To troubleshoot Microsoft Teams high CPU and memory usage, first identify whether it happens at idle, during a call, with video, or while sharing your screen; then check Call health during a meeting. If you clear cache, use the instructions for your Teams generation and operating system—Microsoft cautions that cache clearing is not a general first step and can remove local data and diagnostic logs.
One specific documented case is video meetings on a laptop docked to an external 4K/UHD monitor. Microsoft recommends several conditional workarounds for that setup, but does not identify one universal cause or fix for every Teams resource spike.
Find when Teams uses high CPU or memory
Compare Teams at idle with a one-to-one call, a group meeting, your camera on and off, and screen sharing. Note whether the issue occurs only with a particular display, dock, or other connected device. A single Task Manager or Activity Monitor reading cannot establish that Teams has a memory leak or defect.
Check call health during a meeting
- In a call or meeting, open More actions > Settings > Call health.
- Review the network, audio, outgoing video, and screen-sharing metrics. Microsoft says these refresh every 15 seconds.
- Check the video and screen-sharing processing details for CPU or GPU involvement, and note whether the figures change when you stop sharing or turn video off.
Microsoft says low frame rates alone do not necessarily mean a poor call: video quality and frame rates can be affected by computer performance or insufficient hardware resources. Its Call health page provides typical values for some network and media metrics as diagnostic guidance, not as population statistics or universal thresholds for high CPU or memory.
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If Teams is slow during video sharing on a docked 4K display
Microsoft documents a performance issue that may affect laptops during video meetings when docked to an external 4K/UHD display. Its guidance is specific to this setup; it is not a general fix list for all Teams CPU or memory problems. Microsoft Learn states: “The overall performance of Microsoft Teams on laptops may be affected during meetings that use video.”
If this describes your setup, try these conditional workarounds one at a time and compare performance:
- Close apps and browser tabs you are not using.
- Turn off your camera or incoming video to see whether video processing is contributing.
- If the option is present, disable GPU hardware acceleration and retest.
- If available, connect the display directly to a video port on the laptop instead of through the dock.
- Try reducing display resolution to 1920 × 1080.
- If your laptop and display support it, try DVI or HDMI instead of USB-C. This is a scenario-specific workaround, not a general reason to buy a cable.
- Leave full-screen mode, restart Teams, and make sure Teams is up to date.
Choose a cache reset only when it fits
Microsoft describes clearing cache as a targeted local-client troubleshooting step, not a universal first response to high resource use. Do not use it to try to fix missing chats or messages, unloaded chat history, missing teams or channels, or incorrect notifications or unread counts: Microsoft says cache clearing will not fix those issues and deletes diagnostic logs that may be needed to investigate them. Cache removal can also remove local cached material, and a restart may take longer while files rebuild.
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First quit Teams completely and confirm whether you use New Teams or Classic Teams. Use only the matching instructions below. Microsoft says resetting New Teams on Windows deletes app data, including personalization settings.
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- Open Settings > Apps > Installed apps.
- Find Microsoft Teams, open its Advanced options, and select Reset; or quit Teams and delete the contents of
%userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeams. - Restart Teams and sign in again if asked.
Classic Teams on Windows
- Quit Teams completely.
- Delete the contents of
%appdata%\Microsoft\Teams. - Restart Teams. Cache files will be rebuilt.
New Teams on macOS
Microsoft’s instructions use Terminal commands to remove the New Teams containers. Quit Teams first, confirm that you have New Teams, and run only Microsoft’s commands for the matching version. These commands permanently remove the named local cache/container data.
- Open Terminal after quitting Teams.
- Follow the removal commands in Microsoft’s Clear the Teams client cache instructions for New Teams on macOS; they target
~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.com.microsoft.teamsand~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.teams2. - Restart Teams.
Classic Teams on macOS
- Quit Teams completely.
- Follow Microsoft’s Classic Teams instructions to remove its cache under
~/Library/Application Support/Microsoft/Teams. - Restart Teams.
Connection symptoms: try connection troubleshooting
If high resource use occurs alongside trouble connecting or reconnecting, Microsoft Support suggests checking internet access, signing out and back in, trying Teams on the web when using the desktop or mobile app, and checking Microsoft’s service-status account for known incidents. It also lists cache clearing and reinstalling as connection troubleshooting options; these are not evidence that those steps resolve CPU or memory use by themselves.
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- Confirm that other sites or services can reach the internet.
- Sign out of Teams and sign back in.
- Try the web version to help isolate a desktop-client issue.
- If you use a VPN, test the connection with it off and on, as appropriate for your network.
- Check Microsoft’s service-status account for an incident.
Match the symptom to the next check
| What you notice | What to check | Next step |
|---|---|---|
| Resource use rises mainly during calls or screen sharing | Compare camera, incoming video, and screen-sharing activity; review Call health processing details | Test with video or sharing off, then compare |
| Performance worsens in a docked 4K/UHD setup | Whether the laptop is docked to an external 4K/UHD display | Try Microsoft’s conditional display and meeting workarounds above |
| Connection trouble accompanies the issue | Internet access, service status, VPN, and web-client behavior | Use the connection troubleshooting steps above |
| Considering a cache reset | Teams generation, operating system, and whether the actual symptom fits cache troubleshooting | Use only the matching Microsoft cache instructions and consider local-data and log loss |
FAQ
How do I check Microsoft Teams call health?
During a call or meeting, open More actions > Settings > Call health. Microsoft says the network, audio, video, and screen-sharing metrics refresh every 15 seconds.
Should I clear Teams cache to fix high CPU or memory usage?
Not automatically. Microsoft treats cache clearing as a targeted step, and the correct procedure depends on whether you use New or Classic Teams and on your operating system. Clearing cache can remove local cached content and diagnostic logs, so first check whether the symptom is appropriate for a cache reset.
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Will clearing cache delete my chats or files?
Cache removal affects local Teams data and can remove local cached material; it does not remove Teams itself. Do not assume it is consequence-free. Microsoft specifically warns that clearing cache deletes diagnostic logs needed for certain chat, channel, and notification investigations.
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Is HDMI a fix for Teams using high CPU?
No, not generally. Microsoft lists trying HDMI instead of USB-C only as a possible workaround for a laptop docked to an external 4K/UHD display during video meetings, if the laptop and monitor support it.
Does a low frame rate prove that my Teams call is poor?
No. Microsoft says low frame rates alone do not necessarily mean a poor call; video quality and frame rates can be related to computer performance or available hardware resources.
Quick Recap
Sources
- Microsoft Learn: Clear the Teams client cache
- Microsoft Support: Monitor call and meeting quality in Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Support: I can’t reconnect to Microsoft Teams
- Microsoft Learn: Teams is slow during video sharing on laptops docked to 4K/UHD monitors
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