Chrome and Edge Will Soon Use Windows 11’s GPU Power for Video Calls

Google is adding a new feature in Chrome that lets the browser use “D3D12 video encoding” on Windows 11. In simple terms, this means Chrome (and Microsoft Edge, since it’s also based on Chromium) will soon handle video calls and screen sharing with improved performance.

Right now, Chrome mostly relies on your computer’s CPU for video calls or sharing your screen. With D3D12, that heavy lifting shifts to the GPU, the same chip that powers games and graphics. This makes video calls and sharing smoother, uses less power, and can even improve video and audio quality.

D3D12 Video Encoding Brings Faster Video Calls

D3D12 video encoding has actually been in development for the last two years. Now, Google is making it easier for users to try by adding a new flag in Chrome’s early release versions. This flag will soon appear in Chrome Canary, allowing anyone to test the new feature before it rolls out to everyone.

Here’s what the new “D3D12 video encoder” flag does:

• Enables D3D12 video encoding
• Falls back to the older Media Foundation video encoder if D3D12 isn’t supported or fails to start

How D3D12 Video Encoding Works

For everyday users, this means:

• Smoother Google Meet, Teams, or Zoom calls in the browser
• Better battery life during long meetings on laptops
• Less lag and sharper video when sharing your screen

Chrome and Edge will automatically try to use D3D12 encoding if your PC supports it, and will switch to the older system if not. It’s being tested now and should roll out more widely once graphics card makers improve support in their drivers.

This update might sound technical, but the idea is simple: make video calls in Chrome and Edge smoother, more reliable, and less demanding on your computer. Over time, users should notice better performance and longer battery life during meetings.

That’s not all. Google will use prefetching in Chrome to load bookmarks and the New Tab page more quickly. The company is also making incognito mode harder for websites to track.

Additionally, Chrome could use Google Gemini AI to extract the checkout amount for BNPL payments.