- To disable Recall on Windows 11, open Settings> Privacy & security> Recall & snapshots and turn off the “Save snapshots” toggle switch.
On Windows 11 24H2, you can disable the Recall feature completely or temporarily, and in this guide, I will explain how to perform this configuration. Although the Recall feature can help you to find any activity (such as documents, images, websites, messages, email, apps, and more) you have done on your computer using an AI model that runs locally on the computer, it’s not a feature for everyone since many users can consider this feature a privacy and security concern.
This is because the timeline feature technically constantly takes screenshots of everything that occurs on the screen, and it can record sensitive information (such as passwords, bank account numbers, private images and videos, and more). Sure, it offers encryption, but only if you enable BitLocker on the system drive. Otherwise, if you don’t use the encryption and someone gets access to your computer, the information can be accessible.
Also, many people may be concerned about using system resources and the impact on battery life, even though the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) will handle most of the processing. Theoretically speaking, this feature should not significantly impact battery or performance.
In addition, there is the problem of trust. Although Recall uses an AI model that works locally on the device, a lot of users will be concerned about the company spying on them, which shouldn’t be the case.
Regardless of the reason, even though Microsoft wants you to use this feature, it has added an option in the Settings app to disable Recall completely or temporarily.
In this guide, I will outline the steps to turn off the Recall feature on Windows 11 24H2 or higher releases.
- Completely turn off Recall feature on Windows 11
- Temporarily turn off Recall feature on Windows 11
Completely turn off Recall feature on Windows 11
To disable Recall on Windows 11, use these steps:
Open Settings on Windows 11.
Click on Privacy & security.
Click the Recall & snapshots page.
Turn off the “Save snapshots” toggle switch.
Windows 11 disable Recall / Image: The Wall Street Journal
Once you complete the steps, the Recall feature will be disabled and stop taking snapshots of every activity.
If you want to enable Recall again, use the same instructions, but in step 4, turn on the toggle switch.
Temporarily turn off Recall feature on Windows 11
To pause the Recall feature, use these steps.
Click the Recall button in the Taskbar.
Click the “Pause until tomorrow” button.
Pause Recall / Image: The Wall Street Journal
After you complete the steps, the AI timeline will pause taking snapshots temporarily or until you turn on the feature again.
The Recall feature is expected to be available starting June 18, 2024, when manufacturers begin shipping their new Copilot Plus PCs.
Source: Pureinfotech