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    5 min read 7 stepsMay 13, 2026Verified May 2026

    Windows 11 24H2 — What to Disable Right Away (Including Recall)

    Microsoft's 2024H2 update added some features you may want to turn off. Here is the short list of settings to change today.

    At a Glance

    Category
    Windows Guides
    Difficulty
    Beginner
    Read Time
    5 min read
    Steps
    7
    Topics covered
    windows 11
    24h2
    recall
    privacy
    microsoft
    copilot

    In this guide (7 steps):

    1. 1.Disable Recall if it is on your PC
    2. 2.Reassign or disable the Copilot key
    3. 3.Turn off your advertising ID
    4. 4.Reduce diagnostic data Microsoft collects
    5. 5.Clean up lock-screen ads and Start menu suggestions
    6. 6.Turn off Online Speech Recognition
    7. 7.Schedule one yearly privacy check
    1

    Disable Recall if it is on your PC

    ~40s
    Recall is only on Copilot+ PCs (newer machines with a specific AI chip — Snapdragon X, Intel Core Ultra Series 2, or AMD Ryzen AI 300). It takes a screenshot every few seconds of everything you do and saves it locally so you can search "find that recipe I read last Tuesday." Some people love it. Some find it unsettling. To turn it off: Open Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots > toggle "Save snapshots" to Off. To wipe what it already saved, tap "Delete snapshots" and choose "All."

    Warning

    Recall snapshots are stored on your PC, not in the cloud, and are encrypted. But anyone who knows your Windows password can view them. If you share the PC, turn Recall off.

    2

    Reassign or disable the Copilot key

    ~34s
    Newer Windows keyboards have a Copilot key where the right-Ctrl or menu key used to be. Pressing it opens the Copilot chat panel. If you keep hitting it by accident, you can remap it. Settings > Personalization > Text input > Customize Copilot key. You can change it to open the Search bar, a different app, or do nothing. To disable Copilot entirely: Settings > Personalization > Taskbar > toggle Copilot off, then Settings > Apps > Installed apps > Copilot > Uninstall.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: If you do not have a Copilot key, this section does not apply — your keyboard is older and unaffected.

    3

    Turn off your advertising ID

    ~27s
    Windows assigns each user account a unique advertising ID that apps can use to track what you do across your PC and show ads. You do not need this on. Settings > Privacy & security > General > toggle "Let apps show me personalized ads by using my advertising ID" to Off. Also turn off the three other toggles on that page: "Let websites show me locally relevant content," "Let Windows improve Start," and "Show me suggested content in the Settings app."
    4

    Reduce diagnostic data Microsoft collects

    ~23s
    Windows sends diagnostic data to Microsoft about how you use your PC. You can lower this to the minimum required. Settings > Privacy & security > Diagnostics & feedback. Set "Send optional diagnostic data" to Off. Turn off "Improve inking and typing." Turn off "Tailored experiences." Set "Feedback frequency" to Never. None of these affect Windows working correctly. They only stop Microsoft from receiving extra information about your habits.
    5

    Clean up lock-screen ads and Start menu suggestions

    ~24s
    Windows 11 shows "Windows spotlight" images on the lock screen along with occasional ad-like prompts ("Did you know Microsoft 365…"). To turn them off: Settings > Personalization > Lock screen > "Personalize your lock screen" — choose Picture (not Windows spotlight) and pick a photo. Then Settings > Personalization > Start > toggle off "Show recommendations for tips, shortcuts, new apps, and more." That removes promo content from Start menu too.
    6

    Turn off Online Speech Recognition

    ~16s
    Settings > Privacy & security > Speech > toggle "Online speech recognition" Off. This is for cloud-based dictation. If you do not use voice typing to dictate emails or use Cortana, you do not need this. Local speech (Voice access, Narrator) still works fine without it.
    7

    Schedule one yearly privacy check

    ~34s
    Microsoft adds new settings with each Windows update. Once a year — pick your birthday or a holiday you will remember — sit down for 15 minutes and walk through Settings > Privacy & security. The categories on the left (Camera, Microphone, Location, Notifications) each have an on/off list of which apps can use what. Turn off anything you do not recognize. You can always turn it back on if an app stops working.

    Quick Tip

    Quick Tip: Bookmark account.microsoft.com/privacy in your browser. That is the master dashboard for everything Microsoft knows about you. You can delete past search history, location history, and voice activity from there.

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    If your Windows 11 PC has updated to version 24H2 (the big October 2024 update that rolled out widely through 2025), you may have noticed new icons in the taskbar, new Copilot prompts, and a feature called Recall on Copilot+ PCs. Some of these are useful. Some collect data about how you use your computer. Some can be turned off without losing anything.

    This guide walks through the five settings most worth changing right after the 24H2 update arrives on your PC: Recall (which takes screenshots of everything you do), Copilot key on the keyboard, ad tracking ID, diagnostic data, and lock-screen suggestions.

    You will not break anything by turning these off. Microsoft makes them opt-in or easy to disable because privacy regulators required it. Everything in this guide is reversible — if you change your mind, the same setting flips it back on.

    (Sources: Microsoft Support — "Recall on Copilot+ PCs," support.microsoft.com/recall; Microsoft Privacy Dashboard, account.microsoft.com/privacy)

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    windows 11
    24h2
    recall
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    Official Resources

    Microsoft SupportHow-To Geek — WindowsGCFGlobal — Windows Basics

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