Perfect Recall is Microsoft’s experimental context window feature that gives AI Copilot access to your entire PC usage history. Announced in May 2024 for Windows 11, it captures screenshots every few seconds to create a searchable timeline of everything you’ve done on your computer.

The feature stores these snapshots locally on your device, building what Microsoft calls a “photographic memory” for your AI assistant. This allows Copilot to reference documents you’ve viewed, conversations you’ve had, and websites you’ve visited—even if you can’t remember the exact details.

How Does Perfect Recall’s Context Window Actually Work?

Perfect Recall takes a screenshot approximately every 5 seconds while you’re actively using your PC. These images are processed using on-device optical character recognition (OCR) to extract text, making everything searchable. The context window extends back weeks or months, depending on your storage capacity—Microsoft recommends at least 256GB of available space and 16GB of RAM.

The system excludes InPrivate browsing sessions and DRM-protected content. All processing happens on-device using your PC’s neural processing unit (NPU), requiring a Copilot+ PC with specific hardware requirements.

What Are the Privacy Concerns with Perfect Recall?

Security researchers immediately flagged Perfect Recall as a significant privacy risk. The feature stores sensitive information—including passwords visible on screen, financial data, and private messages—in a local database. If compromised, this database provides attackers with a complete record of your digital activity. Microsoft delayed the public rollout in June 2024 to address these concerns, making the feature opt-in rather than enabled by default.