Microsoft’s Controversial Recall Feature Now Available for Testing

Microsoft has launched the first preview of the Recall feature for Copilot Plus PCs. Windows Insiders on the Dev Channel can now install the latest version of Windows 11 that includes Recall.

What does Recall do?

Recall is an AI-powered tool that captures screenshots of nearly every action you take on Copilot Plus PCs, making it easy to retrieve information later. When Recall is enabled, you can access saved screenshots through natural language queries or a scrollable timeline . Text and images within saved screenshots are analyzed by AI, showing relevant search results.

Initially set to be enabled by default, Recall caused privacy debates and is now deactivated by default, allowing users to enable it if desired. Currently, Recall is available only on Qualcomm-powered Copilot Plus PCs, with support for Intel and AMD devices coming soon.

With Recall activated, users can control which screenshots are saved and delete unwanted ones. It’s also possible to exclude specific apps and websites. Sensitive information such as credit card numbers, passwords, and ID numbers is automatically excluded.

Microsoft states that it won’t have access to Recall-captured screenshots, and they won’t be uploaded to the cloud or used to train AI models.

Using Recall requires Windows Hello, BitLocker, and Secure Boot. These features are already expected to be enabled on Copilot Plus PCs.

Click to Do

Click to Do is part of Recall and enables users to recognize text and images within screenshots, allowing copying text, saving images, or searching on Bing. In the future, Click to Do will be available outside of Recall. It will allow features like visual searches on YouTube videos via Bing.