Teams desktop: system-wide lag when decoding incoming camera video, Video Codec engine at 70 % (AMD Radeon integrated GPU)

COUPPE, Damien 0 Reputation points
2026-10-30T10:30:52.5733333+00:00

In the Teams desktop app, my whole computer starts lagging as soon as another participant turns their camera on: audio becomes choppy, video drops to a very low frame rate and all applications stutter. After a few minutes it recovers on its own and stays normal until the end of the call.

Controlled test: I joined a meeting where everyone except me had their camera off. There was no problem for a long time, with my own camera on and while another participant was sharing their screen. When I asked the others to turn their cameras on, the lag started immediately, then recovered as usual. Sending my own video is fine and receiving a screen share is fine; decoding incoming camera video triggers the problem. One incoming camera is enough.

During the lag, Task Manager shows ms-teams.exe using about 70 % of the GPU's "Video Codec 0" engine, while everything else is low:

  • 3D engine: about 4 %
  • CPU: about 20 %
  • Network: about 2.5 Mbit/s
  • Disk: about 4 %

When the call recovers, Video Codec 0 drops to 0 % and incoming video keeps working, as if Teams switched from hardware to software decoding.

Other findings:

  • It never happens when I join the same meetings from Teams in the browser.
  • It happened with both the Lenovo-supplied AMD driver (31.0.14084.5, 2023) and the latest AMD driver (31.0.21925.1001, May 2026).

I use the desktop app for "Pop out shared content" (shared screen on one monitor, participants on another), which the browser version doesn't offer, so switching to the browser isn't a workaround for me.

Environment:

  • Teams (new): 26260.1717.5229.7049
  • Windows 11 23H2 (build 22631)
  • Lenovo 21C8, AMD Ryzen 7 PRO 5875U, AMD Radeon integrated graphics (only GPU), 32 GB RAM
  • Laptop screen plus two external 2560×1440 monitors

Attachment: Task Manager screenshot taken during a lag (French UI). "Processeur graphique" = GPU usage, "Moteur de processeur graphique" = GPU engine. It shows Microsoft Teams at 70.1 % on "GPU 0 - Video Codec 0", while the next highest process, the Desktop Window Manager ("Gestionnaire de fenêtres du Bureau"), is at 3.8 % on the 3D engine.

Capture d'écran 2026-10-28 093303.png

Microsoft Teams | Microsoft Teams for business | Meetings and calls | Audio and video

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  1. Julie Huynh 4,265 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-10-30T11:49:33.45+00:00

    Dear @COUPPE, Damien ,

    Good day! Welcome to Microsoft Q&A forum!

    Thank you for the detailed information and the troubleshooting you've already performed.

    Based on your findings, I would suggest trying the following:

    • Sign out of Teams completely and clear the Teams cache
    • Reinstall the Teams desktop application
    • Ensure Windows 11 is fully updated with the latest cumulative updates
    • If possible, test on another device using the same Teams account to determine whether the issue is device-specific

    If the issue continues after these steps, I would recommend opening a support ticket with Microsoft. Since this may involve deeper analysis of Teams diagnostics, GPU video decoding, and hardware acceleration behavior, the support team can collect and review diagnostic logs. The details you've shared regarding the GPU Video Codec utilization, browser comparison, driver testing, and reproducible steps will be extremely valuable when working with Microsoft Support and should help shorten the investigation process.

    Thank you for your patience and understanding!

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