How to Fix Microsoft Teams High CPU Usage on Windows

What Causes This?

Microsoft Teams can use a lot of CPU when it is processing video calls, screen sharing, notifications, chat syncing, or loading add-ins in the background. High usage is also common when the Teams cache is corrupted, hardware acceleration is misbehaving, or other apps are competing for system resources. On some PCs, outdated graphics drivers or an older Teams build can make the problem worse.

Common Symptoms

• Teams shows very high CPU usage in Task Manager
• Your PC gets hot, loud, or slow during calls
• Video meetings stutter, freeze, or lag
• Typing in chats feels delayed
• Battery drains faster than normal on a laptop

How to Fix It Manually

1. Confirm that Teams is the problem

   • Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
   • In the Processes tab, look for Microsoft Teams.
   • Check the CPU column. If Teams is consistently using a high percentage while idle or during normal use, continue with the steps below.

2. Fully quit and restart Teams

   • In Teams, click your profile picture in the top-right corner.
   • Select Quit.
   • If it stays open, go back to Task Manager, right-click Microsoft Teams, and choose End task.
   • Reopen Teams from the Start menu and check CPU usage again.

3. Turn off hardware acceleration in Teams

   • Open Microsoft Teams.
   • Click the three dots next to your profile picture, then choose Settings.
   • Open General.
   • Turn off Disable GPU hardware acceleration if the option is shown in reverse wording, or enable the setting that disables hardware acceleration.
   • Close Teams completely and reopen it.
   • This often helps when Teams is overloading the CPU because of graphics rendering issues.

4. Clear the Teams cache

   • Quit Teams completely first.
   • Press Win + R, type:

     %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams

     then press Enter.
   • Delete the contents of folders such as Cache, Code Cache, GPUCache, and tmp. If you prefer, you can remove most files in the Teams folder except anything you are unsure about.
   • Restart Teams and sign in again if prompted.
   • A damaged cache can cause constant background activity and high CPU use.

5. Reduce call and app load

   • In Teams, close unused chats, apps, and extra windows.
   • During meetings, turn off your camera if you do not need it, and avoid background effects or blur.
   • Stop screen sharing when you are done.
   • These features increase CPU usage, especially on older PCs.

6. Update Teams and Windows

   • In Teams, click your profile picture > Check for updates.
   • Then update Windows: open Settings > Windows Update > Check for updates.
   • Install any available updates and restart your PC.
   • Updates often include performance fixes for Teams, graphics handling, and system stability.

7. Check for background apps using resources

   • Open Task Manager again and sort by CPU.
   • Close apps you do not need, especially browsers with many tabs, video tools, or other meeting software.
   • If your PC starts too many apps at boot, open Task Manager > Startup apps and disable non-essential items.

Fix It Automatically with Kudu

Kudu can quickly scan your PC for the common causes behind high CPU usage, including heavy startup apps, background processes, cache-related slowdowns, and system settings that make apps like Teams run harder than they should. Instead of checking each area manually, you can let Kudu identify the problem and apply safe performance fixes in a few clicks.

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