Remember Recall? It’s been close to full trip around the sun since Microsoft announced then suddenly pulled its AI-powered, auto-screenshotting “photographic memory” software for Copilot+ PCs. Whether you want it or not, the feature is coming back, and you should be prepared for it not just if you’re planning to use it, but if you imagine any of your friends, family, or coworkers plan to use it too.
Microsoft’s latest blog about the Windows Insider build KB5055627 includes the note that Recall is rolling out “gradually” to beta users over the coming weeks. Like what Microsoft first showed off in May 2024, Recall automatically screenshots most apps, webpages, or documents you’re on. The system catalogues all these screenshots then uses on-device AI to parse what’s on each screenshot. Users can then search through those screenshots and return to those pages with a single click. If you’re the type of person who can’t remember jack about what webpage you were using yesterday, it does seem like it could be a nifty feature. We expect Microsoft to show off the rejiggered Recall at its Build conference that starts on May 19.
Recall’s caveats, however, are many. As detailed in the feature’s about page, Recall will eat up a portion of your storage and dedicate it exclusively to the rotating volume of screenshots. By default, a SSD with 1 TB or more will dedicate 150 GB to the feature. You also need to set how long you want the PC to store screenshots. You can change those settings under Privacy & Security in Recall & Snapshots.
That’s where Recall buts up against a whole host of privacy and security concerns. Microsoft originally recalled Recall when security experts found glaring, obvious holes in the software that let any user with access to the PC read the AI’s excerpts. The program had no qualms about screenshotting bank accounts, social security numbers, or any other sensitive information. Microsoft returned Recall to the drawing board, and now users need to enroll in Windows Hello biometric or PIN security to access the screenshots. Users can also pause screenshots or filter out certain apps or specific webpages (though only for Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Chrome browsers). That may not be foolproof, as reports from late last year showed Recall failed to detect when it was looking at bank info. It will be up to users to ensure every sensitive page they visit is on the no-go list.
Users will choose whether to enable or disable Recall the first time they startup their device with the new update. To disable it, you need to search “Turn Windows features on or off” in the Windows 11 taskbar, then uncheck Recall. For folk with poor memories and even worse file management abilities, Recall can sound very tempting. I’ve used the software in its original form a few times, and it seemed relatively simple and effective, though as all on-device AI search features (see also Google Photos) you may uncover documents you didn’t want.
This is where some security-focused Windows users are especially concerned. You can tell Recall to gather dust alongside all the other pre-installed Windows apps, but that doesn’t mean your less-tech literate family member will. Security blogger Em pointed out in a Mastodon post (via Ars Technica) if you send that family member any photos or sensitive information, they could be scraping everything you text or email them, including family photos or passwords, and you wouldn’t even know it.
Users who are concerned about privacy and security shouldn’t be offloading sensitive information though an unsecured text or email app in the first place. Still, let’s be honest, most users won’t be keen on migrating to Signal chats when they’re all stuck in their ways on Discord or Messenger. To be clear, Microsoft should not expect every base user to be a privacy expert. The feature would likely be less of a problem if Recall were disabled by default and users needed to enable it in settings, or if users needed to download it as a separate app. I may end up using Recall, but not on my home PC when that 150 GB of storage could be better used for my games (which, in today’s age, is equivalent to one whole Baldur’s Gate III).
