Windows 11 adds new Recall feature to log every activity on your PC

Microsoft introduced a new category of PCs called “Copilot Plus PCs” at the Build Conference on Monday. These laptops use Qualcomm’s new Snapdragon X Elite and Plus chips, which the company says allows AI features to work smoothly. Leveraging the NPU power on these silicons, Windows 11’s new ‘Recall’ tool is set to change how we use our PCs. Recall will log everything you do on your PC: signing in to an app, holding virtual meetings, and browsing websites, among several different things — to let you find “almost anything” you have seen on your PC.

How Recall works

Recall appears to be a more polished version of Timeline, a feature introduced in Windows 10 but was discontinued in 2021 because of limited functionality. Internally called AI Explorer, Recall keeps tabs on everything you do on your PC. According to Microsoft Chief Executive Officer, Satya Nadella, Recall keeps screenshotting your activities on your PC after every few minutes, storing a repository of information for AI to scour when you look for a particular memory.

You can ask the AI-powered search using text or visual search, and Recall will show you “snapshots of the most relevant content in a way that feels like having a photographic memory.” You can jump into a “memory” anytime to understand the context and continue your workflow from the snapshot. This includes launching an app or opening a website to let you continue your work again. Everything you do on your PC appears on a timeline you can interact with, including searching live meetings and videos using Live Captions, which can transcribe and translate speech in real-time.

Privacy is paramount

A machine logging everything you do on your computer sounds like a Black Mirror episode, but Microsoft knows the concerns surrounding user privacy. The company said the Recall index will stay on your device and never reach the servers. You can also pause, stop, and remove content from Recall, and choose specific apps or websites that you want Recall to track. Microsoft said Recall will not take screenshots of InPrivate web browsing sessions in Edge and DRM-protected media, such as Netflix content. However, your credentials, including banking information in a browser will not be hidden because Recall cannot “perform content moderation.”

Recall will be available only on the latest Snapdragon X Elite and Plus-powered Copilot Plus PCs later this year.