Sorry, Windows 11 users, but you can’t escape Microsoft’s all-seeing Recall feature so easily
Windows 11 apparently doesn’t offer an option to remove the divisive Recall feature, despite hints in a preview build that it might be possible – at least in some regions.
Deskmodder, a German tech website, recently reported the option in a new preview for Windows 11 24H2, the major update coming later this year.
This prompted Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc, senior product manager for Windows, to reach out The Edge with a statement to clarify: “We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel. This will be resolved in an upcoming update.”
It is therefore likely that this option will be removed from the Control Panel in the next build of 24H2.
Windows 11’s Recall feature is essentially an AI-powered search feature that regularly takes screenshots of activity on your PC and uses them to find things, going far beyond a typical Windows search (and no, it’s not hard, we agree).
The problem is that Recall has been making serious waves and causing a lot of concern since it was first announced, to the point that Microsoft pulled plans to debut it (in preview) with Copilot+ PCs, and subsequently pulled it from test builds of Windows 11. It’s now returning to testing, mind you, in October – so prepare your surfboards for more waves of controversy (no doubt about it).
It should also be noted that Recall only applies to Copilot+ PCs. However, in the future, many more computers will likely have the requisite NPU (and security) to be classified as such a device.
Analysis: The option to delete has been removed
We found it hard to believe that Microsoft would make a choice to remove Recall completely from Windows 11while the software giant could simply provide an option to disable it (the scheme that was previously in place). Removing Recall from functioning entirely from a Windows PC would mean that it would be more difficult to enable, should a random user dump it and then perhaps change their mind later – a niche scenario, perhaps, but still, why would Microsoft provide such a removal option?
Probably not, but the company would have to do so in the EU, where data and privacy regulations may push back harder against Recall than in other regions. But if this option is a bug, does that mean there’s a choice elsewhere for European users – or that they simply won’t get Recall? Or maybe there’s no difference at all for EU users? Possibly.
It has to be said that this is also a bit of a strange bug (not that strange bugs happening on Windows are anything new, of course). Whatever’s going on here, some people were happy to see the ability to remove Recall, and now that Microsoft has clarified that this isn’t happening, they’re probably not going to be too happy with the functionality, even if it’s running in the background on their PC.
Some worry that the feature will eventually be enabled in the future – or rather, that the very presence of Recall built into Windows 11 is an indication that this is the direction Microsoft is headed at some point.