Image : Mark Hachman/IDG
Windows Recall was always Microsoft’s best reason to upgrade to the brand-new Copilot+ computer… but it has also been Windows’ most controversial addition in years. The AI-powered feature “reads” and saves your screen activity as a series searchable screenshots. Recall is available if you’re interested. Now rolling out to Windows Insider Release preview channel
Recall has been a hot topic since Microsoft announced it last year. There’s a lot of information to share. Mark Hachman, our Windows expert, gave it a thorough review when it was released on the Insider Preview Dev Channel in December. (This is roughly equivalent to an alpha version of Windows 11 versus a beta version). Recall’s performance was slow and stuttering, but there were some comforting nods towards privacy concerns, such as requiring you to authenticate using Windows Hello every time you open your activity history. The system was inconsistent and buggy, and it wasn’t ready to replace a manual bookmark or screenshot that you took yourself to refer to later.
Does it really matter if Microsoft is right about the security and safety of its system if you have a visual history of all your PC activities? You decide. Microsoft has already confirmed it will be disabled by default in the enterprise version of Windows. Recall can also be disabled by regular users if they don’t like it.
Unfortunately, I don’t own a Copilot+ computer to test the new and improved Recall version on the Insider release preview. However, you can do so yourself if you wish. Microsoft will likely try to make it available to all Windows 11 users in 2025, but only for PCs and laptops equipped with the latest Copilot+ processors.
Michael Crideris a Staff Writer at PCWorld
Michael has been in technology journalism for 10 years, covering everything from Apple and ZTE. He is the resident keyboard nut at PCWorld, always testing out a new keyboard for a review. In his spare time he builds a mechanical board or expands his desktop “battlestation” . Michael has written for Android Police, Digital Trends Wired, Lifehacker and How-To Geek. He’s also covered live events like CES or Mobile World Congress. Michael lives in Pennsylvania and is always looking forward to the next kayaking trip.
