Windows Recall captures screenshots automatically — here's how to stop it

Windows Recall is a feature that takes periodic screenshots of your screen and stores them locally on your device. It's designed to help you search through your activity history, but many people find it intrusive or have privacy concerns. If you want to turn it off, you have several options depending on which version of Windows you're running and whether Recall is actually installed on your machine.

The steps differ slightly between disabling Recall entirely, pausing it temporarily, and removing it from your system. Most people can turn it off in Settings within a few minutes. If you're running an older version of Windows or a PC that doesn't have Recall installed yet, you won't see these options — and that's normal.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows Recall is turned off by default on most PCs and only appears on certain newer devices with specific hardware.
  • If Recall is on your device, you can disable it permanently through Settings under Privacy & Security.
  • You can also pause Recall temporarily without fully disabling it, which stops new screenshots from being taken.
  • Disabling Recall does not delete screenshots that were already captured — you may need to delete those separately.
  • If Recall doesn't appear in your Settings, your PC either doesn't have it installed or your version of Windows doesn't support it yet.

Check if Recall is actually on your PC

Before you disable anything, confirm that Recall is installed and running. Open Settings by pressing Windows key + I on your keyboard. Navigate to Privacy & Security in the left sidebar. Scroll down and look for Recall as an option.

If you don't see Recall listed, your PC doesn't have it installed yet. This is the case for most Windows machines as of now. Recall is only available on certain newer PCs with specific hardware requirements, and Microsoft has been rolling it out gradually. You can stop here — there's nothing to disable.

If you do see Recall listed, it will show a toggle switch and a status. The status will say either "On" or "Off". If it's already off, Recall is not running and you don't need to take further action.

Disable Recall permanently through Settings

Open Settings by pressing Windows key + I. Go to Privacy & Security in the left sidebar. Scroll down until you find Recall.

Click on Recall to expand the section. You'll see a toggle switch next to "Recall" or "Snapshots". Click the toggle to turn it Off. The switch will change color and the status should now read "Off".

Close Settings. Recall will no longer take new screenshots. This is the simplest and most complete way to stop Recall from running on your device.

Pause Recall temporarily if you prefer

If you want to keep Recall installed but stop it from taking screenshots for a while, you can pause it instead of disabling it completely. Open Settings, go to Privacy & Security, and find Recall.

Look for a Pause button or option within the Recall section. Click it to pause Recall. When Recall is paused, it will not take new screenshots, but the feature remains installed and can be resumed later.

To resume Recall, return to the same location in Settings and click the button again — it will now say Resume or show a play icon instead of a pause icon.

Delete screenshots Recall already captured

Turning off Recall stops new screenshots from being taken, but it does not automatically delete the ones that were already captured. If you want to remove those stored images, you need to do that separately.

Open Settings and go to Privacy & Security. Find Recall and look for an option that says Manage snapshots, View snapshots, or Clear data. Click this option to see your stored screenshots.

You should see a button or option to Delete all or Clear all snapshots. Click it to remove all the screenshots Recall has stored. You may be asked to confirm this action. Once confirmed, the stored images are deleted and cannot be recovered.

Disable Recall using Group Policy (Windows Pro and Enterprise only)

If you're using Windows Pro, Enterprise, or Education edition, you can also disable Recall through Group Policy, which is a more permanent system-level setting. This method prevents Recall from running even if someone tries to turn it back on through Settings.

Press Windows key + R to open the Run dialog. Type gpedit.msc and press Enter. This opens the Group Policy Editor. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Recall.

Look for a policy called Allow Recall or Enable Recall. Double-click it and select Disabled. Click Apply and then OK. Close the Group Policy Editor. Recall will now be disabled at the system level.

Note: Group Policy Editor is not available on Windows Home edition. If you're using Home edition, use the Settings method described earlier.

What to do if Recall keeps turning back on

In rare cases, Recall may re-enable itself after you've turned it off, usually after a Windows update. If this happens, the simplest fix is to disable it again through Settings using the steps above.

If you're using Windows Pro or Enterprise and want to prevent this from happening, use the Group Policy method instead. Group Policy settings are more resistant to being overridden by updates or system changes.

If Recall continues to turn itself back on repeatedly, check Windows Update to see if there are pending updates. Sometimes installing the latest updates resolves unexpected behavior. You can also restart your PC after disabling Recall to ensure the change takes effect properly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Does disabling Recall affect my PC's performance?

No. Turning off Recall will not speed up your PC or free up significant storage space unless you also delete the stored screenshots. Recall runs in the background on devices where it's installed, but disabling it simply stops that background process.

Will I lose my files or data if I disable Recall?

Disabling Recall does not affect your files, documents, photos, or any other personal data. It only stops the automatic screenshot feature. Your regular files remain untouched.

Can I re-enable Recall after I've disabled it?

Yes. You can turn Recall back on at any time by going to Settings > Privacy & Security > Recall and toggling it back on. If you used Group Policy to disable it, you'll need to return to Group Policy Editor and set the policy back to Enabled or Not Configured.

What if Recall isn't showing up in my Settings at all?

Recall is not installed on most PCs yet. If you don't see it in Settings, your device either doesn't have the required hardware or your version of Windows doesn't support it. You don't need to do anything — Recall is not running on your machine.

Does disabling Recall delete my search history?

No. Disabling Recall only stops new screenshots from being taken. It does not affect your browser history, search history, or any other activity logs. If you want to delete stored Recall snapshots, you must do that separately through the Manage Snapshots option in Settings.