PcFixin'

How to Turn Off Windows Recall and Delete Its Snapshots

By PcFixin' · July 19, 2026 · Windows · Windows 11, Windows Recall, Privacy

Check whether Windows Recall is saving your activity, stop it from taking new snapshots, and erase the ones already stored on your PC.

Before you start

Windows Recall is a Windows 11 feature that saves periodic pictures of what appears on your screen. Microsoft calls these pictures “snapshots.” Recall can use them to help you find something you previously viewed on your PC.

This guide assumes Recall is available on your Windows 11 computer. If you do not see Recall & snapshots in Settings, the feature may not be available or set up on that PC. You have not missed a hidden button.

Turning Recall off stops new snapshots. It does not necessarily remove snapshots already saved. For the cleanest privacy reset, complete both the turn-off and deletion sections below.

Windows may ask you to confirm changes with Windows Hello. Windows Hello is the security check you normally use to unlock the computer, such as your PIN, face, or fingerprint. That prompt is expected and is not a warning that something has gone wrong.

Check whether Recall is saving snapshots

The quickest clue is the Recall icon in the system tray. The system tray is the small group of status icons near the clock at the bottom-right corner of the desktop. Microsoft says the icon changes when Recall is saving, paused, or filtering snapshots.

The settings page gives you the clearest answer, so use it even if you do not recognize the tray icon.

1. Select the Start button on the taskbar.
2. Select Settings from the Start menu.
3. Select Privacy & security in the left side of Settings.
4. Select Recall & snapshots.
5. Look at the switch beside Save snapshots.

Turn off Windows Recall

If the Save snapshots switch says On, Recall is allowed to record new snapshots. Switching it off stops future saving.

Do not be alarmed if the screen briefly dims or asks you to verify your identity. Windows requires authorization before changing Recall settings so that another person cannot quietly alter them.

1. Select the Save snapshots switch to change it to Off.
2. Enter your Windows Hello PIN if Windows requests verification.
3. Check that the Save snapshots switch now says Off.

Delete the snapshots Recall already saved

Now remove the existing history. This is a separate job from turning Recall off. Deleting all snapshots is the simplest choice when your goal is a full privacy cleanup.

Deletion is meant to be permanent, so pause for a moment before confirming. You will no longer be able to use Recall to search through those erased snapshots.

1. Stay on the Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots page.
2. Find the snapshot deletion controls on the page.
3. Select Delete all snapshots.
4. Select the confirmation button if Windows asks you to approve the deletion.
5. Use Windows Hello if Windows asks you to authorize the change.

Need a temporary pause instead?

You can pause Recall without turning it off permanently. This can be useful before opening private documents or handling personal information. A pause is only temporary, so turning off Save snapshots in Settings is the better choice when you do not want Recall recording at all.

Microsoft also provides controls for filtering certain apps, websites, and potentially sensitive information. Those filters may help if you want to keep Recall enabled, but they are not a replacement for switching it off when you want recording to stop completely.

1. Select the Recall snapshot icon near the clock in the system tray.
2. Select the pause option in the Recall menu.

How to confirm the job is finished

Return to Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots whenever you want to check your choice. Save snapshots should still show Off.

Microsoft says the Recall system-tray icon is absent when snapshot saving is off. If an icon remains visible immediately after the change, rely on the Off setting as the main confirmation and give Windows a moment to update its tray icons.

That is the whole cleanup: new snapshots are stopped, and the saved snapshot history has been removed. You have taken control of a privacy setting that is easy to overlook—and you did it without digging through folders or using risky cleanup tools.

Bottom line

Set Save snapshots to Off to stop Windows Recall from recording new activity, then use Delete all snapshots to clear what it previously saved. Check the same Settings page later if you ever want to make sure Recall remains off.