What is Windows Recall and Why is Microsoft Bringing it Back?

Edmund_McGowan

In life there are things we remember and things we forget. From a cherished childhood memory to remembering where we left our keys, it's important to remember! Beyond managing the hustle and bustle of everyday life and staying on top of practical necessities, we also need to keep track of a vast array of documents, files, apps, and websites. Traditionally, navigating the history of your activities on your PC was a laborious task, with files seemingly hiding in the labyrinth of the Windows OS. Oh, how the world longed for an intuitive, user-friendly way to retrace our steps and locate important files!

It’s safe to say that we are now well and truly in the early days of AI-enhanced PCs. From cloud-based AI assistants and chatbots, to on-device NPU generated AI power, the applications of AI for PC users are many. Windows Recall is a brand new AI enhancement for Windows 11 that uses on-device AI to track and capture everything you do on your PC. At a later date, when you need to find anything, you can interact with Recall using natural language. For example, if you need to find a photo from your fishing trip with ol’ uncle Bob, instead of trawling through thousands of photos, you could simply describe the image for Recall to locate.

Now, you may be thinking Recall sounds like a great idea, or you may fear that this is a way for Windows to steal all of your information. Either way, if you want to get the lowdown on this controversial addition to Windows, and discover how to disable Windows Recall read on!

What is Recall and when can I get it?  

If you’re wondering when Recall from Microsoft is coming out, well it's a slightly tricky question to answer. First announced on May 20, Windows Recall was originally slated to be introduced in June as part of the Windows 11 update. Alas, some things are not meant to be. Due to security and privacy concerns, as well as some serious consumer backlash, a preview version of Recall feature is now set to be released this October. To use Windows Recall, you’ll need a Copilot+ PC, a new generation of AI enhanced computers with onboard NPUs designed to run  programs like Recall.

So, what exactly is Recall? Very simply, Recall lets you search across the timeline of your PC for the content you require and easily re-engage with it. Recall takes snapshots of your screen every 5 seconds, which are then stored and analyzed locally. 3 months of history is stored by default. At a later date, you can simply search for any file by describing it to Recall, which then displays results from all apps where the program finds matches. Displayed under headings of text and visual matches, both close and related matches can be opened and interacted with as you please.  

What can Recall do for me? 

There are several benefits that Windows Recall can bring to users of all stripes. A huge amount of time can be saved by quickly retracing your digital steps to locate recent files and documents. With Recall, hours of trawling through the memory banks of your PC will soon be nothing but a distant memory! Recall can also improve your productivity. Thanks to its visual nature, users can swiftly locate tasks they were previously working on, without spending ages trying to locate apps or files. For many of us, this visual organization of our work is a most welcome addition that can help streamline our multitasking and workflow. If you’re working on complex projects, or simply want to quickly find the things you need with minimal hassle, then Recall can certainly help.

Why the initial backlash?

Security concerns around the initial Recall release caused an uproar. Microsoft has a fecund history of data breaches, so many users and journalists felt that entrusting more info would simply put users at even more risk. While there are many levels to the security concerns affecting different users, the FAQ dutifully informs us: “Note that Recall does not perform content moderation. It will not hide information such as passwords or financial account numbers.”

While storage is local, Recall could be a malicious threat actor’s dream come true. A candy shop for computer criminal ne’er-do-wells!  In seconds, info-stealer malware could harvest passwords and bank details as well as three months of snapshots from the targeted PC. Other issues raised by the release of Recall include privacy concerns, as well as reduced user control over their activity history and files.

The recall of Recall

While the giants of the tech world hurry to integrate AI into their products, it is human consumers who eventually decide what works, and what doesn’t. On June 13, Microsoft Corporate Vice President for Windows and Devices Pavan Davuluri reassured users on the Windows Blog, "We will continue to build these new capabilities and experiences for our customers by prioritizing privacy, safety and security first.” As such, the Recall (preview) is now in a phased rollout, with the preview available to Windows Insider Program (WIP) users just in time for Halloween, in October.

After the backlash, Microsoft has taken several steps to remedy the situation and regain the world’s trust. Firstly, the swiftly re-named Microsoft Recall (preview) will be opt in, as opposed to opt out when it is launched on Copilot+ PCs.

Secondly, for users to enable Recall (preview), it will require Windows Hello biometric security, as well as other authentication features for increased security. For further info, check out the Windows blog piece in the previous paragraph.

How to disable Recall on Windows 11

Thankfully, it's pretty simple to turn off Windows recall (preview) by following these steps:

Open the Settings app and navigate to Privacy & Security > Recall & snapshots. Turn off the toggle next to Save snapshots.

To delete the snapshots Recall has saved on your PC, in the same menu click Delete all snapshots.

The future of Recall

Time will tell whether we’ll look back on the release of Windows Recall (preview) with fondness, or if, akin to Douglas Quaid in Total Recall, our memories will lead us into a world of trouble. After Windows Recall (preview) becomes available to Copilot+ PC users this October, there will certainly be further evolutions in the software. From integrations with other Microsoft products and services to performance enhancements, if the initial concerns sparked by Recall are properly addressed, it may well become an integral part of the Windows experience.

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