Microsoft is rolling out the first preview of its Recall AI feature, available for Copilot Plus PCs running the latest Windows 11 build. This new feature, which has seen several delays, is now accessible to Windows Insiders in the Dev Channel.
Recall takes screenshots of almost everything you do on your PC, allowing users to easily search for and revisit past tasks. The feature includes a timeline view to browse previous activities by date, and AI technology helps match visual and text elements in the snapshots to enhance the search experience.
The Recall feature is optional, requiring users to opt-in and enable it manually. Once activated, Recall records snapshots of your activities, such as apps, websites, and documents you interacted with, which can be searched through the Recall app. A scrollable timeline lets you jump to specific dates and quickly access past work. Users can search using natural language queries, making it simple to find previously viewed content or tasks. AI ensures that the search results accurately reflect the relevant snapshots.
At launch, Recall is available only on Qualcomm-powered Copilot Plus PCs, with support for Intel and AMD devices expected to follow soon. Users have full control over which snapshots are saved, and the system allows them to delete or exclude certain apps and websites from being recorded.
Microsoft’s privacy policy ensures that sensitive information, such as credit card numbers or passwords, is automatically detected and excluded from snapshots. Additionally, Recall data is not sent to the cloud, ensuring that user data remains private and secure.
Recall also emphasizes user privacy and security. To use the feature, you must have Windows Hello, BitLocker, and Secure Boot enabled, providing an added layer of protection. Microsoft ensures that snapshots are encrypted and cannot be accessed or restored by the company. This setup alleviates earlier concerns about security, as it guarantees that the data remains under the user’s control without Microsoft’s involvement in accessing or using the snapshots.
In addition to Recall, the Click to Do feature is part of this preview release. Click to Do recognizes text and images in Recall snapshots, allowing users to perform actions like copying text or saving images. Over time, this feature will expand to work outside of Recall, offering interactive overlays where users can click on text or images to trigger actions.
Future updates will even allow Click to Do to perform visual searches on items from videos, further enhancing its functionality. As this feature enters its preview phase, Microsoft will continue testing its security and usability before a broader release.
