Microsoft Teams Running Slow or Not Loading: How to Fix It

Microsoft Teams is one of the more resource-intensive desktop applications in the Microsoft 365 suite. Slow performance, long loading times, and freezing are common complaints — particularly on older hardware or after a Teams update. Most issues can be resolved without IT involvement.

Check Your System Resources First

Open Task Manager (Ctrl+Shift+Esc) while Teams is running. Check the CPU and RAM columns. Teams regularly uses 300–500MB RAM at idle and considerably more during calls. If your CPU is consistently above 80% or your RAM is maxed out, the hardware itself may be the limiting factor rather than a software issue.

Microsoft’s minimum specification for Teams is 4GB RAM. For comfortable day-to-day performance — especially if you take video calls or run other applications alongside Teams — 8GB or more is strongly recommended. If your machine falls below this, hardware upgrades or switching to the Teams web app (covered below) may be the most practical solution.

[Screenshot: Task Manager showing CPU and RAM columns with Teams highlighted]

Fix 1: Clear the Teams Cache

This is the single most effective fix for slowness, freezing, and loading failures. Teams builds up a local cache over time and this can become corrupted or oversized, causing significant performance problems.

Windows steps:

1. Fully quit Teams — right-click the Teams icon in the system tray (bottom-right of the taskbar) and select Quit
2. Press Win+R, type %AppData%MicrosoftTeams and press Enter
3. Delete the contents of these folders: Cache, blob_storage, databases, GPUCache, IndexedDB, Local Storage, and tmp
4. Delete only the contents of each folder — do not delete the folders themselves
5. Restart Teams

Mac steps: Quit Teams, then open Finder. Click Go in the menu bar, select Go to Folder, and enter ~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams. Delete the contents of the same folders listed above, then restart Teams.

After clearing the cache, Teams will take slightly longer to load on first launch as it rebuilds. Performance should improve noticeably after that.

Fix 2: Disable GPU Hardware Acceleration

Teams uses GPU hardware acceleration by default to improve rendering. On some systems — particularly those with older or integrated graphics — this can have the opposite effect, causing freezing, graphical glitches, and sluggish performance.

To disable it: click the three-dot menu at the top right of Teams → Settings → General → tick Disable GPU hardware acceleration. Restart Teams for the change to take effect.

This is a particularly useful fix if Teams freezes when switching between chats or channels, or if the interface feels laggy even when CPU and RAM usage appear normal.

Fix 3: Update Teams

Teams on Windows updates automatically in the background, but updates can sometimes be delayed or pending a restart. An outdated version can cause compatibility and performance issues, particularly after Windows updates.

To check manually: click your profile picture in the top-right corner of Teams and select Check for updates. Teams will download any available update in the background and prompt you to refresh the app once it is ready.

Fix 4: Reduce Background Processes

Teams continues running in the background by default even after you close the window. This keeps notifications active but consumes RAM and CPU on machines that are already under pressure.

To change this: Settings → General → untick On close, keep the application running. Closing the window will then fully exit Teams rather than minimising it to the tray.

Also check what else is running alongside Teams. Browsers with many tabs open, particularly those using video or heavy JavaScript, can compete significantly for the same resources. Closing unused tabs and applications before a Teams call is a simple but effective step.

Fix 5: Switch to the Teams Web App Temporarily

If the desktop application is performing particularly badly, the Teams web app at teams.microsoft.com can be a useful workaround on lower-specification machines. The web version offloads some processing to the browser and can feel more responsive when the desktop client is struggling.

Microsoft Edge and Google Chrome both offer the best Teams web experience. Firefox is supported but may have limited functionality for calls and meetings.

This is a practical short-term fix while you work through the other solutions, or a permanent alternative for machines that struggle to run the desktop client reliably.

Fix 6: Reinstall Teams

If none of the above fixes resolve the issue, a clean reinstall will clear any corrupted installation files that a cache clear alone cannot fix.

Uninstall Teams via Settings → Apps → search for Microsoft Teams → Uninstall. Once uninstalled, download the latest installer from microsoft.com and reinstall. If your organisation manages Teams centrally through Microsoft 365, check with your IT administrator before uninstalling, as reinstallation may need to go through a managed deployment.

Teams Slow Specifically During Calls

If Teams runs acceptably in general but slows down or drops quality during video calls, the cause is usually CPU load or bandwidth rather than a general Teams problem.

Video calls are significantly more demanding than chat or channel browsing. Practical steps to improve call performance:

• Turn off your camera if it is not needed — this alone can reduce CPU usage by 30–50% during a call
• Close other browser tabs, especially any with video or streaming content
• Check your internet connection — Teams recommends a minimum of 1.5Mbps for standard calls and 4Mbps for HD video. Run a speed test at fast.com if you are unsure
• Switch to a wired ethernet connection instead of Wi-Fi where possible — Wi-Fi interference is a common cause of call quality issues that gets misattributed to Teams itself
• Reduce your video quality in Teams settings if your connection is marginal — Settings → Devices → adjust video quality settings if available

New Teams vs Classic Teams

Microsoft has rolled out a rebuilt Teams client — referred to as new Teams — which uses a significantly lighter codebase than the original. The new client uses considerably less RAM and CPU than classic Teams and is the recommended version for most users.

If you are still on the classic Teams client, you will see a Try the new Teams toggle near the top of the application. Switching takes a few seconds and does not affect your chats, channels, or settings. For many users on mid-range hardware, switching to new Teams alone resolves the performance issues they were experiencing with the classic client.

If you have already switched to new Teams and are still experiencing slowness, the fixes above — particularly clearing the cache and disabling GPU acceleration — apply equally to the new client.

Related articles: Microsoft Teams Audio Echo and Feedback: How to Fix It, How to Use Multiple Microsoft Teams Accounts on One Device, How to Clear the Microsoft Teams Cache: Windows and Mac

For a full index of every Teams guide and troubleshooting fix on Serverman, see the Microsoft Teams complete guide and troubleshooting hub.