Windows Recall is an AI-powered feature introduced in Windows 11, designed to help users easily find and revisit past activities across apps, documents, and websites. Unlike traditional search tools, Recall captures snapshots of your screen at regular intervals and enables semantic search using natural language. This turns your device into a context-aware memory system, helping you locate anything you’ve seen, even if you don’t remember when or where.

Recall is targeted at knowledge workers, researchers, developers, and everyday users who juggle multiple tasks, windows, and information sources. It is designed to reduce the cognitive load of remembering where you saw something, offering an intuitive, AI-assisted way to retrace your digital steps.

Key benefits include:

• Time-based and semantic search across past activities

• Visual timeline interface that shows app and screen history

• On-device AI processing to preserve performance and privacy

What are the main features of Windows Recall?

Screen snapshot timeline

Recall automatically captures snapshots of your screen at intervals, creating a timeline of your recent activity.

• Snapshots include windows, applications, and browser content

• Users can scroll back to see exactly what was on screen at a given time

• Enables quick recovery of lost context or forgotten steps

Semantic search with natural language

Users can search for past activity using everyday language, not just keywords or filenames.

• Example: “Find the chart I was working on last Tuesday”

• Uses AI to understand the meaning behind queries

• Matches screen content even if it wasn’t saved or labeled

App and content awareness

Recall integrates with Windows apps and web browsers to enhance relevance.

• Recognizes text and visual elements across documents, emails, chats, and websites

• Connects screenshots with meaningful content across multiple apps

• Helps resume tasks by recreating previous working contexts

Privacy and local data control

Recall runs entirely on-device, giving users full control over what is captured and stored.

• Users can exclude apps, pause snapshotting, or delete specific history

• Data is encrypted and stored locally

• No information is uploaded to the cloud by default

Visual interface for intuitive retrieval

The Recall interface presents a scrollable, searchable visual history of your activity.

• Combines time-based navigation with keyword or semantic search

• Helps locate visual information more quickly than file or browser history

• Designed for fast access without disrupting your workflow

Why choose Windows Recall?

• Reduces cognitive overhead by remembering digital context for you

• Find anything you’ve seen, not just saved files or links

• Works across apps, websites, and documents with visual and semantic cues

• Local-first design prioritizes privacy and user control

• Useful for multitaskers, researchers, and anyone working across multiple tools