Microsoft has initiated a limited public preview of its Windows Recall system – about six months after its unveiling sparked backlash over privacy and security concerns.
As you may recall, Recall is an application designed for Copilot+ PCs that takes a snapshot of a user’s active screen every few seconds and stores them locally for future lookup.
Microsoft’s pitch is that these images can be searched by users who are having trouble remembering what they were doing at some earlier point; they can be recalled by sliding back through a timeline or using text queries. The idea long-term is that Recall will log nearly all application activity on a system, allowing previous work and actions to be located through AI-based search.
Customers saw this functionality as tantamount to spyware. It was widely criticized as a privacy and security nightmare when it was announced at Microsoft’s Build conference in May. Critics pointed out the tool had the potential to inadvertently capture sensitive info such as passwords and financial data, that it appeared to lack sufficient security measures for storing screenshots, and that would all be a goldmine for cybercriminals (and lawyers armed with discovery demands) to plunder.
After initially dismissing such concerns, Microsoft went back to the drawing board 17 days after Recall was announced to rethink the application, and promised a new Windows Insider build “in the coming weeks.” That was back in June; now Microsoft says it’s ready to roll out the software again, albeit in a very limited way.
While Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.2415 does contain Recall, the application will initially only work on Qualcomm Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, which make up a fraction of the Windows user base. It will soon be available on other compatible hardware platforms, including Intel and AMD processors, according to Microsoft.
Meanwhile, “Recall is removed by default on PCs managed by an IT administrator for work or school, as well as Enterprise versions of Windows 11,” Redmond noted.
There are also some major changes from the initial design, the most important of which is that the application is turned off by default. If activated, the screenshots are stored locally in virtualization-based security (VBS) enclaves and more robustly encrypted than before, thanks to the use of BitLocker and Secure Boot, Microsoft claims.
It’s also possible for any Windows 11 user to remove the app altogether and you can exclude certain applications or websites from being Recalled. Microsoft promises that sensitive material like passwords and other personal data won’t be stored, and that if you are using incognito mode in Edge, Firefox, Opera, or Chrome, then the software won’t harvest that activity either.
“We invite you to try out Recall and share feedback, issues, or suggestions for improvement through in-experience links or the Feedback Hub,” it said. “We also want to recognize the contributions of researchers and the security community in shaping Recall.” ®
