Windows 11 Recall quietly gets a feature that lets you quickly analyze what is on screen

Microsoft is not having a good time with its flagship AI feature that was supposed to propel the launch of Copilot+ PCs on June 18 but ended up going down in flames after security experts and customers raised their privacy concerns. Microsoft tried to damage-control the situation with a few security improvements but ultimately decided to postpone the release and start with Windows Insiders first.

Now, while Apple is openly mocking Microsoft for its misfired launch, the software giant is making improvements for Recall.

Albacore (@thebookisclosed on X) discovered several Recall improvements in the latest Windows 11 Canary build, 26236.5000. For starters, pressing Win + Shift + D launches a new Screenray utility that lets you quickly analyze what is on the screen and get translations, extra insights from Copilot, and more.

Image source: Tom's Hardware

Recall's home page received a redesign, with the biggest change being a new Topic section with snapshots arranged in a grid-style list. Now, Windows 11 opens a new home page instead of creating a new snapshot when you open Recall, which was a bit counter-intuitive. However, there is still a button to create a new snapshot right here, right now.

Image source: Tom's Hardware

Each analyzed snapshot gets its tag, which you can then find in the Topics section. You will also be able to assign custom tags to your snapshot collections and filter search results by apps.

Image source: Tom's Hardware

Another addition to Recall is a better integration of Copilot, which was rather strangely missing in the initial version. Clicking anything on a snapshot will bring a menu with various features, such as describing an image, finding similar pictures, creating similar pictures, copying, and launching other apps.

Image source: Tom's Hardware

For now, all that Recall stuff is hidden inside Windows 11 preview builds. Microsoft plans to give Insiders access to Recall in the near future, but you will be required to own a Copilot+ PC. Those with older ARM64 will have to use third-party hacks to get the feature working.

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