Introduction

Microsoft has released Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120.2415 (KB5046723) to the Dev Channel, marking a significant stride in AI-driven productivity innovations. This build unveils two headline features: Windows Recall and Click to Do, both designed to revolutionize how users interact with their PCs by leveraging artificial intelligence to enhance workflow continuity and streamline task execution.

What is Windows Recall?

Windows Recall is an AI-powered feature designed to keep track of the user's on-device activities in real-time, essentially helping users "remember" their previous work sessions. This feature works by capturing snapshots of open applications, documents, websites, and files, documenting them in a chronological timeline. Users can then easily revisit these snapshots, quickly resuming tasks exactly where they left off.

Key Technical Details:

  • Snapshot Creation: Recall automatically captures activity snapshots that include metadata like file paths, URLs, and app identifiers.
  • Timeline Navigation: These snapshots are organized into an intuitive timeline, allowing quick retrieval and seamless workflow resumption.
  • Security: To protect user data, all snapshots are stored encrypted locally on the device and are inaccessible to other applications or even Microsoft itself.
  • User Control and Privacy: Recall is strictly opt-in, requiring users to enable it manually. The feature also mandates Secure Boot and BitLocker encryption for robust security, alongside Windows Hello biometric authentication to ensure that sensitive snapshots are only accessible to the authorized user.

Current Limitations:

  • Hardware Dependency: At this stage, Recall is exclusive to Snapdragon-powered Copilot+ PCs, leveraging Qualcomm’s AI accelerators for optimal performance.
  • Language Support: The feature is initially available in English, Chinese, German, French, Japanese, and Spanish, with plans for broader language support.
  • Known Issues: Some users may experience a delay before their first snapshots appear, and certain assistive technology compatibility is limited. Microsoft is actively working on updates to resolve these concerns.

Introducing Click to Do: AI-Powered Task Acceleration

Complementing Recall, Click to Do adds a layer of AI-powered interactivity directly within snapshots. This tool provides contextual, smart actions on recognized text and images within your activity history, allowing users to perform tasks without interrupting their workflow.

Features of Click to Do:

  • Text Recognition: When highlighting text in a snapshot, users are presented with actionable options such as copying to clipboard, performing a web search, or opening URLs and email addresses directly.
  • Image Actions: For images within snapshots, users can edit photos (blur backgrounds, erase objects, remove backgrounds) using integrated apps like Paint or Photos, perform Bing visual searches on image content, or save/share images effortlessly.
  • Future Integration: Microsoft plans to extend Click to Do beyond Recall snapshots, integrating it with Snipping Tool, Print Screen workflows, and taskbar search.

Broader Context and Implications

These features showcase Microsoft's commitment to transforming Windows 11 from a traditional operating system into a proactive digital assistant platform, where AI plays a central role in understanding user context and enhancing productivity.

Recall’s on-device, privacy-conscious AI approach addresses common concerns about data security, while expanding multitasking possibilities through intelligent record-keeping of user sessions. Click to Do reduces friction in daily tasks, making interactions smarter and workflows faster.

The initial Snapdragon-only limitation highlights Microsoft's strategy to leverage AI-optimized hardware capabilities, but support for Intel and AMD devices is anticipated in forthcoming releases.

Together with other AI integrations like Copilot, these innovations could redefine user expectations of operating system functionality, pushing the industry towards more intelligent, context-aware computing experiences.

How to Access These Features Today

  • Join the Windows Insider Dev Channel via Settings > Windows Update > Windows Insider Program.
  • Update your PC to Build 26120.2415.
  • If you have a compatible Snapdragon Copilot+ PC, enable Recall manually through the Recall app and turn on the snapshot saving option.
  • Ensure Secure Boot and BitLocker are enabled, and enroll in Windows Hello for biometric security.

Note: Being part of the Dev Channel means you should expect occasional bugs and instability as these features are still under active development.

Conclusion

The launch of Windows 11 Insider Preview Build 26120 integrates powerful, AI-driven features that could significantly improve productivity by allowing users to seamlessly resume past activities and execute tasks more efficiently. While currently limited to high-end Snapdragon hardware, the innovations in Recall and Click to Do portend a future in which AI is deeply embedded into the operating system, making PCs smarter and more user-centric.

Windows Insiders are encouraged to test these features and provide feedback to help Microsoft refine and expand capabilities before a broader public release.