Microsoft Rolls Out Controversial Recall Feature for Windows 11 Beta Testers

After much controversy and delay, Microsoft’s Recall feature is starting to roll out in a beta build for Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs. 

The Recall feature is available in the new Windows 11 Insider Preview Build that Microsoft released on Friday for beta testers. The goal is to gain feedback before Recall is launched widely on Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs, which were originally supposed to ship with the feature in June. 

Microsoft designed Recall to act as a photographic memory for your PC, making it easier to find files, websites, or data you accessed on the device. However, the company postponed the feature following a privacy backlash over Recall’s potential to act as built-in spyware.

Microsoft has made several privacy-related changes to Recall, including encrypting the user data it records and ensuring that only the PC’s owner can access archived information—not a stranger or nosy family member. Friday’s preview release includes these privacy safeguards.

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In addition, Microsoft changed Recall to make it an opt-in experience, which is also reflected in the preview release. If Recall is activated, Windows 11 will require you to encrypt your hard drive through BitLocker and enroll in Windows Hello, so Recall only turns on if the PC’s owner accesses the computer.

Redmond is also allowing users to opt out of another controversial aspect of Recall—its ability to capture automatic screenshots of their PCs. “If you don’t enable saving snapshots, Recall will not save any snapshots of your activity,” Microsoft says. 

(Credit: Microsoft)

Users can also temporarily pause screenshot saving or delete specific screenshots. Importantly, all saved screenshots will remain on the user’s PC and are never shared with Microsoft servers. 

The other privacy improvement involves making Recall smart enough to avoid collecting sensitive information, such as credit card details, passwords, and personal ID numbers. “When detected, Recall won’t save or store those snapshots,” the company says. “We’ll continue to improve this functionality, and if you find sensitive information that should be filtered out for your context, language, or geography, please let us know through Feedback Hub.” 

In the announcement, Microsoft also invited security researchers to vet Recall and is offering bug bounties for any vulnerabilities found in the preview release.

The Recall feature arrives through the Windows 11 Preview Build 26120.2415 for the Dev Channel, which beta testers in the Windows Insiders program can download. But the preview isn’t available for Intel- or AMD-powered PCs; it can only be installed on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs.

That said, Microsoft noted: “Recall (Preview) will begin to roll out on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for AMD- and Intel-powered Copilot+ PCs coming soon.” If you’re not a fan of the feature, the company has said users will be able to remove it, in addition to opting out of it.

About Michael Kan

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I’ve been working as a journalist for over 15 years—I got my start as a schools and cities reporter in Kansas City and joined PCMag in 2017.

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