Microsoft Copilot's recall feature
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Recall is a feature of Windows 11 that records the user's activity using snapshots and allows users to retrace their previous activity., using Copilot, Microsoft's Artificial intelligence(AI) assistant. It takes screenshots of the user's desktop every few seconds to be used by Copilot. It was initially impossible to remove this from your computer and its screenshots were unencrypted.[1][2]
Background
In 2024, Microsoft unveiled Recall for Copilot+ PCs,[3] marketed as a way for users to search through what they have done on their computer by recording their screen. This sparked controversy,[4] especially among security experts[5] who worried about the security of screenshots, since it could easily document private information like social-security numbers, bank-account information, and passwords, as well as user browsing behavior. A massive security oversight was the initial version of Microsoft Recall gathering information into a plain text database[6]. Later versions of Recall subsequently encrypt the database.[7] But Gaming Copilot has traces of the Recall Software which failed all the privacy tests it was given. [1]
System requirements for Recall:
- A Copilot+ PC that meets Microsoft's Secure-core standard
- 40 TOPS NPU
- 16 GB of RAM
- 256 GB of storage capacity with 50 GB of free storage
- Device Encryption or Bitlocker needs to be enabled
- Users need to enroll into Windows Hello Sign-in Security with at least one biometric sign-in option enabled[2]
References
- ↑ Warren, Tom (2024-09-27). "Microsoft's more secure Windows Recall feature can also be uninstalled by users". The Verge. Archived from the original on 1 Jan 2026.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 "Retrace your steps with Recall - Microsoft Support". Archived from the original on 21 Jan 2026. Retrieved 2025-08-23.
- ↑ "Competitive Processes, Anticompetitive Practices And Consumer Harm In The Software Industry: An Analysis Of The Inadequacies Of The Microsoft-Department Of Justice Proposed Final Judgment". DOJ. 2002-01-25. Archived from the original on 18 Nov 2025.
- ↑ Allan, Darren (2024-05-23). "Microsoft's controversial Recall feature for Windows 11 could already be in legal hot water". Techradar. Archived from the original on 2 Oct 2025.
- ↑ Hassan, Nilhad. "Privacy and security risks surrounding Microsoft Recall". Archived from the original on 9 Dec 2025.
- ↑ Beaumont, Kevin (2024). "Stealing everything you've ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC is now possible with two lines of code — inside the Copilot+ Recall disaster". Medium. Archived from the original on 2025-01-28. Retrieved 2025-10-18.
- ↑ Warren, Tom (2024-09-28). "Microsoft's more secure Windows Recall feature can also be uninstalled by users". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2024-09-27. Retrieved 2025-10-18.