Microsoft has announced that a recent update to Windows 11, which showed the new Recall feature as uninstallable, is actually a mistake. The company has confirmed that this issue will be fixed in an upcoming update.
Deskmodder, a German website noticed that the latest update to Windows 11, version 24H2 with KB5041865, included an option to uninstall the Recall feature from the “Turn Windows features on or off” menu in the Control Panel. This led to confusion and concern among users, as Recall- an upcoming feature expected in October this year, is designed to capture screenshots of almost everything on a computer.
Brandon LeBlanc, a senior product manager at Microsoft, explained the situation to The Verge. “We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialog in Control Panel,” LeBlanc said. “This will be fixed in an upcoming update.” This means that the appearance of the Recall uninstall option was not intentional and is being addressed.
What is Recall?
Recall is an AI-powered feature that Microsoft plans to include in Windows 11. It was initially set to debut with Copilot Plus PCs in June. However, the launch was postponed after security researchers raised concerns about the privacy of the feature.
Microsoft has responded to these concerns by making Recall an opt-in feature rather than a default one. The company is also working on encrypting the data and adding extra security measures, such as authentication through Windows Hello. The feature is now expected to be previewed with Windows Insiders in October.
While Microsoft has not confirmed whether it will allow users to fully uninstall Recall, there are talks that an uninstall option might be added for European users. This potential change could be in response to the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act, which requires more control over certain features in software.
For now, Windows 11 users should wait for the fix to be rolled out. Microsoft is working to correct the bug and ensure that Recall is presented correctly in future updates.