How to Enable Recall &Amp; Snapshots in Windows 11

What is Recall & Snapshots?

Recall is a built-in memory feature. It captures your screen as you work, browse, and chat, then builds a searchable history from those captures. When you want to find something later, you type what you remember seeing into the search 🔍 bar instead of digging through folders or browser history.

Why would you use this? If you saw something on your screen last week and cannot remember where, Recall helps you find it fast. That could be a web page, a figure in a document, or a message in a chat.

While Recall is active, your PC checks the screen every five seconds. It saves a snapshot only if something on the screen has changed. That keeps storage use down, because an idle screen does not fill the disk with identical images.

You can switch it off again at any time using the steps below.

Do You Meet the Requirements?

Recall only runs on hardware that meets these minimum specifications:

• A Copilot+ PC
• 16 GB RAM
• 8 logical processors
• 256 GB storage capacity

If free space drops below 25 GB, your PC stops saving snapshots automatically. Saving does not resume until you free up space again.

If your PC does not meet these requirements, you will not see the Recall settings at all. In that case the Settings steps below will not apply to your device. Check the hardware first before you go looking for a missing option.

Method 1Turn Recall On or Off Using Settings

The Settings app is the simplest way to control Recall. You do not need any advanced tools, and it works on both Home and Pro. You open the privacy section and use one toggle to decide whether your PC saves snapshots.

1. Open the Settings app. Click the Start menu and select Settings, or press the Windows key + I on your keyboard. The Settings window opens.
2. Click Privacy & security on the left side. The privacy options appear on the right.

3. On the right, scroll down if needed and click Recall & snapshots. The Recall settings page opens.
4. Find the Save snapshots tile and flip the switch to On or Off. The switch shows its new state right away. If it is greyed out, check whether a policy set by an administrator or your organization is controlling it (see the Group Policy section below).

5. Close the Settings app when you're done. The change is saved as soon as you flip the switch, so there is no separate Save button. To undo it, come back to the same page and flip the switch the other way.

Method 2Turn Recall On or Off Using Group Policy Editor

Use the Local Group Policy Editor if you want system-wide control over Recall. This is the more advanced method. It needs an administrator account, and it uses an administrative template setting to turn snapshot saving on or off. The editor is not included in Windows 11 Home, so on a Home PC use the Settings method above.

1. ⚠️ Admin privileges required. Open the Local Group Policy Editor. Type "Edit group policy" in the Start menu search and click the result. The Local Group Policy Editor window opens.
2. In the left pane, expand these folders in order:

   • User Configuration
   • Administrative Templates
   • Windows Components
   • Windows AI
3. On the right side, find and double-click Turn off Saving Snapshots for Windows. The setting's properties window opens.
4. Choose one of these options:

   • Not Configured (default) – Same as Disabled. Snapshots are saved.
   • Enabled – Windows stops saving snapshots. You can't search or browse your activity history.
   • Disabled – Windows saves snapshots. You can search and browse your activity history.
5. Click OK to save your changes. The window closes and the setting list shows the new state.
6. Restart your PC if the change does not take effect. A restart is not always needed, but it makes sure the policy is applied.

Be careful with the wording here. This policy is named "Turn off Saving Snapshots", so Enabled means saving is turned off. To undo your change, return to the same setting and pick Not Configured.

Summary

Recall & Snapshots automatically saves pictures of your screen so you can search for past content later. Use Settings › Privacy & security › Recall & snapshots for a quick on/off switch on any edition. Use the Local Group Policy Editor when you need to manage the feature as an administrator on Pro or higher.

Reference: Microsoft