How to Uninstall or Reinstall Recall on Windows 11

What is Recall?

Recall is a Windows 11 feature that takes screenshots of your screen every few seconds to help you remember what you’ve seen.

How to Turn Recall On or Off in Settings

You can turn off Windows Recall in Settings when you want to stop the feature from taking screenshots of your computer activity. Open the Settings ⚙️ app, go to Privacy & security, select Recall & snapshots, and flip the toggle switch to turn snapshots off. This stops the feature immediately without removing it from your system completely.

1. Click the Start button ⊞ and open Settings ⚙️.
2. Go to Privacy & security.
3. Find and click on Recall & snapshots.
4. Toggle the switch to turn snapshots on or off.

Alternative methods exist too, like pausing snapshots temporarily, excluding certain apps, or deleting all snapshots.

Recall is Now a Windows Feature You Can Add or Remove

A recent Windows update 🔃 (KB5041865 Windows 11 build 26100.1591) allows adding or removing Recall as an optional component. Removing it completely grants total control over privacy.

How to Add or Remove Recall Using Windows Features

You can remove Windows Recall using Windows Features to completely take the feature off your computer. Open the Run box by pressing the Windows key and R, type OptionalFeatures.exe to open the system features list, find Recall, and uncheck the box next to it. Restart your computer when prompted to finish removing it.

1. Press Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run box.
2. Type OptionalFeatures.exe and press Enter. This opens the Windows Features window.
3. Scroll down the list until you find Recall.
4. Check the box to add (turn on) Recall. Or uncheck it to remove (turn off) Recall.
5. Click OK to save your changes.

Windows applies these modifications automatically. Restart your PC. The Recall feature status updates after the reboot.

How to Uninstall or Reinstall Recall Using Commands

You can uninstall or reinstall Recall using commands in Windows Terminal if you need a reliable administrative method. Open Windows Terminal as an administrator by right-clicking the Start button, open a command tab, and run the specific package management commands to remove the feature completely from your Windows 11 system.

⚠️ Admin privileges required

Steps:

1. Open Windows Terminal as an administrator. To do this, right-click the Start button and choose Windows Terminal (Admin).
2. In Windows Terminal, open a PowerShell or Command Prompt tab.
3. To install (enable) Recall, type this command and press Enter:
   
   DISM /Online /Enable-Feature /FeatureName:"Recall"
4. To uninstall (disable) Recall, type this command and press Enter:
   
   DISM /Online /Disable-Feature /FeatureName:"Recall"

PowerShell commands offer another viable method:

To enable Recall:

Enable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Recall"

To disable Recall:

Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Recall"

Rebooting the computer after executing these commands guarantees the modifications apply correctly.

Summary

• Recall is a Windows 11 feature that takes snapshots of your screen every few seconds.
• You can control Recall to protect your privacy by turning it off or uninstalling it.
• Turn Recall on or off from Settings under Privacy & security.
• You can add or remove Recall from Windows Features or by using commands in Windows Terminal.
• Restart your PC after making changes to ensure everything works properly.
• By managing Recall the way you want, you keep your computer privacy exactly how you like it.