Microsoft’s “recall” feature can’t be uninstalled after all

It turns out that Windows 11 users can’t uninstall Microsoft’s controversial “recall” feature after all.

Recall is a feature of Copilot+ that was announced in May and essentially takes continuous screenshots of what you do while using the operating system, making it easier for you to find what you previously did.

According to a report from Deskmodder, the recent Windows 11 update 24H2 appears to have allowed users to uninstall the feature completely, but in a statement to The Verge, Microsoft clarified that the uninstall option was simply a bug.

“We’re aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option in the (Turn Windows Features On or Off) Control Panel dialog,” Windows senior product manager Brandon LeBlanc told the outlet. “This issue will be fixed in an upcoming update.”

When Microsoft announced the recall, it was planned to be built into a feature in Windows 11. The feature would track everything a user does on a compatible Windows PC and use an on-device generative AI model to retrieve the specific information a user is looking for by filing through a library of screenshots stored on the device. Critics of the feature were quick to point out that it was highly vulnerable to cybersecurity flaws because it indiscriminately stores sensitive information such as passwords, confidential work, and personal information.

Former Microsoft security expert Kevin Beaumont called it a cybersecurity “catastrophe.”

“With just two lines of code, someone can now steal everything you type and read on your Windows PC,” Beaumont said.

Following public backlash against the new feature, Microsoft issued a new statement just days after its announcement in May, saying that the recall feature would be opt-in and off by default.

The UK’s Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) is also investigating the site for allegedly violating user privacy, but has stepped down following protests and potential legal repercussions.

Recall was originally scheduled for release in June but was delayed as Microsoft scrambled to address security concerns, and is now scheduled to be released to Windows Insiders testers in October.