What you need to know
- Last week, the option to uninstall Windows Recall began appearing in Windows Settings.
- Now, Microsoft says the option to uninstall Recall is a bug, and won’t be possible when Recall officially launches on Copilot+ PCs.
- The feature, which isn’t expected to launch in preview until October, was postponed earlier this year after backlash from users.
- Users will still be able to disable Windows Recall if they don’t intend to use it.
Last week, it was discovered that the latest Windows 11 builds now include an option to remove Microsoft’s upcoming Recall AI feature from the OS using the “Turn Windows features on and off” interface. However, Microsoft has now confirmed in a statement to The Verge that this is just a bug, meaning Windows Recall will actually not be removable when it launches.
Microsoft senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc told The Verge that the company is “aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel. This will be fixed in an upcoming update.”
It’s important to stress that this doesn’t mean Recall won’t be optional, just that the app itself won’t be easily removable from the system. Windows Recall will still be an optional feature that users can choose to disable when setting up their PC, and will be free to enable it at any time via the Recall app in the Start menu.
Recall was first announced back in May and was quickly enthralled in controversy over privacy and security concerns. Specifically, it was discovered that while none of the data Recall collects is uploaded to the cloud or shared with Microsoft or third-parties, that data is stored unencrypted in a local directory that was easily accessed by potential attackers.
This discovery led to Microsoft postponing the launch of Recall to an unspecified date, only recently confirming that the feature will begin to be available in public preview this October. The company promises that when Recall launches, it will be more secure and entirely optional.
While Recall is expected to launch in preview this October, it likely won’t begin shipping officially until sometime in 2025.
