Microsoft Recall

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Feature of Microsoft Windows

Recall is a feature of Windows 11 that takes a screenshot of a user's desktop every few seconds and then uses on-device large language models to allow a user to retrieve items and information that had previously been on their screen. It was announced by Microsoft, alongside the integration of GPT-4o into Copilot and an upgraded user interface in Windows 11.[1] Recall's release immediately caused controversy, with experts warning that the feature could be a "disaster" for security and privacy,[2] particularly since there was initially no option for users to disable it.[3] This backlash prompted Microsoft to postpone its rollout.[2][4] Microsoft changed the feature to opt-in and provided instructions for how to remove it.[5]

Backlash against Recall was centered on both security and privacy. Upon its release, Recall was described as a "potential security nightmare".[6] The initial version of Recall saved all data to a plaintext database, making it easy for the data to be stolen.[7] Later versions of Recall have added encryption.[3]

## Hardware requirements

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* Copilot\+ PC that meets the Secured-core standard[8]
* 40 TOPs NPU (neural processing unit)
* 16 GB RAM
* 8 logical processors
* 256 GB storage capacity, of which 50 GB of storage space must be free (Saving snapshots automatically pauses once the device has less than 25 GB of storage space)
* Users need to enable Device Encryption or BitLocker
* Users need to enroll into Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security with at least one biometric sign-in option enabled in order to authenticate

## References

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1. ^ Khan, Imad (May 20, 2024). "Microsoft's Copilot Embraces the Power of OpenAI's New GPT-4o". CNet. Archived from the original on May 23, 2024. Retrieved May 23, 2024.
2. ^ a b Warren, Tom (June 13, 2024). "Microsoft's all-knowing Recall AI feature is being delayed". The Verge. Archived from the original on September 12, 2024. Retrieved September 22, 2024.
3. ^ a b Warren, Tom (September 17, 2024). "Microsoft's more secure Windows Recall feature can also be uninstalled by users". The Verge. Archived from the original on 2024-11-27.
4. ^ Greenberg, Andy (June 7, 2024). "Microsoft Will Switch Off Recall by Default After Security Backlash". Wired. Archived from the original on 2024-11-27.
5. ^ "Retrace your steps with Recall". Microsoft Support. Archived from the original on 2024-12-03.
6. ^ Cunningham, Andrew (June 4, 2024). "Windows Recall demands an extraordinary level of trust that Microsoft hasn't earned". Ars Technica.
7. ^ Cunningham, Andrew (June 7, 2024). "Microsoft is reworking Recall after researchers point out its security problems". Ars Technica. Archived from the original on 2024-11-22.
8. ^ "Retrace your steps with Recall - Microsoft Support". support.microsoft.com. Archived from the original on April 8, 2025. Retrieved 2025-04-15.

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