest episode of anime while experiencing a powerful boost to your content-rich web page media.

Silverlight support for many browsers has stopped, but for anyone running an older machine, it is still an extremely powerful tool. It receives bug-fixes and minor updates from time to time, which keeps your user experience at the highest possible level.

Is it okay to uninstall Microsoft Silverlight?

If you're not using any old websites or apps that need Silverlight, then yes, it's perfectly fine to uninstall it. Doing so can make your computer run a bit smoother since it won't have to deal with running Silverlight in the background. Plus, not having it might even make your computer safer, as outdated software can sometimes be a security risk. But, if you still need it for something specific, just make sure it's up to date.

Is Microsoft Silverlight still used?

Today, the world has moved on from Silverlight. Microsoft doesn't support it anymore, and you'd be hard-pressed to find modern websites or browsers that use it. Everyone has switched to newer ways of doing things online that are safer, faster, and work on all kinds of devices, not just Windows computers.

Where can you run this program?

Silverlight is available for a variety of browsers on both Windows computers and MacOS devices. However, this is a hit and miss when installing.

Is there a better alternative?

Yes, Silverlight is an old rival to Adobe Flash Player that has been developed by Microsoft as it’s competitor. However, it no longer receives updates. A better framework for your project data is HTML5.

Our take

Silverlight is a tool for viewing videos, streams, animations, and graphics online. It’s great for older systems and will increase your viewing experience.

Should you download it?

No, not unless you’re using an old browser or computer that requires an application such as Silverlight.