Enabling-Disabling Software/Hardware GPU Encoding/Decoding in New Teams. Where is it hidden now?

Question

Good day!

Trying to figure out where the option to enable or disable the GPU Hardware/Software decoding/encoding is located in the New Teams. Classic Teams, no problem, but its no longer supported.

My main issue (and for all our colleagues) is related to the transcoding of the webcams. Either the onboard GPU is bogged down, or Desktop Window Manager bogs down our laptops. We are unable to share any documents or just chat virtually. This seems to be a common problem, scouring the Community Forums here.

So what I am tryin at the moment is to nail down if its related to the software encoding or hardware encoding, and if its still an option in the New Teams (or not, since hardware decoding/encoding seemed to be a far more prevalent issue for certain hardware platforms).

Talking for over an hour with a LVL 2 desktop IT support staff in my organisation didn't solve the issue, as I have sufficient hardware capability. Everything is up to date hardware wize.

Using MS Teams v 24165.1414.2987.41.

Thanks!

Answer 1

Hi Terrence,

Thank you for reaching out. My name is Furkaan, a user just like you. I’d be happy to help you with your concerns. It seems you're encountering a common issue with New Teams and GPU performance. Let's break down the problem and potential solutions.

Understanding the Issue GPU Overload: Your onboard GPU is likely struggling to handle video encoding/decoding, leading to performance issues. Desktop Window Manager (DWM) Bottleneck: DWM, responsible for visual effects, might be contributing to the problem. New Teams Limitations: The absence of granular control over GPU settings in New Teams compared to Classic Teams is a known challenge. Potential Solutions Disable GPU Hardware Acceleration:

Check for the Option: While not explicitly mentioned in recent updates, there's a possibility the option still exists. Look under Settings -> Application (or similar) for a "Disable GPU hardware acceleration" toggle. Manual Registry Edit: If the option is missing, you might be able to manually disable it through a registry edit. Proceed with caution and back up your registry before making any changes. Impact: Disabling GPU acceleration might improve performance but could also affect video quality. Optimise GPU Drivers:

Update Drivers: Ensure you have the latest GPU drivers installed. Outdated drivers can cause performance issues. Driver Settings: Explore GPU driver settings for any options related to video encoding/decoding or power management. Utilise Software Encoding:

Check CPU Capabilities: If your CPU is powerful enough, consider using software encoding instead of GPU encoding. This might alleviate GPU load. Teams Settings: While not confirmed, there might be an option to prioritise software encoding within Teams settings. Optimise Teams Settings:

Video Resolution: Lowering video resolution can reduce GPU load. Background Effects: Disable background effects as they can be resource-intensive. Hardware Acceleration (Other Components): Check if there are options to disable hardware acceleration for other components within Teams settings. Provide Feedback to Microsoft:

UserVoice: Share your experience on the Microsoft Teams UserVoice platform to increase visibility of the issue.

If you have any additional questions or concerns, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Give back to the Community. Help the next person who has this issue by indicating if this reply solved your problem. Click Yes or No below. Best Regards, Furkaan

Answer 2

UserVoice is no longer supported, so posted in FeedbackPortal https://feedbackportal.microsoft.com/feedback/idea/a0ddaa1f-a44a-ef11-b4ad-000d3a0e6a3a

Answer 3

That's a great start Furkaan! I'm sure it will provide pointers to others who are having issues with the "New" MS Teams.

To clarify in more details, our problem lies with work issued laptops that has the integrated GPU on the processor (i5 10th gen, GPU - 0 ) being bogged down completely, compounded with Desktop Window Manager hitting 99% frequently (seen in Task Manager) while having MS Spreadsheet, Adobe Acrobat or other applications used while presenting content or working collaboratively on a shared document/resource.

An additional step that has alleviated the problem on my current laptop about 2 weeks ago is to force in the NVIDIA Control Panel (for the dedicated GPU, GPU - 1) to have the New MS Teams run on the dedicated GPU, rather than the GPU on the Intel processor.

As a side note, Zoom Workplace ( v6.1.1) was also causing the same issue, but was mitigated by forcing Zoom to run on the dedicated GPU (GPU - 1). I however still see DWM spike to 99% chronically and cant seem to find a solution for DWM with using either MS New Teams and Zoom Workplace. We still experience long hang-ups and frame drops while presenting and sharing content.

If you have further troubleshooting tips for DWM, please tell!

Below is what has been done so far (from your suggestions above):

Graphics driver for processor and dedicated GPU are up to date (Lenovo ThinkVantage and Intel Driver Support and Assistant used for that).

Hardware Acceleration: Hardware-accelerated GPU Scheduling is currently turned on. Has been since since we received these work issued laptops.

Registry Editing: Locked by User Policy, so no possibilities here.

Optimize Driver Settings: As mentioned above, I have forced NVIDIA Control Panel to run all GPU related tasks on the dedicated GPU, to remove the workload sent to the GPU on the processor. This includes running MS Teams with the dedicated GPU and can be confirmed in the NVIDIA GPU Activity panel in the system tray.

However I have not edited the Intel integrated GPU settings yet. I may look at that if I switch back to the i-GPU, however, problems will return and worsen for us.

Utilise Software Encoding (MS Teams): It is currently set by default in the new MS Teams to software encoding. No way to turn on hardware transcoding in the app settings. Verifying in the app is easily done while in a call and checking for video call statistics.

Video Resolution: I need a high resolution webcam to effectively do my job (chairing committees, external/public speaking events). So not an option.

Disable background effects: I do not have a green screen nor my employer wants to pay for it. So I have to use the Blur setting for my background in MS Teams.

"Hardware Acceleration (Other Components): Check if there are options to disable hardware acceleration for other components within Teams settings." I'm not sure what you mean here, so far, the new Teams do not provide access as compared to MS Teams Classic.

Microsoft Teams UserVoice: That's new to me, thanks for pointing out. I will try to see if I can post my feedback there and link this forum thread.

Thanks for your help!