How To Disable Or Remove Recall On Windows 11

If you want to stop or completely remove Windows Recall, the AI feature that quietly saves snapshots of everything you do, you are in the right place.

The good news is that Recall is fully controllable, it is opt-in, and it only exists on Copilot+ PCs, so most Windows 11 machines never have it at all.

This guide walks you from the gentlest fix to the most permanent: turn off snapshot saving, delete the snapshots already stored, then fully remove the Recall component and lock it down with policy or registry edits.

At a glance: stopping Recall fast

Recall lives in Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots. That single page covers most users.

Goal	Where	Effect
Stop new snapshots	Recall & snapshots > Save snapshots (off)	No new captures saved
Erase stored data	Recall & snapshots > Delete all	Existing snapshots wiped
Remove the feature	Turn Windows features on or off	Recall component uninstalled
Block it permanently	Group Policy or registry	Recall cannot be re-enabled

Each method below builds on the last, so do as many as match your comfort level.

Does my PC even have Windows Recall?

Recall ships only on Copilot+ PCs that meet a strict hardware bar. If your laptop is older or lacks a fast NPU, there is no Recall toggle to find.

Requirement	Minimum
Processor type	Snapdragon, AMD Ryzen AI, or Intel Core Ultra (Series 2)
NPU	40+ TOPS neural processing unit
RAM	16 GB
Storage	256 GB (50 GB free to enable)
Security	BitLocker/Device Encryption + Windows Hello biometrics

No 40-TOPS NPU means no Recall. A standard Intel, AMD, or older PC simply cannot run it, so do not waste time hunting for a toggle that was never installed.

To confirm your machine, open Settings > System > About and check the processor name against the list above. If you do not see “Copilot+ PC” branding or a “Recall & snapshots” entry in Privacy settings, the feature is absent and you have nothing to disable.

Method 1: Turn off saving snapshots

This is the quickest stop. It halts all future captures without uninstalling anything.

Open Settings (Windows key + I).
Go to Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots.
Turn the Save snapshots toggle to Off.

From that moment, Recall stops adding to your timeline. The setting is per user, so each account on a shared Copilot+ PC must turn it off separately.

If you only want a temporary break, look for the Pause option on the same page. It suspends snapshots for a set time, then resumes, which is handy before a screen-share but is not a permanent fix. Snapshots already captured remain on disk until you delete them, which is the next step.

Method 2: Delete the snapshots Recall already saved

Turning saving off does not erase the past. To remove the encrypted history, clear it on the same settings page.

Open Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots.
Scroll to the snapshot management section.
Select Delete all (sometimes shown as “Delete all snapshots”).

You can also delete snapshots from a single app, a website, or a time range here. Deletion is permanent, so there is no undo once it completes.

Method 3: Fully remove Recall as an optional feature

To pull the Recall bits off your PC entirely, uninstall it as an optional Windows component.

Press the Windows key, type Turn Windows features on or off, and open it.
Scroll down to Recall and clear its checkbox.
Click OK and restart when prompted.

Recall is removed until you reinstall it. To put it back later, recheck the box, click OK, and reboot.

Removing the component takes the underlying files off the disk, not just the on-screen toggle. That is the most thorough way to ensure no background process can capture your screen, and it reclaims the storage Recall reserved.

Removing Recall with PowerShell

If the checkbox is missing or greyed out, PowerShell does the same job and is reliable on every edition.

Right-click Start and choose Terminal (Admin).
Run: Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Recall" -Remove
Restart the PC to finish removal.

To re-enable later, run Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Recall". The -Remove flag strips the payload, not just the toggle, so it frees disk space too.

Method 4: Block Recall with Group Policy (Pro/Enterprise)

On Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, a policy prevents Recall from ever saving snapshots, even if someone toggles it back on.

Press Windows key + R, type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
Browse to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows AI.
Open Turn off saving snapshots for Recall and set it to Enabled.

With this enabled, snapshots will not be saved and any previously stored snapshots are deleted. The policy exists under both Computer Configuration and User Configuration, so apply it wherever your management approach fits.

To remove Recall entirely via policy, also open Allow Recall to be enabled in the same Windows AI folder and set it to Disabled. That strips the Recall bits from the device on the next restart and prevents any user from turning it back on.

Method 5: Block Recall with the registry (Home)

Windows 11 Home has no Group Policy Editor, so use the registry to apply the same lockdown.

Before you edit the registry, create a System Restore point. A wrong change can destabilize Windows.

Press Windows key + R, type regedit, and press Enter.
Navigate to HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI (create the keys if missing).
Create a DWORD (32-bit) named DisableAIDataAnalysis and set it to 1.

Reboot to apply. This is the registry equivalent of the Group Policy above and stops Recall from analyzing or saving your screen.

For a machine-wide lock that covers every account, you can mirror the same DisableAIDataAnalysis value under HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI. Apply one or both; the per-user key is sufficient for a single-user PC.

Is Recall a privacy risk?

Recall captures periodic screenshots of nearly everything on screen, which is exactly why it drew heavy criticism.

Microsoft’s design keeps snapshots local, encrypted via TPM, and gated behind Windows Hello, so they are not uploaded to Microsoft or visible to other users on the PC.

Snapshots never leave the device and are not sent to the cloud.
A “sensitive information filtering” setting tries to skip passwords and card numbers.
Anyone who unlocks your account with your Hello credential could still browse the timeline.

Recall also does not record audio, save continuous video, or store DRM-protected content, and private browsing is skipped automatically. Still, the timeline is a searchable archive of your activity that only your Windows Hello sign-in protects.

If that residual risk bothers you, removing the feature outright is the safest choice.

Keep Recall but exclude sensitive apps and sites

You do not have to choose all-or-nothing. Recall lets you filter specific apps and websites out of snapshots.

Open Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots.
Choose to filter apps or websites.
Add banking sites, password managers, or any app you want excluded.

Private browsing in Edge, Chrome, Firefox, and Opera is filtered automatically, and remote desktop sessions are skipped by default.

Why Recall keeps changing, and what it means in 2026

Microsoft has reworked Recall repeatedly after privacy backlash, pulling it, adding encryption and Windows Hello gating, then re-releasing it as an opt-in preview.

Because the rollout is still evolving, the exact wording of toggles or policies may shift with future updates.

Recall remains opt-in and off by default on managed and new devices.
Settings labels and the Optional features location have moved between builds.
If a step looks different, search the same Recall & snapshots page first.

Recheck your settings after major Windows updates in case a refresh re-exposes the feature.

Home vs Pro: which method should you use?

Your Windows edition decides which lockdown tools you have. Both can fully neutralize Recall.

Method	Home	Pro/Enterprise
Turn off Save snapshots	Yes	Yes
Delete all snapshots	Yes	Yes
Remove via Windows features	Yes	Yes
Group Policy block	No	Yes
Registry block	Yes	Yes

Home users rely on the registry; Pro users get the cleaner Group Policy route.

Quick reference

Task	Path or command
Stop snapshots	`Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots` > Save snapshots off
Delete snapshots	`Recall & snapshots` > Delete all
Remove feature (GUI)	Turn Windows features on or off > uncheck Recall
Remove feature (PowerShell)	`Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Recall" -Remove`
Group Policy	Windows Components > Windows AI > Turn off saving snapshots for Recall = Enabled
Registry	`HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI` > `DisableAIDataAnalysis` = 1

How To Disable Or Remove Recall On Windows 11 In 2026