Thought you could uninstall Microsoft’s new ‘Recall’ feature on Windows 11? Think again. What many users hoped was a way to protect their privacy turned out to be nothing more than a glitch, leaving concerns about data security hanging in the balance.
The Recall feature, which Microsoft first announced in May, is part of the new Copilot+ suite.
Essentially, it takes ongoing screenshots of your activity on Windows 11, allowing you to easily revisit past work.
So, If you’ve ever felt uneasy about your digital footprint, Microsoft’s ‘Recall’ feature might just be your worst nightmare.
Look at this way: Recall isn’t just a handy tool—it’s a digital diary of your entire Windows experience, recording everything from the websites you visit to the documents you work on.
But unlike a diary, it’s not something you can easily lock away or delete.
This feature is always on, whether you like it or not, and it stores sensitive data like passwords and personal information right alongside your work files.
So obivisousely But this feature quickly sparked a wave of criticism specially from the Cybersecurity community.
Nowdayss when data breaches are becoming all too common, the idea of your every move on Windows 11 being captured and stored is enough to send chills down any user’s spine.
Critics immediately slammed the feature for its potential cybersecurity risks.
Kevin Beaumont, a former Microsoft security expert, went as far as calling it a cybersecurity “disaster.” According to him, “Stealing everything you’ve ever typed or viewed on your own Windows PC is now possible with two lines of code.” Ouch.
Earlier this week, hope briefly flickered for those concerned about their privacy.
A report from Deskmodder claimed that a recent Windows 11 update (24H2) allowed users to fully uninstall the Recall feature.
This was big news for privacy-conscious users.
But just when users thought they could uninstall Recall, Microsoft clarified that the uninstall option was a mistake, not an intentional choice.
“We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel,” Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc told The Verge. “This will be fixed in an upcoming update.”
When Microsoft first introduced Recall, it was meant to be a permanent part of Windows 11’s core functionality.
After all, it’s supposed to help you find specific information quickly using a local AI model.
But given the level of sensitive data it could capture, users and privacy advocates were understandably worried.
The feature has even caught the attention of the UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), which is investigating potential privacy violations.
In response to the backlash, Microsoft announced shortly after Recall’s debut that the feature would be opt-in and disabled by default.
This was a small victory for privacy-conscious users, but the feature itself is still very much alive and kicking.
The Recall was Initially scheduled for release in June, but delayed as Microsoft scrambled to address these security concerns raised by users.
It’s now being tested by Windows Insiders.
So, while you might not be able to uninstall Recall just yet, at least you won’t have to worry about it running unless you actively choose to enable it.
