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Can Recall Save You from Forgetting? Explore the Windows 11 Tool with Powerful Privacy!
Recall is a feature for Windows 11 that helps you find things you’ve seen on your PC. It takes little picture snapshots of your screen every few seconds. All those pictures get saved only to your computer and stay private and protected. You can go back, search, and see anything you looked at earlier, even if you forgot where or when it happened.
- You can search for words or images.
- Recall lets you jump right back into work you started.
- It runs only on certain new computers (Copilot+ PCs) with strong security and lots of memory.
- When enabled, everything gets stored and encrypted just for you.
Minimum System Requirements for Recall
To use Recall, your computer must have:
- Copilot+ PC label
- Secured-core standard for advanced security
- 40 TOPS NPU (Neural Processing Unit)
- 16 GB of RAM or more
- 256 GB storage or larger
- Eight logical processors
- BitLocker or Device Encryption ON
- Windows Hello set up with at least one biometric sign-in (face, fingerprint, or PIN)
- At least 50 GB of free storage space to start saving snapshots (snapshots will pause automatically if you go below 25 GB free)
If your computer doesn’t meet these, Recall won’t work.
How to Turn On Recall
- Open Settings.
- Go to Privacy & Security.
- Click Recall & Snapshots.
- Toggle Save snapshots ON.
You might also get asked to turn it on when you first set up your new PC. Each user must turn it on themselves.
When Recall is on, it starts taking little pictures of your screen and saves them safely—nobody else can see them, only you.
How to Open and Use Recall
- Press Windows + J to launch Recall.
- Click the Recall icon on your taskbar, or find Recall in the Start menu or Quick Settings.
Each time you open it, you sign in using Windows Hello. You’ll see a timeline: a row of snapshots from your recent activity. Hover your mouse to see previews. Click any preview to open and interact with its content.
Searching with Recall
- Use the search box to type what you remember seeing (like “math homework” or “pizza recipe”).
- Recall looks through all snapshots and shows text matches and visual matches.
- Results labeled “Close match” are very close to your search; “Related match” are a bit less direct but still helpful.
You can filter results to look in a specific app only.
Click to Do: Interactive Content
With “Click to Do,” you can:
- Copy text or images out from a snapshot
- Open text in Notepad
- Search the web right from Recall
- Open images in Paint or Photos
- Summarize text, or use a visual search
When it’s active, your mouse pointer changes. Right-click on highlighted things to see your options.
Manage and Control Your Snapshots
Pause/Resume Snapshots: Click the Recall system tray icon and hit “Pause until tomorrow” or “Resume snapshots.”
Exclude Apps/Websites: Go to Settings > Privacy & Security > Recall & Snapshots. Add apps or websites you don’t want saved.
Sensitive Data: The filter for passwords, credit cards, and more is on by default and can be changed in the same settings.
Change Storage Limits: Adjust how much space Recall uses or how long to keep snapshots.
Delete Snapshots: Remove a single snapshot, all from an app, or everything. Open Settings > Privacy & Security > Recall & Snapshots > Delete.
Reset Recall: Go to Advanced Settings and press Reset Recall. This erases all snapshots and restores defaults.
Additional Tips
- Recall runs only while you use your PC and stops if idle.
- Turning Recall off does not erase saved data—delete manually if you want that.
- Recall never sends your snapshots to Microsoft or the cloud; everything stays on your device.
- The tray icon lets you know Recall is on, and you can’t move or hide this icon.
Recall gives you a fast, helpful way to find your work, pictures, or favorites you saw before. Stay happy knowing only you control your history and privacy every step of the way.