Microsoft Recall

Searchable local snapshots of your screen history on Windows 11 Copilot+ PCs

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Pricing

Pricing unknown

Company

MicrosoftUnited States

Platforms

Windows

What is Microsoft Recall?

Microsoft Recall is an optional Windows 11 feature that saves snapshots of your active screen every few seconds, and whenever window content changes. You can then search or browse that history to find something you saw earlier. You can describe what you remember in text or by voice, and Recall returns close and related text and visual matches. You can also scroll a timeline or filter results by app.

Snapshots are encrypted and stored on the local drive. OCR runs on the device, and Windows Hello confirms your identity before Recall opens. Saving is off by default. You can exclude apps and websites, filter private browsing, and turn on the sensitive-information filter (on by default), which screens out content such as passwords and card numbers.

Recall needs a Copilot+ PC with a 40 TOPS NPU, 16 GB of RAM and at least 50 GB of free storage. It suits Windows users who want to find past work, and IT admins who manage those devices.

Key features

Automatic screen snapshots every few seconds and on content change
Search by typed or spoken description
Text and visual matches labeled close or related
Timeline browsing and per-app result filtering
Exclude specific apps and websites
Sensitive information filtering for passwords and card numbers
Local encrypted storage protected by Windows Hello
Click to Do actions on text and images in snapshots

Use cases

Who it's for

Windows 11 Copilot+ PC ownersKnowledge workersResearchers and studentsIT administrators

Finding a lost webpage or document

Describe what you remember seeing and Recall returns matching snapshots so you can reopen the content.

Picking up past work

Scroll the timeline to see what you were working on at a given time, filtered by app.

Reusing content from earlier screens

Use Click to Do to copy or edit text and images from a snapshot, or open them in other apps.

Managing Recall across an organization

Admins can disable Recall, cap disk use and retention, and set filter lists on managed devices.

Microsoft Recall pricing

From the vendor's site, checked Oct 26, 2026; we re-check prices monthly. Prices change — confirm on their pricing page.

The vendor does not publish plan details.

How Microsoft Recall compares

Microsoft Recall has no free plan, while all 4 alternatives below have one.

Tool	Starts at	Free plan	Free trial	API	Open source
MMicrosoft Recall	—	—	—	—	—
LLittlebird AI	$17/mo			—	—	Microsoft Recall vs Littlebird AI
SScreenpipe	$21/mo		—			Microsoft Recall vs Screenpipe
EEvernote	$14.99/mo			—	—	Microsoft Recall vs Evernote
RReflect Notes	—		—	—		Microsoft Recall vs Reflect Notes

Compare 8 capabilities

Capability	Microsoft Recall	Littlebird AI	Screenpipe
Calendar integration	—
Email integration	—
Meeting notes
Screen memory
Scheduled routines	—
MCP support	—
Local data storage
App/privacy exclusions

Capabilities as stated on each vendor's own site; — means the site doesn't say. The closest alternatives in our directory by category. “Starts at” is the cheapest paid plan per month, as each vendor lists it.

Microsoft Recall data and privacy

Trains AI on your content

“Recall does not share snapshots or associated data with Microsoft or third parties, nor is it shared between different Windows users on the same device.”

Data retention

Oldest snapshots deleted when max storage reached; user chooses how long snapshots are kept

“Once that maximum is reached, the oldest snapshots are deleted automatically. You can also choose how long snapshots can be saved on your device.”

Where data is stored

On-device (local hard drive)

“Snapshots and the contextual information derived from them are saved and encrypted to your local hard drive.”

Security and compliance

None stated

From Microsoft Recall's own privacy and security pages , checked Oct 28, 2026. We only show what the vendor states in writing; “not stated” means the pages don't say.

Pros and cons

Strengths

Snapshots are stored locally and encrypted, and the page says they are not shared with Microsoft
Off by default, with app, website and sensitive-data filters
Search works by text or voice and also matches images
Admins can't secretly turn on snapshots on managed devices

Limitations

Requires a Copilot+ PC with a 40 TOPS NPU and 16 GB RAM
Needs at least 50 GB of free storage to enable
Optimized for only six languages
Website filtering is limited in some Chromium browsers

Microsoft Recall FAQ

How much does Recall cost?

Microsoft's support page doesn't publish any pricing for Recall. It describes Recall as a Windows 11 feature on Copilot+ PCs.

What hardware does Recall need?

A Secured-core Copilot+ PC with a 40 TOPS NPU, 16 GB RAM, 256 GB storage (50 GB free), Device Encryption or BitLocker, and Windows Hello Enhanced Sign-in Security with biometrics.

Is my data sent to Microsoft?

No. The page says snapshots are encrypted, stored locally and not shared with Microsoft or third parties.

Which languages are supported?

Recall is optimized for English, Chinese (Simplified), French, German, Japanese and Spanish.

How do I open Recall?

Press Windows key + J, or open it from Start or the taskbar icon.