Calls and video on Windows

WFCC encodes and decodes video on your graphics card, so calls stay smooth and the fans stay quiet. This page shows what the app uses and how to make sure your PC gets the hardware path.

What WFCC uses

• Voice — Opus. The codec behind most modern calling apps. Speech stays clear at low bitrates and short dropouts are smoothed over.
• Video and screen sharing — HEVC (H.265). It needs up to half the data of older H.264 for the same picture, which is what keeps video going on mobile networks.
• Video messages in chat — HEVC. They play on any Windows 10 or 11 PC without extra installs.
• Echo cancellation and noise suppression are built into the app. You don’t need any extra software.

Hardware acceleration

WFCC talks to the video engine of your graphics card directly and picks it automatically at the start of every call.

Graphics	Video engine	Hardware HEVC from
Intel	Quick Sync Video	6th-generation Intel Core (2015) and newer, Intel Arc
NVIDIA	NVENC / NVDEC	GeForce GTX 950 and 960, GeForce GTX 10-series and newer, all RTX
AMD	VCN / AMF	Radeon RX 400 series and newer, Ryzen processors with Radeon graphics

If the graphics card can’t do it, WFCC switches to the software path built into Windows. The call still works — the processor just does more of the work.

Turn on hardware HEVC

1. Install the graphics driver from the maker, not the generic one from Windows Update. The maker’s driver includes the video engine runtime WFCC uses.
   • Intel: Intel Driver & Support Assistant
   • NVIDIA: NVIDIA App or drivers
   • AMD: AMD Software: Adrenalin Edition
2. Restart the PC after the driver update.
3. Windows N and KN editions only: install the Media Feature Pack. Settings → Apps → Optional features → View features → Media Feature Pack. Without it Windows has no media components and video will not start.
4. Allow the camera and microphone. Settings → Privacy & security → Camera, then Microphone → turn on “Let desktop apps access your camera” and “…your microphone”.
5. Check that it works. Start a video call and open Task Manager → Performance → GPU. Switch one of the graphs to “Video Encode” or “Video Decode” — it should move during the call. If it stays flat and the processor is busy, the call is on the software path: go back to step 1.

Do I need “HEVC Video Extensions” from Microsoft Store?

No. The WFCC app does not use that package: its decoder is not stable enough for real-time calls, so WFCC skips it even when it is installed. If you already have it, leave it — it doesn’t affect WFCC.

WFCC in a browser

Calls in a browser use the browser’s own video support.

• Google Chrome (latest version) on a PC with the graphics listed above works without extra installs.
• Microsoft Edge plays HEVC only when “HEVC Video Extensions” (or the free “HEVC Video Extensions from Device Manufacturer”) is installed from Microsoft Store. That is a requirement of the browser, not of WFCC.
• For everyday calls the Windows app is the better choice: it uses the graphics card directly and keeps running in the background.

Troubleshooting

You see	What to do
Video is black or frozen	Update the graphics driver from the maker (step 1) and restart. On Windows N or KN, install the Media Feature Pack.
Fans are loud and the PC slows down during video calls	Check step 5. If the video graphs stay flat, update the driver. Close other apps that use the camera.
Others can’t hear you	Check the microphone permission (step 4) and the input device in Windows Settings → System → Sound.
People hear an echo	WFCC removes echo automatically. If the speakers are loud and close to the microphone, turn them down or use a headset.
The picture gets softer during a call	WFCC lowers the resolution on a weak connection to keep the call going and raises it again when the connection improves. Move closer to the Wi-Fi router or switch networks.

On Android

Android phones encode and decode video on their own chip. On a phone without hardware HEVC, WFCC switches to a compatible mode automatically — you don’t need to set anything up.