How to Disable Recall on Windows 11

Microsoft's controversial Recall feature is finally here, but concerns remain. This guide explains how to disable it and prevent re-activation.

What is Recall?

Recall is an AI-powered system feature that "remembers" your computer activity by taking desktop snapshots every five seconds. These snapshots allow natural language searches of your recent actions. While convenient for finding lost files or recalling past tasks, Recall has sparked privacy and security debates due to its data processing and significant storage requirements (at least 50GB free space; it disables itself below 25GB). Microsoft assures data processing is local, but concerns persist.

Disabling Recall

To disable Recall:

1. Open the Windows Settings app (Windows key i).
2. Select "Privacy & security" from the left sidebar.
3. Navigate to "Recall & snapshots."
4. Toggle off "Save Snapshots."

To prevent future re-activation after updates:

Method 1: Remove Biometric Authentication

Recall requires biometric login (fingerprint or facial recognition). Removing this login method prevents Recall activation.

1. Open Windows Settings (Windows key i).
2. Go to "Accounts" > "Sign-in options."
3. Remove your fingerprint and facial recognition data.

Method 2: (Not Recommended) Disabling Device Encryption

Disabling Device Encryption (BitLocker) disables Recall, but this is strongly discouraged. Device encryption is crucial for data security; disabling it leaves your data vulnerable.

Can you delete Recall?

No. Recall is integrated into explorer.exe, an essential Windows system file. Attempting to modify or remove parts of explorer.exe is extremely risky and opens your system to malware.

Conclusion

While Recall offers potential benefits, its privacy and security implications are significant. The methods above allow disabling the feature, but removing biometric authentication is the safer, recommended approach. Switching operating systems remains a more drastic, but ultimately more secure, solution for those with strong privacy concerns.

The above is the detailed content of How to Disable Recall on Windows 11. For more information, please follow other related articles on the PHP Chinese website!