How to Disable Microsoft Recall on Windows 11

What Is Windows Recall?

Windows Recall (formerly known as Microsoft Recall) is an AI powered feature introduced in Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs. It continuously captures screenshots of your screen every few seconds, allowing you to "recall" or search for anything you've seen, said, or done on your computer similar to having a photographic memory.

While the idea sounds futuristic, many users have raised serious privacy concerns, since the feature stores snapshots of sensitive data like emails, passwords, banking pages, or private messages locally on your PC.

Why You Might Want to Disable Windows Recall

Although Recall data is stored locally, it can still expose private information if your computer is accessed or here are some common reasons users choose to disable it:

• Privacy Concerns: Recall captures everything, even confidential business data or private messages.
• Storage Usage: The snapshots and indexes can consume gigabytes of storage over time.
• Performance: Continuous background image capture may slightly affect performance.
• No True Control: Even though data stays local, users fear potential misuse or updates that could change data handling in future.

If privacy is your priority, disabling Windows Recall is a smart move.

How to Disable Windows Recall on Windows 11
Follow these simple steps to turn off the Recall feature completely:

Option 1: Through Windows Settings

• Open Settings → Click Privacy & Security.
• Select Recall & Snapshots under the Windows permissions section.
• Toggle "Save snapshots" → Off.
• Optional: Click Delete all snapshots to erase existing data.

Option 2: Using Group Policy Editor (For Pro and Enterprise Users)

• Press Win + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
• Navigate to: Computer Configuration → Administrative Templates → Windows Components → Recall 
• Double click "Allow Recall" → Select Disabled → Apply changes.
• Restart your PC.

Option 3: Disable via Registry (For Advanced Users)

• Warning: Editing the Windows Registry can cause issues if done incorrectly. Proceed with caution.
• Press Win + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
• Go to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Recall
• If "Recall" doesn't exist, right click Windows, select New → Key, and name it Recall.
• Inside Recall, right click → New → DWORD (32-bit) Value → Name it AllowRecall.
• Set the value to 0.
• Restart your PC.

How to Delete Existing Recall Data

Even after disabling Recall, your old snapshots might still exist locally.
To clear them:

• Open Settings → Privacy & Security → Recall & Snapshots.
• Scroll down and click "Delete all snapshots."
• Confirm the deletion.

This ensures your historical data is completely wiped from your device.

The Better Alternative: Recall Assist (Privacy First)

If you like the idea of recalling your past work but don't want to sacrifice privacy, try Recall Assist, a privacy first local alternative to Windows Recall.

Here's how Recall Assist is different:

• Completely offline: Works entirely on your machine no data ever leaves your device.
• Smart recall: Lets you search by keywords, timestamps, and app names.
• Data masking: Automatically masks personal or sensitive content before storage.
• Control: You can pause, delete, or stop capturing anytime.
• Lightweight: Minimal CPU and disk usage.

With Recall Assist, you get all the usefulness of Recall without compromising privacy.

Learn more at recallassist.com

Final Thoughts

Windows Recall brings futuristic features but at a real privacy cost. If you're not comfortable with background screen capturing, disabling Windows Recall and clearing its data is the safest choice.

For those who want the same "digital memory" power without giving up privacy, Recall Assist is the smarter, local first alternative.

Protect your privacy. Own your data.