Chrome and Edge Will Tap Your GPU for Smoother Video Calls on Windows 11
Video calls are about to run smoother on Windows 11. Soon, Chrome and Edge will offload video encoding to your graphics card instead of relying on the CPU, thanks to D3D12 support.
What’s Changing
Right now, Chrome and Edge handle video calls and screen sharing using your processor. With D3D12 video encoding, they’ll switch that heavy work to the GPU. The result is smoother calls, sharper screen shares, and less strain on your computer.
Why It Matters
- Smoother Google Meet, Teams, and Zoom calls
- Longer battery life on laptops during meetings
- Less lag and clearer video when sharing your screen
- Cooler running systems since the GPU handles the load
All of this happens automatically. Your browser checks if your PC supports D3D12 encoding and uses it. If not, it falls back to the old method without any tweaks from you.
How to Try It Early
Developers and curious users can test D3D12 encoding now in Chrome Canary. Just enable the new “D3D12 video encoder” flag and restart your browser. Once GPU drivers fully support it, the feature will roll out to the main Chrome and Edge releases.
Extra Browser Boosts
Alongside GPU encoding, Chrome is also working on:
- Prefetching bookmarks for faster loading
- Speeding up the New Tab page
- Making incognito mode harder for websites to detect
- Using Google Gemini AI to detect payment amounts for buy-now-pay-later sites
What to Expect
When GPU encoding lands in your browser, you’ll notice video calls use less CPU power, meaning other apps run better during meetings. Laptops will stay cooler and battery life will stretch longer. Screen sharing will feel more responsive. And you won’t need to change a thing—your browser takes care of it for you.
This upgrade makes browser-based video conferencing more reliable and efficient, keeping up with the demands of today’s remote work and online socializing.
