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Microsoft is preparing to launch a new version of Microsoft Teams next month that has been rebuilt from the ground up to significantly improve its system resource usage on PCs and laptops. Sources familiar with Microsoft’s plans tell The Verge that the software giant has recently started testing this new Teams client broadly inside Microsoft, with plans to roll out a preview to Microsoft Teams users in March.
Known as Microsoft Teams 2.0 or 2.1 internally, Microsoft has been working on this new Teams client for years. The app should use 50 percent less memory, tax the CPU less, and result in better battery life on laptops.
While Microsoft shipped some of this early work in the built-in Teams experience for consumers in Windows 11, businesses running Teams have been using the older Teams client due to the amount of work involved for Microsoft to rebuild the client. This new app moves Teams away from Electron and to Microsoft’s Edge Webview2 technology. Microsoft has also moved to React, a Javascript library, that will offer further UI improvements for Teams in the coming months.
In a Twitter thread detailing the initial Microsoft Teams improvements for Windows 11 in 2021, former head of Microsoft Teams engineering Rish Tandon said Microsoft’s new architecture will be key for future Teams improvements. “This architecture will help us add support for multiple accounts, work life scenarios, release predictability, and scale up for the client,” said Tandon. “It will be a journey but with Windows 11 we have taken key first steps.”
The improvements should mean Teams opens a lot faster or feels more responsive when you’re presenting in a meeting or responding to messages. The new Teams app should address many of the criticisms and complaints around Teams performance, particularly on older laptops.
Microsoft is currently planning to ship a preview of its new app to Teams users in late March, which includes a toggle to switch back to the existing app if need be.
