Microsoft Groups Replace Will Quickly Repair Its Largest Home windows Downside

Microsoft is getting ready to deal with one of the vital persistent efficiency points affecting Microsoft Groups on Home windows, aiming to scale back crashes and slowdowns skilled by customers. Based on a latest replace revealed within the Microsoft 365 Admin Heart, the corporate plans to introduce a brand new system course of to enhance how the applying handles calling options.

The desktop model of Microsoft Groups for Home windows will quickly include an additional background process named ms-teams_modulehost.exe. This course of can be accountable for managing call-related features independently from the primary utility. By isolating these elements, Microsoft expects to cut back system pressure, decrease crash charges throughout conferences, and shorten general startup time.

This strategy builds on the structure of the present Groups shopper, which is predicated on WebView2, a framework that primarily permits web-based apps to run as desktop software program. In principle, offloading advanced options—akin to audio and video modules—right into a separate course of ought to stop the primary utility from turning into overloaded. Microsoft has taken an analogous path with File Explorer in Home windows 11, the place sure parts are modularized to enhance responsiveness.

Over the previous few years, Microsoft Groups has obtained a big variety of new capabilities, together with expanded collaboration instruments, AI-powered assembly features, and deeper integration with Microsoft 365. Whereas these upgrades have improved usability, they’ve additionally elevated the app’s useful resource consumption.

Many Home windows customers report frequent freezes, delays when launching Groups, and RAM utilization exceeding 1 GB, even throughout fundamental chat or video calls. These complaints have grown extra frequent as organizations depend on Groups for day by day workflows.

The brand new course of is Microsoft’s try to mitigate these points with out absolutely redesigning the applying. Nonetheless, some observers argue {that a} more practical long-term resolution could be to rebuild Groups as a native Home windows utility, utilizing frameworks akin to UWP or WinUI, that are recognized for higher efficiency and decrease useful resource calls for. A local model may run extra effectively and scale back reminiscence utilization with out counting on extra background processes.

This example echoes related selections made by different firms; Meta, for instance, lately launched a brand new WhatsApp desktop shopper primarily based on WebView2 as effectively. The outcome has been elevated useful resource utilization and slower efficiency in comparison with a local utility.

For now, Microsoft’s modular strategy goals to ship rapid enhancements, although it stays to be seen how a lot impression the brand new course of could have on on a regular basis use of Microsoft Groups on Home windows.

Filed in Computers. Learn extra about Microsoft Teams and Windows 11.