First look at new Microsoft Teams 2.0 for Windows 10 and Windows 11

Microsoft has been working on a redesigned version of Microsoft Teams for Windows 10 and Windows 11. Unlike the current desktop client, Microsoft Teams 2.0 moves from the Electron to Edge Webview 2 and switches to React.js (open-source front-end JavaScript library) from Angular.

The brand new Teams client was first announced at the Windows 11 event and is currently called “Teams 2.0”. With Microsoft Teams 2.0, Microsoft plans to target consumers and make its popular video collaboration tool available on more devices.

Microsoft Teams 2.0 is based on Edge WebView2 and will initially be exclusive to Windows 10 and Windows 11. With Edge WebView 2, Microsoft will use embedded web technologies (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript) and the Chromium rendering engine in Microsoft Teams.

Thanks to a leaked build, we have now managed to download and install an early preview of the brand new Microsoft Teams app.

Microsoft Teams 2.0 first look

The new app is built around the Microsoft Teams web and doesn’t look significantly different from the existing app or website, but it uses Edge (Chromium) WebView, which means that Microsoft has removed the browser’s address bar and users can use Microsoft Teams can run in a separate window like the current desktop app.

The browser extension and main menu are also gone for a native app-like experience, but you can find traces of the Edge browser when you right-click anywhere in the app window.

In our testing, we found that Teams 2.0 is significantly faster than the current desktop app and can run smoothly on lower-end devices with 4 GB RAM and Core i3 (10th generation) without major performance degradation.

Teams memory usage has also dropped and overall performance is significantly better than the current platform. In fact, Microsoft Teams can now launch directly and not get stuck on the loading screen, thanks to Microsoft Edge background processes and WebView integration.

Another thing you’ll notice is the app’s adaptive interface. You can now easily resize the app window and the interface will resize automatically, which is not possible with the Electron app.

Microsoft has also enabled integration with all Windows 10 features such as native notifications, including the upcoming Teams chat app in Windows 11.

Designed with consumer and performance in mind, this new Teams client will provide an “always up-to-date nature” through the use of Edge WebView. In other words, users can easily download and update the client.

All necessary Microsoft Teams features are available in the new version, but advanced controls are currently missing. For example, the functionality of the Together mode is limited and users cannot change the noise reduction settings.

The new web-based Teams client is currently in development and Microsoft will provide support for features such as multiple accounts and improved PowerPoint integration in the coming weeks.

Microsoft will formally announce the new Teams experience in a few weeks.

Source: windowslatest