How to Enable or Disable “Filter Sensitive Information” on Recall Snapshots in Windows 11

Recall is a feature available on Windows Copilot+ PCs that captures snapshots of user activity. It lets users revisit websites, documents, and past interactions through a searchable history. In turn, this helps them retrace their steps and retrieve crucial data.

To help protect privacy and proprietary information, there is a Recall snapshot “Filter Sensitive Information” option. When enabled, this automatically attempts to prevent snapshots from capturing sensitive content like passwords, credit card numbers, and private data.

“Filter Sensitive Information” is on by default, but IT admins and power users may choose to reconfigure it based on their IT security policies and user workflows. This guide provides the steps to enable or disable this setting using Windows Settings, Group Policy Editor, and Registry Editor.

Methods to Configure “Filter Sensitive Information” Setting

📌 Prerequisites:

• Your computer must be a Windows Copilot+ PC. Learn more about their capabilities and chipsets here.
• The system needs to be running Windows 11 version 24H2 with Recall enabled.
• Modifying system-wide settings, like in Group Policy and Registry Editor, will require administrator privileges.

📌 Recommended deployment strategies:

Method 1: How to enable or disable “Filter Sensitive Information” on Windows Recall via Settings

📌 Use Cases:

• Utilize this method for personal or unmanaged devices.
• You can use this to test Recall behavior before trying it system-wide.

📌 Prerequisites:

• This will require a Copilot+ PC running Windows 11 version 24H2 or later.
• Recall must be enabled on the system.

Configure the “Filter Sensitive Information” on Windows Recall using the Settings app via these steps:

1. Open Windows Settings (Win + I).
2. Next, navigate to Privacy & Security > Recall & Snapshots.
3. Scroll down to Filter lists.
4. Locate the Filter sensitive information option.
5. Toggle the switch:
   1. On = Enables filtering of detected sensitive data from snapshots.
   2. Off = Allows all data (including sensitive data) to be saved in snapshots.
6. A Windows Security prompt will appear. Confirm it to apply your desired setting.

💡 Note: This change only applies to the current user profile. Other users on the same system have to configure it separately.

Method 2: How to use Group Policy Editor to enable or disable “Filter Sensitive Information” on Windows Recall

📌 Use Cases:

• It is best used for domain-joined systems managed through Active Directory or local GPO.
• If you are an IT admin, you can use this method to enforce privacy policies across a network.
• Best for preventing users from toggling it manually in Settings.

📌 Prerequisites:

• Your computer should be running Windows 11 Pro, Enterprise, or Education. The Group Policy Editor is not available in the Home edition.
• This method requires administrator privileges.
• The system should run Windows 11 version 24H2 or later with Recall enabled.

To enable or disable “Filter Sensitive Information” on Windows Recall using the Group Policy Editor, here’s what you need to do:

1. Open the Local Group Policy Editor.
   1. Use the Win + R shortcut to open the Run dialog.
   2. Type gpedit.msc, and press Enter.
2. In the left pane, navigate to: User Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Windows AI.
3. In the right-hand pane, locate and double-click this option: Filter sensitive information from Recall snapshots
4. Adjust the policy settings according to your preferences:
   1. Pick Enabled to turn the filter on. This will attempt to block sensitive data.
   2. Select Disabled to turn it off. This will allow all data.
5. Click Apply, then OK. This will save the changes.

💡 Note: This process will gray out the toggle in Windows Settings, preventing users from changing it.

Method 3: Steps to enable or disable “Filter Sensitive Information” on Windows Recall via Registry Editor

📌 Use Cases:

• This method is useful for manual or scripted configuration on devices where Group Policy is not used or not enforced.
• Ideal for IT admins who want to apply the setting manually or through a deployment script.

📌 Prerequisites:

• This method requires administrator privileges.
• The device must be running Windows 11 version 24H2 or later with Recall enabled.

Configure “Filter Sensitive Information” on Windows Recall via the Registry Editor using these steps:

1. Open the Registry Editor.
   1. Use Win + R to open Run.
   2. After this, type regedit and press the Enter key to open the Registry Editor. 
2. Next, navigate to this key: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\WindowsAI.
3. If the WindowsAI key does not exist, create it using these steps:
   1. Right-click the Windows key.
   2. Select New > Key. 
   3. Name it WindowsAI.
4. On the right-hand pane of the WindowsAI key, right-click and choose New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Name it FilterSensitiveInformation.
5. Double-click the value and set the Value data (Decimal) to:
   1. 1 = This will enable the filter, attempting to block detected sensitive data.
   2. 0 = This will disable the filter, allowing all data to be captured.
6. Click OK, then close the Registry Editor.
7. Restart your computer to apply the changes.

⚠️ Things to look out for

Additional considerations when enabling or disabling “Filter Sensitive Information” on Windows Recall

Safeguards user privacy

The “Filter Sensitive Information” feature helps reduce the likelihood of capturing sensitive data in Recall snapshots. It is designed to detect and exclude patterns associated with sensitive information, such as passwords, payment details, and security codes.

Snapshots remain encrypted even if the filter is off

Disabling the Recall snapshot sensitive information filter will not make its data publicly accessible. All snapshots are stored locally and are protected using BitLocker or Device Encryption. Note that you can lock BitLocker-encrypted drives in Windows to protect your data further.

Admins can enforce filter status across users and machines

In managed environments with strict data security requirements, admins can use methods 2 and 3 to enforce the filter policy across various users and devices. These methods prevent users from toggling the setting independently, securing important data.

Where are the recall snapshots in Windows 11?

You can access snapshots through the Recall experience in Windows.. Once opened, you can view snapshots by scrolling through them or searching by using a keyword.

Help reduce sensitive data capture with Recall’s “Filter Sensitive Information”

The “Filter Sensitive Information” setting in Windows Recall helps reduce the likelihood of capturing sensitive data in snapshots, supporting privacy controls for both individual users and IT admins. So, managing it in businesses and educational institutions is highly important.

There are three ways to tweak it: Windows Settings provides user-level control on individual devices. Group Policy enables centralized enforcement across managed systems, while Registry configuration can be used for manual or scripted setups. These options support both individual configuration and consistent management across environments..

Related topics:

• How to Delete Recall Snapshots in Windows 11
• How to Enable or Disable Recall Snapshots in Windows 11
• How to Change Maximum Storage Size for Recall Snapshots in Windows 11
• Data Protection Methods for IT & MSP Teams 
• The Key Principles of Data Protection (EU and North America)