Windows Recall and ‘Click to Do’ Preview Now Available on Copilot+ PCs

Back in June 2024, Microsoft announced the new ‘Copilot+’ PC specification and device type. They also gave a demonstration of Windows Recall, a controversial new feature that takes periodic snapshots of your computer screen, capturing what you’re doing, so you can ‘go back in time’ and remember that website you were doing research on, or what Excel spreadsheet had that crucial calculation.

Recall privacy and security controversy

The controversy of Recall centers on privacy and security concerns. Security researchers quickly, and without literal merit, labeled it a privacy nightmare, fearing it could exploit secure information, share information with others, and allow IT admins or other admin-level users on a device to view these saved snapshots. In response to this outcry, Microsoft delayed the feature initially to October, but then recently to December. Technically, they are a bit early today.

Microsoft made a few small changes and security enhancements including better-described data encryption and Windows Hello authentication. For the record, the feature will be disabled by default and will require explicit ‘opt-in’ by users. It will be unavailable on the Windows 11 Enterprise and Education SKUs. It is also removed by default on PCs managed by an IT administrator for work or school. IT Pros will fully control the availability of Recall within their org.

Windows Insider Program – Dev Channel

The wait for Windows Insiders with Snapdragon-based Copilot+ PCs is over. The Windows Insider Program has announced the latest build of Windows 11 in the Dev Channel – 26120.2415. Windows Insiders with said hardware can update to this build by going to Settings -> Windows Updates, downloading the build, and rebooting.

After they log in again, the models for Recall and Click to Do will start to download in the background. Insiders can monitor progress in the same Settings -> Windows Update interface.

During the first-run experience, the user will opt-in to the feature, acknowledge the saving of snapshots, and require you to enroll in Windows Hello (Facial recognition, fingerprint, or PIN) if not already. Insiders will also need to enable BitLocker encryption and Secure Boot.

Search on steroids

Recall allows you to ‘use your PC as you normally would.’ When you need to go back to something you’ve worked on in the past, you can open Recall with the Taskbar icon in the System Tray or from the Start menu. Recall scans these snapshots and uses the local AI models to ‘index’ all the content. You can search for ‘Word document describing the quarterly sales report from 2023’ and it will bring it right up. You can then use the ‘Click to Do’ feature to quickly email this document to a colleague.

Be in control of your data

Microsoft explains that you are solely in control of your snap[shots. They are not sent off your PC or used for any training models up in the cloud. Your encryption keys are safe – in future updates to the feature, Insiders will be able to store a backup of your keys for cases where you need to Reset your PC or lose access to your PC.

Windows Recall settings

In the Windows Settings app under ‘Privacy & security’ -> ‘Recall & snapshots’, you’ll find all the configuration options for Recall. You can disable the saving of snapshots, pause them temporarily (which you can also do from the SysTray Recall icon), filter specific applications and/or websites, control disk usage, and delete snapshots.

When will Windows Recall be available?

Recall (Preview) will begin to roll out on Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ Pcs, with support for AMD and Intel-powered PCs coming soon.