Microsoft's controversial Recall AI feature is finally available on all Copilot+ PCs

When Microsoft unveiled its new AI-powered range of Copilot+ PCs, one feature that drew immediate criticism was a new AI tool for Windows called Recall. Of course, Windows and criticism go hand in hand, but when it came to Recall - a tool that took screenshots of your PC that could then be used to navigate through your PC's usage history - it was a little different.

Early versions of the technology captured sensitive information like banking details and passwords and then put everything in an indexed database that could be searched, raising immediate security and privacy concerns. That's the old Recall; the new and improved version has been rebuilt with security in mind and is now available for all Copilot+ PC users.

"Recall is an opt-in experience with a rich set of privacy controls to filter content and customize what gets saved for you to find later," Navjot Virk, Microsoft Corporate Vice President, Windows Experiences, writes. "We've implemented extensive security considerations, such as Windows Hello sign-in, data encryption, and isolation in Recall to help keep your data safe and secure."

Microsoft confirms that all Recall data is processed locally, with nothing shared to the cloud or sent to Microsoft. The company also confirms that it "will not share your data with third parties."

The way Recall works remains unchanged. It allows you to scroll through a timeline of what you've been watching, reading, browsing, shopping for, or working on. You can also search through your history using natural language. Recall is an opt-in experience, and you can remove it completely from your system.

Recall arrives alongside a genuinely impressive Copilot+ PC feature called improved Windows search. This is an AI-enhanced version of the standard Windows 11 search bar next to the Start button. Instead of searching for exact file or app names, you can use natural language to find documents and photos. It's also available in File Explorer, tapping into the 40+ TOPS of AI power in Copilot+ PCs. Microsoft notes it's up to 70% faster than the traditional search tool for finding images or documents.