Microsoft confirmed that the option to uninstall the Windows 11 Recall feature was mistakenly included in the latest update, marking it as a bug.
Microsoft has acknowledged that the option to uninstall the Recall feature in Windows 11 was unintentionally included in the latest update.
Users discovered this error after installing the 24H2 version of Windows 11, specifically update KB5041865, where the Recall feature appeared in the ‘Turn Windows features on or off’ section of the Control Panel.
The erroneous inclusion was first reported by Deskmodder, a Dutch blog. Following this discovery, Brandon LeBlanc, a senior product manager at Windows, clarified that the listing was a bug and assured users that it would be corrected in a forthcoming update.
The Recall feature, which is designed to capture screenshots of nearly everything displayed on a user’s computer, has been controversial. Initially scheduled for release with Copilot Plus PCs in June, its launch was delayed due to security concerns. Researchers highlighted vulnerabilities, particularly that the Recall database, which stores these snapshots, was unencrypted, making it susceptible to malicious software.
In response to these concerns, Microsoft revamped the Recall feature, making it opt-in, encrypting the database, and introducing Windows Hello authentication. Despite these changes, the recent update mistakenly suggested that users could uninstall Recall.
This error may have regulatory implications, especially from the European Union, which could require Microsoft to offer an uninstall option for the Recall feature, similar to the requirements for the Edge browser and Bing-powered web search in the Start menu for users in the European Economic Area.
Microsoft plans to preview the updated Recall feature to Windows Insiders in October.
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