If Microsoft Teams keeps crashing, freezing, or closing unexpectedly, start by completely quitting Teams, checking for updates, repairing or resetting the app, and clearing its local data when appropriate. If the problem continues, check Windows resource usage, graphics drivers, VPN or security software, and reinstall Teams if necessary.
A Teams crash can happen in different ways. The app may close during a meeting, freeze when you open a chat, stop responding after running for several hours, or crash before it opens. Because these symptoms can have different causes, it is better to identify how Teams is failing before changing multiple settings.
This guide covers the most useful troubleshooting steps for Microsoft Teams on Windows, starting with the simplest fixes and progressing to deeper solutions.
Why Does Microsoft Teams Keep Crashing?
Teams relies on Windows, local application data, memory, graphics components, network connections, and background services. A problem with any of these can affect the desktop application.
Common causes include:
- Corrupted or damaged Teams data
- An outdated Teams or Windows installation
- Problems with the Teams installation
- Graphics or driver conflicts
- High CPU or memory usage
- Conflicts with VPN, antivirus, or other background software
- Problems that occur specifically during video meetings
- A damaged application or user state
Microsoft also provides dedicated guidance for Teams client crashes, including situations where security or data-loss-prevention software interferes with the Teams desktop client or Microsoft Edge WebView2.
First, Identify How Teams Is Crashing
Before changing settings, determine which situation matches your problem.
Teams closes completely
If the Teams window disappears and you have to open it again, investigate the application, its local data, drivers, and conflicting software.
Teams freezes but Windows still works
If Teams stops responding while your mouse and other applications continue working, the problem may be limited to the application.
If other programs also freeze when you open them, see our Laptop Freezes When Opening One App guide for broader application-freezing troubleshooting.
Teams crashes during meetings
If the problem happens when you turn on your camera, microphone, video, or screen sharing, graphics drivers, hardware, system resources, or background software deserve closer attention.
Teams will not open
If Teams crashes immediately after launch, repairing, resetting, clearing its local data, or reinstalling the application may be more useful than changing network settings.
This distinction matters because a Teams crash is not automatically a network problem.
How to Fix Microsoft Teams Keeps Crashing
1. Completely Quit Teams and Open It Again
Start with a complete application restart.
Closing the Teams window does not always stop every Teams process. The application can continue running in the background.
To completely close it:
- Right-click the Teams icon in the taskbar notification area and choose the option to quit Teams.
- Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager.
- Look for Microsoft Teams if it is still running.
- Select the relevant process and choose End task.
- Open Teams again.
Test the action that normally causes the crash before making additional changes.
If Teams works normally after restarting but begins crashing again after a longer session, continue with the resource and application-data checks below.
2. Repair or Reset Microsoft Teams
Windows provides repair and reset options for supported applications.
Open:
Settings > Apps > Installed apps
Find Microsoft Teams, select the three-dot menu, and choose Advanced options if available.
Depending on your version of Windows and Teams, you may see Repair and Reset.
Start with Repair.
Repair attempts to correct application problems without immediately removing all local data. If the problem continues, Reset provides a deeper cleanup.
Be aware that resetting New Teams removes app data and may remove personalization settings. Microsoft documents resetting New Teams as a supported way to clear its local application data.
After repairing or resetting Teams, open it again and test the problem.
3. Clear Teams Cache or Local Data
Corrupted local application data can sometimes interfere with Teams.
However, clearing the cache is not a universal solution for every Teams crash. It is most useful when the problem appears to involve damaged or outdated local data.
For the current New Teams client on Windows, Microsoft provides a reset method through Windows:
Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Microsoft Teams > Advanced options > Reset
If you need to manually clear New Teams local data, Microsoft documents this location:
%userprofile%\appdata\local\Packages\MSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbwe\LocalCache\Microsoft\MSTeamsFirst close Teams completely. Then open File Explorer, paste the path into the address bar, and delete the contents of the folder before reopening Teams.
Teams may take longer to start the first time afterward because its local data has to be rebuilt.
If your installation uses a different Teams version, the storage location may differ. Avoid deleting unrelated folders simply because they contain the word “Teams.”
4. Update Teams and Windows
An outdated Teams installation can develop compatibility problems with newer Windows components, while Windows updates can contain fixes for application and system issues.
First check whether Teams has an update available.
Then open:
Settings > Windows Update
Install available updates and allow Windows to complete the process. Restart the computer afterward and test Teams again.
Microsoft notes that the Teams desktop application normally updates automatically, although updates can occur while the application is idle.
If Teams started crashing immediately after a particular Windows, Teams, or driver update, note when the problem began. That timing can help identify whether the update is relevant instead of simply installing more software and hoping the problem disappears.
5. Check CPU, Memory, Disk, and GPU Usage
Teams can use significant system resources during video meetings, particularly when you are also running browser tabs, file synchronization, screen-sharing software, or other applications.
Open Task Manager with:
Ctrl + Shift + Esc
Check:
- CPU
- Memory
- Disk
- GPU
If Memory remains close to full, other applications may be competing with Teams for available RAM.
If GPU usage rises sharply when you start a video meeting or enable screen sharing, graphics drivers or another application using the GPU may deserve investigation.
If Disk usage repeatedly reaches 100% while Teams becomes unresponsive, the crash may be occurring alongside a broader Windows performance problem. See our 100% Disk Usage guide for a more focused diagnosis.
If Windows remains slow even after Teams is closed, the problem probably extends beyond Teams. See our Windows 11 Slow Fix guide for broader performance troubleshooting.
6. Check Graphics Drivers and Meeting Hardware
If Teams mainly crashes when you start a video call, enable your camera, use screen sharing, or switch between meeting views, investigate the hardware involved.
Open Device Manager and check relevant categories such as:
- Display adapters
- Cameras
- Sound, video and game controllers
- Network adapters
Do not blindly update every driver on your computer.
Instead, focus on the hardware involved in the crash and obtain drivers through Windows Update or your laptop manufacturer’s official support site.
If the problem began immediately after a graphics-driver update, rolling back that specific driver may be more appropriate than installing another version.
You can also test Teams with unnecessary external devices disconnected. A problematic webcam, USB audio device, docking station, or other peripheral can complicate meeting-related troubleshooting.
If the entire computer starts stuttering or freezing while Teams is running, rather than Teams being the only application affected, see our Computer Stuttering Issues guide.
7. Test Without Conflicting Background Software
VPN clients, third-party security software, system-management tools, overlays, and other background applications can sometimes interfere with desktop applications.
This does not mean you should permanently disable antivirus or security protection.
Instead, look for a connection between a particular background application and the Teams crash.
For example, if Teams consistently crashes when a VPN is connected but works normally after the VPN is disconnected, that is a useful diagnostic clue.
Other software worth investigating includes:
- Third-party antivirus
- Endpoint security software
- VPN clients
- Screen overlays
- System optimization utilities
- Hardware-control software
Microsoft’s Teams troubleshooting guidance specifically recommends checking whether security or data-loss-prevention software is correctly allowing the Teams desktop client and Microsoft Edge WebView2 to operate.
If you are using a work-managed computer, security settings may be controlled by your organization’s IT department. Do not change enterprise security policies without permission.
8. Reinstall Microsoft Teams
If Teams continues crashing after repair, reset, local-data cleanup, updates, and conflict testing, reinstalling the application can provide a clean starting point.
Uninstall Teams through Windows, restart the computer, and install the current desktop version through Microsoft’s supported distribution channel.
Reinstallation is particularly worth considering when:
- Teams crashes immediately after opening
- Repair and reset have not helped
- Local application files appear damaged
- Teams behaves differently from the web version
- The problem began after an incomplete installation
If Teams works correctly in a browser but repeatedly crashes in the desktop application, that is an important clue that the desktop installation or local Windows environment needs further investigation.
When the Problem May Not Be Teams
If none of the steps above work, don’t keep deleting random files or changing unrelated Windows settings.
Instead, look for patterns.
Ask yourself:
- Does Teams crash immediately or only after several minutes?
- Does it happen only during meetings?
- Does enabling the camera trigger it?
- Does screen sharing cause the crash?
- Does the web version work normally?
- Does another Windows account experience the same problem?
- Did the problem begin after a Windows or driver update?
- Does the entire computer become slow or unresponsive?
If Teams is only one application among several that freeze, our Laptop Freezes When Opening One App guide can help you determine whether the problem is application-specific.
If Teams crashes while your laptop also becomes unusually hot, loud, or slow during long meetings, see our Laptop Hot and Slow guide for thermal and performance troubleshooting.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
Don’t delete random Teams folders
Teams uses different storage locations depending on the client version. Follow the appropriate Microsoft-supported method instead of deleting unrelated folders.
Don’t install multiple PC optimizer programs
Third-party cleaners may modify Windows settings without addressing the actual cause of the Teams crash.
Don’t permanently disable security software
If security software appears to interfere with Teams, investigate the specific conflict or contact your IT administrator rather than leaving protection disabled.
Don’t update every driver blindly
Only update or roll back drivers that are relevant to the symptoms.
Don’t assume every Teams problem is a network problem
A Teams application crash is different from a dropped call, poor video quality, or an unstable connection.
Quick Fix Checklist
If you want a shorter troubleshooting path:
- Completely quit Teams and reopen it.
- Check CPU, Memory, Disk, and GPU usage in Task Manager.
- Repair Teams through Windows if the option is available.
- Reset Teams if repair does not help.
- Clear New Teams local data using Microsoft’s supported method.
- Update Teams and Windows.
- Check relevant graphics, camera, audio, and network drivers.
- Test without a VPN or conflicting background application.
- Reinstall Teams if it remains unstable.
- Check whether other Windows applications are also freezing or crashing.
Official Microsoft Resources
For deeper troubleshooting, these official Microsoft resources provide additional guidance for diagnosing Teams crashes, clearing local Teams data, and reinstalling the application.
- Troubleshoot in Microsoft Teams — Microsoft’s central troubleshooting hub for Teams, covering common problems with the desktop app, meetings, connectivity, settings, and more.
- I can’t reconnect to Microsoft Teams — includes Microsoft’s guidance for quitting Teams, clearing its cache, signing in again, testing the web version, and checking VPN-related problems.
- Uninstall Microsoft Teams — explains how to properly remove Teams from Windows before reinstalling it, including the additional Teams component that may need to be uninstalled.
- Fix problems that block programs from being installed or removed — useful if Teams cannot be installed, uninstalled, or updated normally. Microsoft also covers Windows app repair and reset options on this page.
Related Windows Troubleshooting
- Laptop Freezes When Opening One App — when Teams or another application freezes while the rest of Windows remains responsive.
- Windows 11 Slow Fix — when Teams problems occur alongside broader Windows performance issues.
- Computer Stuttering Issues — when Teams problems occur alongside repeated pauses or system freezes.
- 100% Disk Usage — when high disk activity appears while Teams is running.
- Laptop Hot and Slow — when long Teams sessions are accompanied by excessive heat and declining performance.
Final Takeaway
When Microsoft Teams keeps crashing, don’t immediately assume that your laptop is damaged. First determine whether Teams alone is failing or whether Windows is also experiencing performance problems.
Completely quitting Teams, repairing or resetting the application, clearing its local data when appropriate, updating Teams and Windows, checking system resources, and investigating graphics or background-software conflicts provide a structured way to find the cause.
If those steps don’t resolve the problem, reinstall Teams and compare its behavior with the web version. That can help determine whether the issue is specific to the desktop application or part of a wider Windows problem.
