Microsoft is stepping deeper into AI with the rollout of its new AI screenshot tool, a feature under Copilot+ Recall that quietly takes screenshots of users’ screens every few seconds.
The goal? Helping people easily search through their digital past – whether it’s files, emails, photos, or websites they visited. This new recall tech is now in preview mode and available to early testers using Microsoft’s AI-powered PCs and laptops.
So here’s how it works. The Microsoft AI screenshot tool captures screen activity in the background and lets users go back in time to find what they were working on. Can’t remember the name of that document or photo from last week? No problem – Recall is designed to help you find it instantly. It’s part of Microsoft’s push to make personal computing more intuitive with artificial intelligence built directly into devices.
Right now, the tool is only available for people signed up through the Windows Insider Program, but Microsoft says a wider rollout is on the way. However, if you’re in the EU, you’ll have to wait a little longer, as the feature won’t be released there until later this year.
The idea behind this tool is cool, but not without controversy. When it was first introduced last year, a lot of people called it a “privacy nightmare”, and the backlash was loud. Microsoft made changes and reintroduced the feature in 2025 with added safeguards. Still, critics are speaking out. Privacy researcher Dr. Kris Shrishak told the BBC that although the current version is better, there are still big concerns – especially since screenshots might capture private information about people who haven’t given any consent.
This adds to the ongoing debate about AI and privacy. Just because tech can remember everything doesn’t mean it should. Microsoft insists the screenshots are stored locally and not sent to the cloud, and users will be able to control what gets captured. But whether that’s enough to ease people’s worries remains to be seen.
Either way, Microsoft is clearly betting big on integrating AI into everyday computing. Features like Recall are part of a larger strategy to make Windows more helpful and context-aware, without relying on your memory. Whether people see it as revolutionary or invasive will depend on how it’s used – and how much control users really get.
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