You may not be able to uninstall Recall from Windows 11 for now, but that may change soon

Reports have circulated online that Microsoft will soon let you uninstall Recall from Windows 11. The controversial, all-knowing feature lets you “recall” whatever you’ve done on your laptop/PCs, but it does so by periodically taking snapshots of your desktop.

The news first stemmed from Deskmodder.de‘s finding in the Windows 11’s KB5041865 optional update, dated back on August 27, 2024. The build reportedly lists Recall as one of the features that’s uninstallable from Windows 11 via the Windows Features menu.

But now, it seems like Microsoft has debunked the report. In another report by The Verge, Microsoft clarifies that Recall was “incorrectly listed” on the list of features that are uninstallable via the Windows Feature menu, and it will soon release a patch to fix it “in an upcoming update.”

But still, that does not mean Recall will be uninstallable for good, or at least in certain markets. Microsoft has been under high scrutiny from European lawmakers for its monopoly practices in the browser market, so much so that it has required the Redmond tech giant to let users uninstall the Edge browser.

You can even uninstall Photos, People, and Remote Desktop apps from your Windows 11 PCs.

Microsoft’s launch of the Recall feature was a PR disaster for the Windows makers. The AI-powered feature, which comes exclusively for Copilot+ PCs, has a great premise in mind, but the company’s bad track record when it comes to data collection among users has backfired that people do not trust the feature.

On top of that, security loopholes have also been found, since the feature works by taking snapshots of your desktop periodically. After public backlash, Microsoft finally set the Copilot+ PC feature off by default.