Why has Windows 11 suddenly lost "Recall & Snapshots"?

David Hunter 0 Reputation points
2026-01-15T13:17:17.55+00:00

Hi

I was finding Recall very useful since I bought my new pc in September 2025, but it has suddenly disappeared. There is no longer an icon on the taskbar, and the “Recall and Snapshots” option on Settings / Privacy / Permissions has disappeared.

The PC spec is HP 27" Next Gen AI All-in-One PC - AMD R, Windows version 25H2

Windows Hello is enabled.

I have discovered the “Turn Windows features on or off” command, and Recall was unchecked. I tried checking it, downloading files and restarting, but this has had no effect.

Are there any alternative suggestions as to how I retrieve "Recall"?

Windows for home | Windows 11 | Security and privacy
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  1. Noel Macadangdang 16,880 Reputation points Independent Advisor
    2026-01-15T14:19:16.4066667+00:00

    Hi,

    Thank you for sharing your question. You’ve already taken the right step by checking “Turn Windows features on or off” and finding Recall unchecked—yet enabling it didn’t bring the feature back.

    Empathy: Losing a feature you’ve relied on, especially on a new AI-enhanced PC, can be both frustrating and disruptive to your workflow.

    Reason and resolution: Recall is a preview feature designed exclusively for Copilot+ PCs meeting specific hardware and OS requirements—such as an NPU-equipped AMD system, Windows 11 version 24H2 or later, Windows Hello sign‑in, and device encryption enabled. Since it disappeared, the most likely cause is that your PC no longer meets one of these prerequisites, perhaps due to a change in your hardware profile, OS build, or security settings.

    To restore Recall, first confirm you're still on a Copilot+ PC running a supported build and edition of Windows 11. Then, check under Settings > Privacy & security you should see Recall & snapshots listed. If the section is still missing, open the built-in Recall diagnostics via Command Prompt or PowerShell using vivetool /enable /id:51481164 to re-enable the feature toggle. After doing so, reboot and revisit Settings to re-enable and configure Recall.

    If Recall appears but data is missing, you can use the Reset Recall option found under Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots > Advanced settings to clear snapshots and reset the configuration. Once reset, toggle the feature back on, reconfigure storage limits, and allow snapshots to resume.

     

    I hope this helps.

     

    Best Regards,

    Noel

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  2. AI answer

    2026-01-15T13:17:27.6166667+00:00

    It seems that the Recall feature may have been disabled on your device. According to the context, Recall is not available by default on managed commercial devices, and if the policy setting for Recall is not configured, it will remain in a disabled state. Additionally, if the policy is disabled, the Recall component will be removed from the device, and any previously saved snapshots will also be deleted.

    To enable Recall again, you can check the following:

    1. Group Policy Settings: Ensure that the policy for enabling Recall is set correctly. You may need to access the Group Policy Editor and navigate to Computer Configuration > Windows Components > Windows AI to check the setting for AllowRecallEnablement.
    2. User Settings: If you have administrative access, you can enable the Recall feature through the settings or registry.
    3. Device Restart: After making changes, ensure you restart your device to apply the new settings.

    If you are still unable to access Recall after checking these settings, consider reaching out to Microsoft support for further assistance.

    References:

    AI-generated content may be incorrect. Read our transparency notes for more information.

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