Disable recall without disabling Copilot

Recall can be disabled independently while keeping Copilot available.

On a personal (unmanaged) Copilot+ PC:

1. Turn off saving snapshots only:
   • Open Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots.
   • Set Save snapshots to Off. This stops new snapshots from being saved but keeps Recall installed and Copilot available.
2. Remove the Recall feature entirely (optional, more drastic):
   • Open Start and search for Turn Windows features on or off.
   • In Windows Features, clear the Recall checkbox.
   • Restart the PC. Any existing snapshots are deleted when Recall is removed. Copilot remains available because Recall is an optional Windows feature separate from Copilot.

On a managed (work or school) device:

• IT admins control whether Recall is present and whether users can save snapshots via the Allow Recall to be enabled and Turn off saving snapshots for Recall policies.
• Even when admins allow Recall, saving snapshots still requires explicit user opt‑in; admins cannot start snapshotting on behalf of users.
• If the Save snapshots toggle is greyed out or Recall is removed, this is enforced by policy and must be changed by the admin.

For command-line removal on a managed device where Recall has been enabled:

• An individual user can run (with appropriate rights):

    Disable-WindowsOptionalFeature -Online -FeatureName "Recall" -Remove
  

  This removes Recall and its snapshots from that device without disabling Copilot.

References:

• Retrace your steps with Recall
• Manage Recall
• Use a screen reader to explore and navigate Recall
• Use a screen reader and keyboard to navigate privacy settings in Windows