Recall arrives: Windows Insiders on Copilot+ PCs finally getting preview of key Microsoft AI feature

After a series of delays, Microsoft is releasing a new build of Windows 11 to users in its Windows Insider Dev Channel today that includes a long-awaited preview of the Recall feature for the new class of Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs.

Recall takes snapshots of PC activity to let users query their history using artificial intelligence, enabled by a neural processing unit (NPU) on Copilot+ PCs. Originally slated for release in June, the Recall preview was delayed multiple times as Microsoft addressed security and privacy concerns related to the feature.

The new Windows Insider build also includes a preview of “Click to Do,” which offers AI-powered actions on text and images within Recall snapshots, such as copying text, opening URLs, and performing visual searches.

Microsoft cites a series of security and privacy precautions in Recall:

• The company says Recall is an opt-in feature, not enabled by default.
• Snapshots saved by Recall are stored locally on the PC, encrypted, and unable to be accessed by Microsoft or third parties.
• Users need to authenticate with Windows Hello to access Recall, which requires enabling Bitlocker and Secure Boot.
• Sensitive information like credit card details and passwords are automatically detected and excluded from snapshots.
• Recall’s settings allow users to keep snapshots of specific apps and websites from being saved. Users can pause the saving of snapshots and delete any they no longer want to be saved.

Recall was positioned as the flagship feature of the new line of Copilot+ PCs, from Microsoft and third-party PC makers, when the initiative was announced in May of this year. Due to the delays, the first of those machines were released in June without Recall, with the promise that it would be coming soon.