It looks like you won't be able to uninstall Recall, the controversial AI-assisted Windows 11 screen-capping feature, and I can't say I'm too surprised

SoftwareOperating SystemsWindowsIt looks like you won’t be able to uninstall Recall, the controversial AI-assisted Windows 11 screen-capping feature, and I can’t say I’m too surprisedWhen you purchase through links on our site, we may earn an affiliate commission.Here’s how it works.

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Despite all the backlash and security problems the upcoming Windows Recall feature has faced, it now looks like Microsoft won’t be giving users the option to uninstall it. That’s right, whether you use it or not, you’re not going to be able to rid your system of the feature.

While notes for aprevious Windows updatemade it seem like Recall would be a feature that can be disabled, Microsoft hastold The Vergethat the way it was listed in these update notes was a “bug.”

The company states, “We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel,” and confirming, “This will be fixed in an upcoming update.”

For those unaware, Recall is a feature that’s meant to “help you find anything you have ever seen or done on your PC”. For example, you could ask Recall to find that spectacularly hilarious video you were watching a few days ago but forgot to bookmark.

If that seems impossible then you’re forgetting the magic of AI—this being why Recall is a feature meant only for Copilot+ PCs with powerful NPUs, such as those in the Snapdragon X Series or the recent AMD Strix Point APUs.

Do you want a photographic memory? The next best thing is Recall. Check out this new experience only available on Copilot+ PCs. Here is a demo from my colleague Carolina. pic.twitter.com/goylSXxslHMay 20, 2024

Or perhaps you’re wondering how even an AI-powered feature could achieve such a feat without having records of absolutely everything you’ve done on your PC. I mean, that would be a security nightmare, right?

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There’s also rumour of"intelligent media search" in the works, too, this being a Windows feature that will scan and transcribe all your computer’s audio and video files to find the phrase you’re looking for. Such a feature would certainly gel with Microsoft’s Recall plans and likely grate against existing security concerns.

And now, after all this and a postponed feature launch, it looks like we won’t be allowed to uninstall it when it does actually come out. Although, I should note that Microsoft hasn’t confirmed that Recall won’t be able to be uninstalled, only that the note hinting it would be was a bug.

Personally, I wouldn’t count on Microsoft allowing us to uninstall the feature completely. The company doesn’t have the best track record for allowing such things. Remember Cortana? Heck, even Microsoft Teams and OneDrive can be difficult to get rid of.

Let’s just hope leaving the feature disabled will be enough. No funny business, okay, Microsoft? Okay?

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