Microsoft has clarified that the option to uninstall its upcoming Recall feature in Windows 11 is a bug, not an intentional feature. The bug was spotted in the latest 24H2 version of Windows 11, where the KB5041865 update made Recall appear as a removable option under the “Turn Windows features on or off” section in the Control Panel.
Brandon LeBlanc, a senior product manager at Microsoft, addressed the issue, stating, “We are aware of an issue where Recall is incorrectly listed as an option under the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ dialogue in Control Panel. This will be fixed in an upcoming update.” Microsoft plans to resolve this issue in a forthcoming patch.
Recall, a controversial AI feature that captures screenshots of almost everything a user sees or does on their computer, was initially set to launch with Copilot Plus PCs in June. However, after security researchers raised concerns, the release was postponed. The concerns primarily focused on the Recall database, which stored screenshots every few seconds without encryption, potentially making it accessible to malware. Microsoft has since decided to make Recall an opt-in feature rather than enabling it by default and has enhanced security by encrypting the database and requiring authentication via Windows Hello.
While Recall is expected to be available for preview by Windows Insiders in October, Microsoft has not confirmed whether users will eventually have the option to thoroughly uninstall the feature. The mistaken appearance of Recall in the uninstall options could prompt further discussions, especially given the European Commission’s Digital Markets Act, which has already led Microsoft to allow the removal of Edge and Bing-powered search from the Start menu in European Economic Area (EEA) countries.
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