Microsoft has released “Recall,” a new AI-powered feature for Windows 11 that records and indexes every action a user takes on a computer to make it easier to search through past actions using natural language queries. Recall functions similarly to a digital photo memory, allowing users to go through a timeline of former images to retrieve previous material from any program, website, or document.
A Copilot+ PC with a 40 TOPs NPU, a Snapdragon X CPU, 16GB of RAM, and 256GB of storage are needed in order to run Recall. Periodically, the functionality takes screenshots of windows that are open, assembling them into a semantic index that can be queryed with natural language. Text, photos, and URLs are all included in this index, enabling interactive information retrieval.
Even when shared with other users on the same device, the Bitlocker-encrypted snapshots linked to the user’s account stay local. Microsoft highlights that users maintain complete control over what Recall records and that data is stored locally on the device rather than in the cloud. They have the ability to stop recording, remove pictures, change time intervals, and prevent certain apps and websites from being saved. By default, the functionality blocks DRM-protected content and content from Microsoft Edge’s InPrivate windows.
English, Chinese (simplified), French, German, Japanese, and Spanish will be the first languages supported by Recall when it launches in June. Other languages will be supported later. Recall offers customers privacy and control, as highlighted by Yusuf Mehdi from Microsoft. customers may control the recording process directly from the Taskbar’s System Tray by adjusting its settings. Microsoft has also admitted that Recall does not moderate content, which could result in the collection of private data like banking account information and login credentials.
