Guides / Teams stuck on loading or a white screen: what to do

Last reviewed 5 Oct 2026

Teams stuck on loading or a white screen: what to do

New Teams stuck on the loading logo or a blank white window? Test the web app, reset the client cache, check WebView2, and what admins check next.

The Teams logo sits there pulsing. Or the window opens completely white. Or it loads half the interface and the chat list never appears. This is one of the most common Teams tickets, and it is nearly always the desktop client rather than the Teams service.

The one-minute test

Open teams.microsoft.com in a private browser window and sign in as the same user. Three outcomes:

• Web works. Teams is up. Fix the desktop app with the steps below.
• Web fails for this user only. Account, licence or sign-in policy. Note any error code.
• Web fails for everyone. Check the Teams status page and Service health in the admin centre. Stop reinstalling.

User-level fixes (new Teams on Windows)

1. Quit fully. Right-click the Teams icon in the system tray and choose Quit. Closing the window leaves it running.
2. Reset the app. Settings → Apps → Installed apps → Microsoft Teams → Advanced options → Reset. This clears the app's local data without touching chats, which live in Microsoft 365.
3. Or clear the cache by hand. With Teams quit, delete the contents of %userprofile%AppDataLocalPackagesMSTeams_8wekyb3d8bbweLocalCacheMicrosoftMSTeams, then start Teams.
4. Check Microsoft Edge WebView2 Runtime. New Teams draws its interface with WebView2. If it is missing or broken, you get a white window. It is listed under Installed apps; repair or reinstall it from Microsoft.
5. Sign out and back in, choosing the correct work account if more than one appears.
6. Restart the PC. Boring, but pending Windows or Office updates often hold Teams files open.

On a Mac

Quit Teams from the Dock, then clear its cache folders under ~/Library/Group Containers/UBF8T346G9.com.microsoft.teams and ~/Library/Containers/com.microsoft.teams2, as Microsoft's own cache-clearing instructions describe. Reopen Teams and sign in.

Network causes

Teams loads from many Microsoft endpoints. A proxy or firewall doing SSL inspection on those hosts can leave the client spinning while the browser, which trusts the corporate certificate, works fine. Microsoft publishes the list in Microsoft 365 URLs and IP address ranges; the "Optimize" and "Allow" categories should bypass inspection. Test on a phone hotspot. If Teams loads on the hotspot, the office network is the fault.

Admin-level checks

• Licence. In the Microsoft 365 admin centre, confirm the user still has a licence that includes Teams. A missing licence often looks like endless loading before it shows a clean message.
• Sign-in logs. In the Entra admin centre, check the user's sign-ins to Microsoft Teams for Conditional Access failures, especially device compliance rules.
• Teams policies. In the Teams admin centre, check the user's app setup and update policies. A user stuck on an old client build because updates are blocked can fail to load after a service change.
• Reinstall machine-wide. For managed fleets, redeploy new Teams with Microsoft's bootstrapper rather than per-user installers.
• VDI. Virtual desktops need the right Teams optimisation components. Test on a physical laptop before blaming Microsoft.

When to escalate

Escalate to Microsoft when Teams on the web fails for multiple users, Service health shows a Teams incident, or clean installs on different networks all fail the same way. Bring the time it started, the error codes, and client logs (download them from Teams settings or collect them with the support tool). For a single user whose web app works, it stays a desk ticket.

Related status pages

• Microsoft Teams
• Microsoft 365
• Microsoft Entra ID

Related guides

• Teams video calls freezing: outage or network?
• Microsoft 365 sign-in loop or 'More information required'
• Outlook keeps asking for a password: how to stop the prompts

FAQ

Why is Microsoft Teams stuck on the loading screen?

Usually corrupt local cache, a broken Edge WebView2 runtime, a sign-in token issue, or a proxy blocking Teams endpoints. If Teams on the web works for the same account, reset the desktop app.

Will clearing the Teams cache delete my chats?

No. Chats, files and meetings are stored in Microsoft 365. Clearing the cache removes local data, and Teams downloads what it needs again.

Why does Teams open as a white screen?

New Teams renders its interface with Microsoft Edge WebView2. A missing or damaged WebView2 runtime, or graphics driver problems, can leave a blank white window. Repair WebView2 and update the graphics driver.

How do I know if Teams is down for everyone?

Try teams.microsoft.com in a private window and ask a colleague elsewhere. If it fails for many people at once, check the Teams status page and Service health in the Microsoft 365 admin centre.