Completely uninstall Recall feature on Windows 11 (3 ways)

• To uninstall Recall on Windows 11, open Settings > System > Optional features > More Windows Features, clear the “Recall” option, and click “OK.”
• You can also use Command Prompt and PowerShell commands to remove the photographic memory feature from the operating system.
• Microsoft has officially confirmed that you can remove Recall entirely, including its AI components.

UPDATED 9/29/2024: On Windows 11 24H2, you can uninstall the Windows Recall feature, and in this guide, I will show you how to complete this configuration.

Windows Recall was supported to be this impressive photographic memory feature that takes screenshots of everything you do on the computer every few seconds and then applies AI to analyze the contents to make the data searchable in a timeline-like interface. However, after many security and privacy concerns, the company pulled out the testing preview of the feature from the operating system.

After pulling it from the new version, an option to remove it appeared on the “Turn Windows features on or off” page, but then the company said that the option was a bug, and now, on September 27, 2024, the software giant is revealing new information about the AI feature, which also confirm that indeed users will be able to uninstall Recall and its AI components from Windows 11 completely. 

According to the announcement, the photographic memory feature will be disabled by default, and during the initial setup experience for Copilot+ PCs, users will be prompted to turn on the feature. If the user ignores this prompt, the feature will remain disabled. If the user chooses to enable it but the user doesn’t use it proactively, then the system will turn it off automatically.

The news arrived as we quickly approached the release of Windows 11 24H2, and shortly after, the company announced that it would resume testing Recall in October 2024, but only with Copilot+ PCs.

In this guide, I’ll explain the steps to completely uninstall Windows Recall from your Copilot+ PC running Windows 11 24H2 or higher releases. If your computer isn’t a certified Copilot+ PC, then the feature won’t be available to you.

• Uninstall Windows Recall AI on Windows 11 24H2
• Uninstall Windows Recall AI from PowerShell
• Uninstall Windows Recall AI from Command Prompt

Uninstall Windows Recall AI on Windows 11 24H2

To uninstall Recall on Windows 11, use these steps:

1. Open Settings on Windows 11.

2. Click on System.

3. Click the Optional features page.

4. Click the “More Windows features” option under the “Related settings” section.

   

   Quick tip: You can also open this page from the Start menu when searching for “Turn Windows features on or off.”

5. Clear the Recall option.

   

6. Click the OK button.

7. Restart the computer (if applicable).

Once you complete the steps, the system will uninstall the Windows Recall components from the operating system. However, the “installation” files will remain on the system if you ever want to reinstall the feature, similar to any other optional features available through the “Windows Features” page.

You can also follow these instructions in my video tutorial on my YouTube channel. (Remember to like and subscribe.)

Uninstall Windows Recall AI from PowerShell

To uninstall Recall with PowerShell commands, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for PowerShell, right-click the top result, and choose the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to uninstall Recall AI from Windows 11 and press Enter:

   Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Recall"

   

After you complete the steps, the PowerShell command will remove the feature’s components from the setup.

Uninstall Windows Recall AI from Command Prompt

To remove Windows 11 Recall with Command Prompt, use these steps:

1. Open Start.

2. Search for Command Prompt, right-click the top result, and choose the Run as administrator option.

3. Type the following command to remove Recall from your computer and press Enter:

   Dism /online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"Recall"

   

Once you complete the steps, the DISM command through Command Prompt will uninstall the Windows Recall feature from version 24H2.

It’s important to note that the feature isn’t enabled by default. It’s a feature you must enable manually. Once it’s turned on, you can always disable Windows 11 Recall through the Settings app.

Update September 29, 2024: This page has been updated to ensure accuracy and include the latest information.