How to disable Recall (AI timeline) on Windows 11

If you're concerned or don't like the feature, you can disable Recall on Windows 11 with these instructions.

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@Pureinfotech
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Windows 11 Recalled disabled
Windows 11 Recalled disabled / Image: The Wall Street Journal
  • To disable Recall on Windows 11, open Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots and turn off the “Save snapshots” toggle switch.
  • It’s also possible to disable Windows Recall AI through the Registry or Group Policy Editor.

UPDATED 6/6/2024: On Windows 11 24H2, you can disable the Recall feature completely or temporarily, and in this guide, I will explain how to perform this configuration. Although the Recall feature can help you to find any activity (such as documents, images, websites, messages, email, apps, and more) you have done on your computer using an AI model that runs locally on the computer, it’s not a feature for everyone since many users can consider this feature a privacy and security concern.

This is because the timeline feature technically constantly takes screenshots of everything that occurs on the screen, and it can record sensitive information (such as passwords, bank account numbers, private images and videos, and more). Sure, it offers encryption, but only if you enable BitLocker on the system drive. Otherwise, if you don’t use the encryption and someone gets access to your computer, the information can be accessible.

Also, many people may be concerned about using system resources and the impact on battery life, even though the NPU (Neural Processing Unit) will handle most of the processing. Theoretically speaking, this feature should not significantly impact battery or performance.

In addition, there is the problem of trust. Although Recall uses an AI model that works locally on the device, a lot of users will be concerned about the company spying on them, which shouldn’t be the case.

Regardless of the reason, even though Microsoft wants you to use this feature, it has added an option in the Settings app to disable Recall completely or temporarily from the Taskbar. You can also disable the feature through the Group Policy Editor or the Registry.

In this guide, I will outline the steps to turn off the Recall feature on Windows 11 24H2 or higher releases.

Warning: It’s important to note that modifying the Windows Registry can cause serious problems if not used properly. It’s assumed you know what you’re doing and have created a full backup of your system before proceeding.

Completely turn off Recall feature on Windows 11

To disable Recall on Windows 11, use these steps:

  1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

  2. Click on Privacy & security.

  3. Click the Recall & snapshots page.

    Recall & snapshots settings

  4. Turn off the “Save snapshots” toggle switch.

    Windows 11 disable Recall

  5. (Optional) Click the Delete snapshots setting.

  6. Click the Delete all button for the “Delete all snapshots” setting.

    Delete Recall data after disabling feature

Once you complete the steps, the Recall feature will be disabled, and stop taking snapshots of every activity.

If you only want to turn the feature off temporarily, click the “Recall” button in the Taskbar and click Click the “Pause until tomorrow” button.

Recall System Tray flyout

After you complete the steps, the AI timeline will temporarily pause taking snapshots until you turn on the feature again.

If you want to enable Recall again, use the same instructions, but in step 4, turn on the toggle switch.

Completely turn off Recall feature from Registry

If you have a device running Windows 11 Home, you won’t have access to the Group Policy Editor, but you can also disable Windows Recall through the Registry by modifying the “WindowsAI” key.

To disable Windows Recall through the Registry, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for regedit and click the top result to open the Registry Editor.

  3. Browse to the following path:

    HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI

  4. Right-click the WindowsAI key, select the New menu, and choose the “DWORD (32-bit) Value” option.

    Registry create DisableAIDataAnalysis

  5. Name the key DisableAIDataAnalysis and press Enter.

  6. Double-click the newly created key and change its value from 0 to 1.

    Registry disable Recall AI

  7. Click the OK button.

  8. Browse to the following path:

    HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI

  9. Right-click the WindowsAI key, select the New menu, and choose the “DWORD (32-bit) Value” option.

    Registry Local Machine create DisableAIDataAnalysis

  10. Name the DWORD DisableAIDataAnalysis and press Enter.

  11. Double-click the newly created key and change its value from 0 to 1.

    Registry disable Recall AI from Local Machine

  12. Click the OK button.

  13. Restart the computer.

After you complete the steps, the timeline feature will no longer be operational on your Copilot+ PC.

Once you restart the computer, the data should be deleted automatically. If you want to make sure the data has been removed, open Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots, click on the “Delete all snapshots” setting, click the “Delete all” button, and click the “Delete” button again to confirm.

Recall delete snapshots after disabling feature
Recall delete snapshots after disabling feature / Image: Mauro Huculak

Completely turn off Recall feature from Group Policy

If you have a device running Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education, you can disable the Recall feature from the Group Policy Editor. This option isn’t available on Windows 11 Home.

To disable Recall through Group Policy, use these steps:

  1. Open Start.

  2. Search for gpedit and click the top result to open the Group Policy Editor.

  3. Browse the following path:

    User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows AI

  4. Right-click the “Turn off saving snapshots of Windows” policy and choose the Edit option.

    Turn off saving snapshots of Windows

  5. Check the Enabled option.

    Group Policy disable Recall

  6. Click the Apply button.

  7. Click the OK button.

Once you complete the steps, the Recall feature should no longer run on your computer.

If you also want to ensure that the data is removed from the computer, open Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots, click on the “Delete all snapshots” setting, click the “Delete all” button, and click the “Delete” button again to confirm.

Recall delete snapshots after disabling feature
Recall delete snapshots after disabling feature / Image: Mauro Huculak

The Recall feature is expected to be available starting June 18, 2024, when manufacturers begin shipping their new Copilot Plus PCs.

Update June 6, 2024: This guide has been updated to ensure accuracy and reflect changes to the process.

Update June 14, 2024: Microsoft has announced that it is temporarily pausing the rollout of the Windows Recall AI feature as it needs more time for testing and ensuring security. As a result, Copilot+ PCs won’t get the feature on June 18.

About the author
Avatar for Mauro Huculak

Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 14 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].