Microsoft launches Recall to Windows 11 general availability — Click to Do and Improved Search also coming

Almost a year after its first announcement, Microsoft is finally releasing its controversial Recall feature on Copilot+ PCs to general availability. It's part of a launch that will also include a preview of the previously announced Click To Do contextual shortcuts and a new AI-powered Windows Search.

The updates are coming as part of the April 2025 Windows non-security preview update, and will roll out over time through a "controlled feature rollout." Those who want to be among the first to get the new features can go to Settings > Windows Update and enable "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available." Checking for updates should then allow you to install the April preview release.

Recall and Click to Do are both being labeled as "preview" experiences. This is in line with some other AI features, like how Apple Intelligence features have been labeled "beta" and some Google Gemini models are listed as "experimental."

Recall (preview)

Recall will get the most attention of this update. The feature, which is designed to let you search for information you previously worked with, takes screenshots of your activity and stores them locally on your device to search through later.

Microsoft has made Recall an opt-in experience, and you have to choose to enable it during setup. If you don't, screenshots won't be captured. Additionally, you can remove Recall from your device by searching for "Turn Windows features on or off" in the taskbar, which opens the Windows Features section in the control panel.

"With removing any feature, Windows may keep temporary copies of non-executable binaries of the feature that are eventually removed over time," Microsoft corporate vice president of Windows Experiences, Navjot Virk, wrote in a blog post.

Recall has been a hot-button topic since its initial announcement alongside Copilot+ PCs in May 2024. Since then, the feature has been delayed several times following calls from the security community that it is a privacy risk. In our testing of Recall in Insider builds, it captured certain sensitive information even with filters to prevent it.

The company has since added new security features, including encrypting snapshots using a PC's Trust Platform Module and using Windows Hello for authorization to change settings. You can also filter out certain apps or websites in supported browsers, control how long Recall content is retained, and delete snapshots from specific apps, websites, or time ranges.

As part of Windows 11 24H2, Recall was limited to Windows Insiders who could test the feature. Now, with the feature starting to roll out more broadly to Copilot+ PCs, we'll see how many people accept the feature following the rocky launch.

Click to Do (preview)

Click to Do, which was released as a Windows Insider preview last fall alongside Windows 11 24H2, uses a combination of Windows key + Click (or a swipe right on a touchscreen device) to provide a contextual menu to relevant AI actions. For example, highlighting text and then using the feature may provide the option to summarize it, while choosing an image in a file might give you the option to adjust or remove it.

Beyond the shortcut, there will also be a Click to Do icon in Start, Print Screen, and the Snipping Tool.

Click to Do Image actions are rolling out on all Copilot+ PCs, while text actions are only on Snapdragon today, with AMD Ryzen and Intel Core Ultra support "in the next few months."

Improved Windows search

Gone are the days of remembering every file name you've ever come up with. The improved Windows search on Copilot+ PCs lets you use natural language to describe what you need.

The search feature will be built into the existing Windows Search box, Settings, and the File Explorer. Microsoft says this can be done locally exclusively because of the 40+ TOPS NPU requirement in Copilot PCs.

Will these features draw new PC buyers?

Adding these new features exclusively to Copilot+ PCs — laptops with AMD Ryzen AI 300 series, Intel Core Ultra 200V series, and Qualcomm Snapdragon X, Plus, and Elite processors, comes as Microsoft is preparing to sunset feature and security upgrades for Windows 10 on Oct. 14.

Adding the new features, including Recall, the flagship AI concept announced with Copilot+ PCs, may also be an attempt to get people to upgrade their laptops. But so far, uptake exclusively for AI features has been slow.

Follow Tom's Hardware on Google News to get our up-to-date news, analysis, and reviews in your feeds. Make sure to click the Follow button.