Microsoft Expands Recall AI Preview to Intel and AMD Processors

Microsoft's AI-powered "Recall" feature, designed to help users access previously viewed content on their computer, is now available in an expanded preview. After an initial testing phase limited to ARM-based systems with Qualcomm Snapdragon processors, users of Windows 11 PCs with Intel and AMD processors can now try the feature. This requires a so-called Copilot+ PC, which meets certain hardware requirements.

What is Recall and how does it work?

Recall acts as a kind of "photographic memory" for the computer. It regularly takes screenshots of the screen and analyzes their content using artificial intelligence. This information is stored in a searchable timeline, allowing the user to quickly access previously viewed documents, images, and applications. The search within the timeline can be done using natural language, so users can, for example, search for "presentation from last Monday" instead of clicking through folders and files.

Focus on data protection and security

Since the screenshots captured by Recall can potentially contain sensitive data, Microsoft has revised the data protection and security aspects of the feature. The screenshots are encrypted and stored on the local hard drive and processed only with the computer's internal NPU (Neural Processing Unit). A filtering mechanism is intended to obscure sensitive data such as passwords and account information. Users also have the option to exclude certain websites and programs from being recorded by Recall. Access to the stored screenshots is protected by Windows Hello, requiring users to authenticate with a PIN or biometric data. In addition, screenshots can be deleted manually or automatically.

New features: "Click to Do" and AI-powered image editing

The new preview version of Recall also introduces the "Click to Do" feature. Similar to Google's "Circle to Search," users can select content on the screen by pressing the Windows key and clicking the mouse simultaneously. This content can then be analyzed using AI and searched for on the internet. Additionally, the preview version integrates AI-powered image editing features into Microsoft Paint and the Photos app. In Paint, the "Cocreator" enables the generation of images based on a simple sketch and a text prompt. The Photos app offers functions for image generation via text prompts as well as for stylistic editing of existing photos.

Hardware requirements and availability

To use Recall, users need a Copilot+-enabled PC with an AI accelerator that delivers at least 40 TOPS (Trillion Operations Per Second). Other requirements include an eight-core CPU, 256 GB of hard drive space, and 16 GB of RAM. The Recall preview is currently available to Windows Insider Program participants in the Dev Channel. Users must register for the program and be signed in to Windows 11 with the same Microsoft account. After installing the corresponding Windows 11 build and updating the NPU drivers, Recall can be activated in the operating system's privacy settings.

Outlook and further development

Microsoft plans to further expand the functionality of Recall and its associated AI features in the future. For example, the advanced "Click to Do" features, currently only available on Snapdragon-based systems, are to be made available to Intel and AMD users as well. The development of Recall shows how Microsoft is increasingly integrating AI functions into the Windows operating system to improve user productivity and the user experience.