How To Resolve PC Crashes During Microsoft Teams Use on Windows 11

Dealing with a crashing Microsoft Teams desktop app can be maddening, especially if it happens right in the middle of a meeting or just when you need it most. Sometimes the app just freezes, stops responding, or crashes unexpectedly, leaving you to wonder what went wrong. If the web version runs fine but the desktop app keeps giving trouble, it’s time to dive into some fixes. These aren’t magic bullet solutions, but they’ve worked on multiple setups — everything from corrupt cache files to outdated drivers. The goal is to get Teams stable again so you can stop wasting time troubleshooting mid-call. Expect a mix of simple resets and more involved steps, but hey, it’s worth it to regain control of your workspace.

How to Fix Microsoft Teams Crashes on Windows

Clear Out the Cache: Sometimes Teams just needs a restart with fresh files

This is kind of weird, but Teams’ cache can get corrupted over time – especially if you force-quit it or experience crashes. Clearing this cache resets some internal settings and files, and can fix weird bugs.

Make sure Teams is fully closed: right-click the icon in the system tray and select “Quit”.
Open the Run dialog: Win + R. Type %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams and hit Enter.
Delete cache files: press Ctrl + A to select everything in that folder, right-click, and choose “Delete”.
Reboot your PC: it’s annoying but sometimes the refresh works only after a restart.
Launch Teams again: see if it’s behaving better. On some setups, it’s weird — the first reboot might not fix it, but after a second reboot or clearing the cache again, it tends to settle.

Update Teams and Windows: Because outdated software is always the sneaky culprit

Teams and Windows are constantly getting updates for stability and security, so ignoring updates can lead to crashes. Keeping everything current is one of those “best practices” that genuinely pays off.

Check for Teams updates: click the three-dot menu (ellipsis) > “Settings” > “About Teams”.It usually kicks off auto-updates, but it’s worth forcing a manual check by clicking “Check for updates”.
Update Windows: hit Win + I, go to “Update & Security”, then “Check for updates”.Install any pending ones and restart if prompted. Sometimes, especially with big feature updates, the new build fixes underlying problems.

Repair or Reset the App: When simple updates don’t do the trick

If Teams continues to crash, a repair might clear out corrupted files without losing your login info. Resetting, on the other hand, wipes local data — so only try this if repairs fail or the app is wildly unstable.

Go to Settings: Win + I > “Apps” > “Installed Apps”.
Find Microsoft Teams: Click the three dots next to it and select “Advanced options”.
First, try “Repair”: it attempts to fix without deleting your data. Check if Teams stabilizes.
If that doesn’t help, use “Reset”: note, resetting will wipe local cache, forcing you to sign in again and reconfigure settings. No data loss from the cloud, but local info goes poof.

Update or Reinstall Drivers: Your graphics card might be causing the drama

Graphics driver issues are often behind crashes, especially during screen sharing or if your display resolution is high. Updating your GPU drivers is not just for gamers — it’s key for apps like Teams that use hardware acceleration.

Open Device Manager: Win + X, then select “Device Manager”.
Expand “Display adapters”: then right-click your graphics card (Intel, NVIDIA, AMD).
Choose “Update driver”. Select “Search automatically for drivers”.Windows will look online and install the latest if available.
Alternatively, visit your GPU maker’s website — for NVIDIA, AMD, or Intel — to manually download and install the latest driver files. Sometimes that’s faster than waiting on Windows’ search.
Pro tip: you can disable the GPU temporarily (right-click, “Disable device”) to test if Teams stabilizes. If it does, then you know it’s a driver issue. Remember to re-enable afterward!

Adjust Display Settings & Connectivity: Hardware quirks are real

Sometimes, it’s not Teams but how it plays with your hardware. High refresh rates or faulty docking stations can cause crashes.

Lower your monitor’s refresh rate: right-click desktop > “Display settings” > “Advanced display settings”.Pick a standard 60Hz mode. Might seem minor, but it can make a difference with some hardware combo setups.
Check your docking station or external connections: firmware updates might be available on the manufacturer’s site. Switching from DisplayPort to HDMI or disconnecting peripherals like USB dongles connected to audio devices can help isolate the issue.
Switch off Bluetooth audio devices: USB headsets with faulty drivers or interference sometimes cause instability. Using Bluetooth instead of USB dongles for headsets has helped some users.

Uninstall and Reinstall Teams: If everything else fails, do a deep clean

It’s a bit of a pain, but sometimes the installation gets corrupted or conflicted profiles cause issues. Starting fresh can sort out lingering problems.

Uninstall Teams: Settings > Apps > Installed Apps. Remove “Microsoft Teams” and also look for “Teams Machine-Wide Installer” and uninstall it too.
Delete leftover files: Clear out all related folders in %appdata% and %localappdata%. Do a search for “Microsoft\Teams” in both locations and delete.
Download fresh installer: from Microsoft’s official site.
Reboot and install: run the new installer and test if the crashes persist. Sometimes, a clean install does wonders.

Run Compatibility Mode: Going old school

Rarely, Teams works better in compatibility mode for older Windows versions. Might seem odd, but hey, sometimes it works.

Right-click Teams shortcut, select “Properties”.
Go to the “Compatibility” tab.
Check “Run this program in compatibility mode for” and pick “Windows 8” or “Windows 7”.

Check System Files & User Profile Isolation

Worst case, corrupted system files or a broken user profile could be causing crashes.

SFC Scan: open Windows Terminal as admin and run sfc /scannow. It checks and repairs system file corruption. The process can take a bit, but it’s worth it.
Create a new user profile: Settings > Accounts > Family & other users > Add someone else to this PC. Log in with the new profile and install Teams. If it’s stable there, the old profile might be the problem — but that’s a story for another day.

Summary

Clear cache by deleting files in %appdata%\Microsoft\Teams.
Keep Teams and Windows updated.
Repair or reset the app if needed.
Update graphics drivers or try disabling/enabling GPU.
Adjust display and connection settings.
Reinstall Teams completely for a fresh start.
Sometimes, running in compatibility mode or checking system files helps.

Wrap-up

Crashes are annoying, but walking through these options usually pinpoints or even fixes the problem. It’s kind of a trial-and-error game — not every fix works the same for everyone. Still, this should cover most common culprits. If nothing sticks, using the web version at https://teams.microsoft.com/ remains a solid fallback to keep things moving. Fingers crossed this helps someone out there get Teams stable again — worked for a bunch of setups I’ve seen.