How to disable Windows Recall on Copilot+ PC

Many reports claim that Recall AI is a privacy nightmare because the vector index is not encrypted and malicious actors can easily access it from the AppData folder. In fact, other users on the PC can also access the stored snapshots. So, if you want to turn off Windows Recall immediately, follow the instructions in the following article!

Disable Windows Recall through Settings

1. To turn off Recall on Windows 11, open Windows Settings by pressing Windows + I .

2. Next, go to Privacy & security and click Recall & snapshots .

3. Here, just turn off Save snapshots. This will prevent Recall from taking screenshots of your activities.

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4. You can also delete all Recall snapshots by clicking the Delete all button .

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5. And if you want to filter some websites and apps, you can add them to the filter list. This will prevent Recall from taking screenshots on specified apps and websites.

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Turn off the Windows Recall feature through the Registry

1. You can also completely turn off the Windows Recall feature through the Registry. Open the Start menu and search for ' Registry '. Now, open it.

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2. Next, paste the address below into the registry's address bar and press Enter .

ComputerHKEY_CURRENT_USERSoftwarePoliciesMicrosoftWindows

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3. Then, right-click 'Windows' and select New > Key .

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4. Set WindowsAI as the key name and select it.

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5. On the right side, right-click and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value .

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6. Name it DisableAIDataAnalysis .

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7. Now, double click on it and set the value data to 1.

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8. Now, restart Copilot+ PC and Windows Recall will be disabled.

Disable Windows Recall via Group Policy

Finally, you can turn off Windows Recall by configuring the Group Policy Editor. While Group Policy is enabled on the Pro edition, for Home edition users, you can follow the instructions on how to enable Group Policy Editor on Windows 11 Home. Then, move on to the steps below.

1. Open the Start menu and search for 'Group Policy'. Now, open ' Edit group policy '.

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2. Next, navigate to this path: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows AI .

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3. Here, double-click Turn off Saving Snapshots for Windows .

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4. Now, click Enabled then click Apply > OK . Go ahead and restart your PC. Windows Recall will be turned off immediately.

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Above are three ways you can turn off the Recall and AI analysis feature on your Copilot+ PC. As said before, although the Recall feature may be useful to some users, there are still major security flaws in its implementation. If a malicious actor has access to the vector database, all browsing history along with sensitive information will be leaked. Therefore, to ensure safety, you should turn off Recall AI immediately.

David Pac

Update 11 June 2024