How to Deactivate / Uninstall Microsoft Recall in Windows 11

Windows Recall saves your past actions on a PC (search, apps, and more) and arranges them in a timeline. Microsoft introduced this AI tool in Copilot+ PCs with Windows 11 24H2.

After a botched release, Windows Recall is back again. Microsoft has reinforced its privacy feature, but if that doesn’t convince you, deactivating or uninstalling it is pretty easy.

You can save a lot of storage space by removing the feature and its snapshots. We’ll discuss multiple methods to do that.

How to Deactivate Microsoft Recall in Windows 11 24H2

Deactivating Windows Recall will stop it from creating new snapshots of your PC. The feature will be dormant but still be a part of your PC.

This way, you won’t lose old snapshots and can re-enable the feature if you decide to use it later.

1. Using the Settings App

Repeat the following steps to disable Recall using the Settings app:

Step 1: Press the Win + I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.

Step 2: Go to Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots section.

Step 3: Under the Snapshots section, turn off the toggle next to the Save snapshots option.

You can also delete the saved Snapshots by clicking the Delete all button, but we won’t suggest doing that. Avoid deleting the saved snapshots if you plan to use the feature.

2. Using the Group Policy Editor

Another way to disable Recall is by using the Group Policy Editor (GPE). However, this method will only work for Windows 11 24H2 Pro users.

Repeat the following steps:

Step 1: Press the Win key, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.

Step 2: Navigate to User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows AI.

Step 3: Double-click on the Turn off Saving Snapshots for Windows policy to open its edit window.

Step 4: Select the Enabled option and click on the Apply button.

Step 5: Click on the OK button and exit the Group Policy Editor.

3. Using the Registry Editor

Changing a policy editor in GPE creates a registry value in Windows. If you have a Windows 11 Home machine, you can use the Registry Editor to disable Recall if the Settings app is not working or you can’t find GPEDIT.msc.

Here’s how to do it:

Step 1: Press the Win key, type regedit, and press Enter.

Step 2: Navigate to the following path:

Computer\HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\PolicyManager\default\WindowsAI\DisableAIDataAnalysis

Step 3: If there’s no DisableAIDataAnalysis subkey, right-click on the WindowsAI key. Select New > Key and name it as DisableAIDataAnalysis.

Step 4: Click on the Value option and set its Hexadecimal value data to 1.

Step 5: Click OK and restart the PC to apply the changes.

4. Using the Command Prompt

Here’s how to use the DISM tool in Command Prompt to disable Recall:

Step 1: Press the Win key, type CMD, and press the Ctrl + Shift + Enter keys together.

Step 2: Click on OK to open Command Prompt with admin rights.

Step 3: Type the following command and press Enter:

Dism /online /Disable-feature /featurename:Recall

Step 4: Close the Command Prompt window.

How to Uninstall Recall in Windows 11 24H2

Uninstalling Recall is a permanent process that will purge all its stored data. It is an irreversible process, so think twice before doing so.

Here’s how you can uninstall Windows Recall:

Step 1: Press the Windows key, type appwiz.cpl, and press Enter.

Step 2: Click on the Turn Windows features on or off option.

Step 3: Scroll down and uncheck the Recall option.

Step 4: Click OK and then restart your PC to apply the changes and remove the feature.

FAQs

Q. Can you remove recall from Windows?

Yes. Recall is an opt-in feature and is removable from Windows 11 PCs.

Q. Will Windows Recall be optional?

Recall is an optional feature you can avoid while setting up your Copilot+ PC. You don’t need to keep it active to use a Copilot+ PC.

Q. Does my PC have Windows Recall?

Recall is exclusive to Copilot+ PCs–a machine with a Neural Processing Unit (NPU). Without it, the feature won’t work. If you don’t see a Copilot+ branding on your PC, it won’t work because there’s no underlying hardware to support it.

Wrapping Up

Windows Recall appeals to only a small subset of Windows users because of its hardware requirements. If you want to selectively disable the Recall AI tool for some apps or sites, you can do so in the Settings app.

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How to Deactivate and Uninstall Microsoft Recall in Windows 11