Listen to this Post
Windows 11 Recall is a controversial feature designed to capture and store snapshots of user activity, raising significant privacy and security concerns. Despite Microsoft’s attempts to address these issues, many experts argue that the risks remain.
You Should Know: Practical Security Measures Against Windows 11 Recall
If you’re concerned about Recall’s data collection, here are some verified steps to disable or mitigate its impact:
1. Disabling Recall via Group Policy (Windows Pro/Enterprise)
Open Group Policy Editor gpedit.msc Navigate to: Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows Recall Enable "Disable Windows Recall"
2. Using Registry Editor to Disable Recall
Open Registry Editor regedit Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Recall Create a DWORD (32-bit) Value named "DisableRecall" and set it to 1
3. Checking Recall Data Storage Location
Recall stores snapshots in:
%LocalAppData%\Microsoft\Windows\Recall\Data
To monitor disk usage:
Check folder size dir /s "C:\Users\%USERNAME%\AppData\Local\Microsoft\Windows\Recall"
4. Blocking Recall via Windows Defender Firewall
Prevent Recall from phoning home:
Block Recall executable New-NetFirewallRule -DisplayName "Block Windows Recall" -Direction Outbound -Program "%SystemRoot%\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Recall_cw5n1h2txyewy\Recall.exe" -Action Block
- Using Linux to Securely Wipe Recall Data
If dual-booting with Linux, securely delete Recall snapshots:
Locate Recall data in NTFS partition sudo find /mnt/c/Users -name "Recall" -type d Securely wipe folder sudo shred -vfzu /mnt/c/Users//AppData/Local/Microsoft/Windows/Recall/
What Undercode Say
Windows 11 Recall remains a privacy nightmare despite Microsoft’s fixes. The feature’s deep system integration means disabling it requires administrative controls, registry edits, or even firewall rules. For security-conscious users, Linux provides better transparency and control.
Additional hardening steps:
Check for suspicious Windows services systemctl list-units --type=service | grep -i microsoft Monitor process activity ps aux | grep -i recall
For Windows users, auditing scheduled tasks is crucial:
List Recall-related tasks
Get-ScheduledTask | Where-Object { $_.TaskName -like "Recall" } | Format-Table
Expected Output:
A locked-down system where Recall is either disabled or heavily restricted, with continuous monitoring for unauthorized data collection.
Reference:
Ars Technica – Windows 11 Recall Analysis
References:
Reported By: Marko Bevc – Hackers Feeds
Extra Hub: Undercode MoN
Basic Verification: Pass ✅
