Microsoft finally ships controversial Windows 11 ‘Recall’ feature after year-long delay — now rolling out to all Copilot+ PCs

After nearly a year, it’s been officially confirmed that the release of Windows Recall is starting on Copilot+ computers, as announced by Microsoft today.

First unveiled in May 2024, the contentious AI tool immediately drew criticism for being a potential privacy and security concern. This was primarily because the way it stored the data it accumulated was directly on the user’s computer.

Due to uncovered security problems, Microsoft had no choice but to delay the release of Recall at the last minute. Since then, they have worked diligently to rectify these issues. Now, Microsoft claims that the feature is safe enough for public usage. Recall has been undergoing testing within Microsoft’s Insider program since November.

The Windows Recall function takes pictures of all your PC activities as they happen, safely saving these images on your computer for later reference.

With the Recall app, you’re able to sort through and examine saved screenshots dating back to whenever you prefer. This tool also allows for selective capturing of apps and websites, ensuring unwanted content doesn’t get saved. Moreover, if you ever decide to remove a snapshot, you can do so at any moment.

Furthermore, Microsoft guarantees that the Recall system does not transfer any data it gathers to the cloud for storage.

The pictures and their information are kept securely on the device itself in an encrypted form. To view them, you’ll need to use the Recall app following a verification process using Windows Hello facial recognition, fingerprint scan, or a PIN code.

Apart from Windows Recall becoming broadly accessible now, Copilot+ PCs will also receive an extra pair of features together with it today.

Click To Do and AI search join the party

The “Click To Do” feature is an enhancement of “Recall,” providing an artificial intelligence layer directly on your operating system (OS). You can easily access it by pressing the Windows key and then clicking your mouse.

Using “Click To Do,” you can effortlessly capture and modify images displayed on your screen, plus define, rephrase, or condense text found within apps or websites.

The innovative addition is AI-powered search within Windows, enabling you to search for files, applications, and settings using everyday language. Microsoft plans to integrate AI into the Windows Search panel, Settings app, and File Explorer, aiming to simplify and expedite your searches significantly.

Starting from this month’s April 2025 non-security preview update, which you can access immediately, these latest features are being progressively introduced. Over the course of the next month, they will be successively made available on all Copilot+ PCs, regardless of whether they’re powered by Snapdragon, Intel, or AMD processors.

Starting this year, computers with the Copilot+ model in countries belonging to the European Economic Area will gradually start receiving updates for Windows Recall and Click To Do features.

To utilize the new feature more quickly, ensure that the option titled “Receive updates immediately when available” is switched on within your Windows Update preferences.

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2025-04-25 20:09