Microsoft is finally ready to preview Windows 11's Recall feature with Insiders. The new AI feature that was initially set to debut on Copilot+ PCs in June is now available on the just-released Windows 11 Dev Channel build 26120.2415. Recall is launching in preview today alongside Click to Do, another AI feature that's exclusive to Copilot+ PCs, but the latter is coming with some limitations.
As you may know, Microsoft delayed Recall to make the feature more secure, with additional layers of data encryption to protect the snapshots of users' screens that are stored locally. Recall will be off by default on Copilot+ PCs, and users will also need at least one biometric sign-in option enabled for Windows Hello to enable and use Recall. Copilot+ PC users will be able to uninstall Recall completely, and the feature will also be removed by default on Copilot+ PCs managed by an organization.
When Recall is enabled, users will be able to search snapshots to find things on their Copilot+ PC. "Recall is an entirely new way to search for things you've seen or done on your PC securely," Microsoft explained today. "With the AI capabilities of Copilot+ PCs, it's now possible to quickly find and get back to any app, website, image, or document just by describing its content."
There are built-in sensitivity filters that are enabled by default to prevent Recall from capturing sensitive informations such as passwords, credit cards, and national ID numbers in snapshots. Users will also be able to filter out specific websites or all browsing activity, though that will only work in supported browsers such as Microsoft Edge, Firefox, Opera, and Google Chrome. On these web browsers, all private browsing activity will also not be saved in snapshots.
Recall snapshots can be deleted at any time, and the encryption prevents Microsoft from seeing what's in them. "We do not send your snapshots off your PC to Microsoft or third parties, and don't use them for training purposes," the company emphasized today.
The public preview of Recall on Copilot+ PCs is only supported on select languages including Chinese (simplified), English, French, German, Japanese, and Spanish. While Recall won't be available in all regions at launch, Microsoft plans to expand its availability over time.
After installing today's Dev Channel build 26120.2415, Insiders with Copilot+ PCs will find Recall in the Start menu under the 'All apps' list. During the first run experience, users will be asked if they want to opt-in to save snapshots, and they will also need to enroll in Windows Hello and enable Bitlocker and Secure Boot if these features aren't already enabled.
Once it's running, Recall will take snapshots in the background, and a Recall icon will also appear in the system tray and provide access to quick actions. Accessing the Recall app will always require users to authenticate with Windows Hello. Users can search for content using natural language prompts or use an explorable timeline to see what's included in previous snapshots.
Recall is launching in preview today on Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PCs, and Microsoft plans to add support for AMD and Intel-powered models soon. Again, using the feature is entirely optional and Recall can be completely uninstalled from the "Turn Windows features on or off" menu in Windows Settings.
Click to Do in Recall is the second new AI feature that's launching today on Qualcomm-powered Copilot+ PCs, with support for Intel and AMD models coming soon. This feature will display quick actions on text and images in Recall snapshots, allowing users to copy content to their clipboard, search the web for selected content, and more. On images, Click to Do will also suggest various AI-powered edits, including erasing objects with the Photos app.
"In this update Click to Do only works within the Recall experience," Microsoft explained today. "In a future update, you'll be able to effortlessly engage with Click to Do by simply pressing Windows logo key + mouse click, Windows logo key + Q, through the snipping tool menu and Print Screen, or searching "Click to Do" through Windows Search Box."
Today's Dev build also brings the modernized Windows Hello experience that Microsoft previously introduced on the Beta and Canary Channels. It also improves the Narrator scan mode with new shortcuts for skipping past links emails, news articles, and wiki pages, and jumping to lists on a web page or a document.