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There is no single “AI activity” switch in Windows. Control depends on what you mean: an individual app’s background activity, Recall snapshot saving, Click to Do actions, or the separate experimental Copilot PC insights feature. On Windows 11, you can limit supported apps from Settings > System > Power & battery > Battery usage. On a Copilot+ PC, Recall is separately managed at Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots. Turning an app’s background setting to Never saves more power but stops that app’s background notifications and updates. Turning Recall’s Save snapshots off prevents new snapshots, while Click to Do can still send selected content online when you choose actions such as web search.
First identify which Windows feature you want to control
Windows groups several different behaviors under the broad idea of “AI,” but they do not share one master on/off control. The setting that stops an ordinary app from running in the background does not disable Recall, and turning off Recall snapshots does not change an app’s notification policy.
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| Feature | What it does | Where you control it | Does it run or save information when unused? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Background activity for a supported app | Allows an app to update, receive information and deliver notifications when you are not actively using it. | Windows 11: Settings > System > Power & battery > Battery usage, then the app’s More options > Manage background activity. | It may, depending on whether you choose Always, Power optimized or Never. |
| Recall | Saves searchable snapshots of activity on an eligible Copilot+ PC after you opt in. | Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots; you can also pause it from the system tray. | Only when snapshot saving is enabled. It is off unless each Windows user opts in. |
| Click to Do | Offers actions on selected text or images, including actions based on Recall snapshots. | Use the feature’s action choices. Some analysis is local; selected online actions send content to the service involved. | It does not create a general always-on monitor. Data handling depends on the action you select. |
| Copilot PC insights | An experimental, opt-in feature in the Copilot on Windows app. | Its own controls in the Copilot app. | It is separate from Recall’s snapshot controls. |
This distinction answers the common question, “Will Copilot monitor my computer in the background?” There is no accurate yes-or-no answer for every Windows installation. Check the specific feature and its consent, storage and background settings instead of assuming that every Copilot-related function behaves like Recall.
Limit ordinary app background activity in Windows 11
Microsoft documents background controls for supported apps as a way to reduce power consumption and improve battery life. These controls concern the app’s ability to work while you are not using it; they are not an AI privacy dashboard.
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Open the per-app control
- Open Start and select Settings.
- Choose System, then Power & battery.
- Open Battery usage.
- Find the app you want to change. Select its More options button.
- Choose Manage background activity.
- Under the background-permission setting, select Always, Power optimized or Never.
The exact list depends on app support and your Windows build. A desktop program may not appear in this list at all. In that case, use the program’s own settings, exit option or startup controls; Windows cannot apply this particular per-app menu to software that does not expose the required setting.
Understand the three choices
| Choice | Background behavior | Notifications and updates | Power trade-off |
|---|---|---|---|
| Always | The app may receive information, send notifications and stay up to date while not in use. | Background notifications and updates can continue. | It may use more power, particularly when the app performs frequent work. |
| Power optimized | Windows balances background work against power use and can limit apps that consume more energy. | Periodic notifications and updates can still arrive, but timing may be limited. | A middle ground for apps you want available without allowing unrestricted activity. |
| Never | The app is stopped from running in the background while unused. | That app’s background notifications and updates stop until you open or otherwise use it. | The strongest of these three choices for reducing that app’s background power use. |
Choose a setting without creating a surprise
- Use Never for apps whose alerts are unimportant and whose updates can wait until you open them.
- Use Power optimized when you need occasional messages but want Windows to limit unnecessary battery drain.
- Use Always only when timely notifications or continuous updating matters more than battery conservation.
Changing a background permission can make an app appear “quiet” rather than broken. If notifications disappear after selecting Never, restore Power optimized or Always, then check the app’s own notification settings.
Manage Recall snapshots on a Copilot+ PC
Recall is a Windows 11 feature for Copilot+ PCs. It is not silently enabled for every user: saving snapshots requires an opt-in choice. On a shared computer, each Windows user makes an independent choice.
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- Open Settings from the Start menu.
- Go to Privacy & security.
- Select Recall & snapshots.
- Use the Save snapshots control to enable or disable saving.
When Save snapshots is off, Recall does not create new snapshots. You can also pause Recall from its system-tray control when you need a temporary stop, and you can delete snapshots that already exist from the Recall settings.
Filter apps and websites
Recall lets you filter particular apps and websites. Sensitive-information filtering is enabled by default to help exclude snapshots when potentially sensitive information is detected. Website filtering controls whether content from a foreground browser tab may appear in Recall; it does not prevent the browser, the website, your internet provider or an organization managing the device from knowing that a site was visited or from applying its own tracking.
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Recall does not record audio or save continuous video, according to Microsoft’s support guidance. Its snapshots and associated information are processed and stored on the device. Microsoft also says snapshots are not shared with Microsoft or third parties, while some diagnostic data may still be provided according to your Windows privacy settings. Therefore, “stored locally” should not be read as “Windows sends no data of any kind.”
Pick the right Recall privacy level
| Approach | Convenience | Exposure and management work | Who it suits |
|---|---|---|---|
| Save snapshots off | No searchable Recall history is created. | Lowest exposure through Recall, but you give up its ability to find past on-screen activity. | Anyone who does not need a visual activity history or who uses a shared or sensitive workspace. |
| Save snapshots on with filters | Searchable history remains available for selected work. | You must review app and website filters and occasionally pause or delete snapshots. | People who find Recall useful and are willing to manage what it can capture. |
| Pause when needed | Normal Recall use continues outside the paused period. | It is a temporary control, so it requires remembering to pause and resume it. | Situations such as handling confidential material for a short time. |
Understand what Click to Do sends online
Click to Do can analyze Recall snapshots locally. On Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft says selected-text actions powered by Phi Silica run locally. That local processing does not mean every available action stays offline.
Local analysis
When Click to Do analyzes selected content using the on-device capability, the analysis happens on the PC. This is the relevant distinction for actions that do not require a web service to complete.
Actions that share selected content
- Search the web sends the selected content to Bing so the search can be performed.
- Visual search uses Bing and therefore sends the selected image or other required content to that online service.
- Sending selected content to an app such as Paint or Notepad can involve temporary files created for the transfer.
Microsoft says Click to Do does not retain screen content after completing a requested transfer, although temporary files may remain until the process completes or a new action starts. Treat each optional online action as a deliberate sharing decision: local analysis by default for the applicable operation, followed by online sharing when you select a service-dependent action.
Keep Copilot PC insights separate from Recall
Copilot PC insights is described by Microsoft as an experimental, opt-in feature in the Copilot on Windows app. Its status and controls are therefore different from Recall’s snapshot setting. Do not try to disable it by changing Save snapshots, and do not assume that turning off an app’s background permission changes an opt-in feature inside Copilot.
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If you do not want to use Copilot PC insights, review the Copilot app’s own settings and consent screens. Experimental features can change labels, availability or behavior as Windows and the app are updated.
A practical privacy-and-battery decision process
If your priority is battery life
- Review high-use apps under Settings > System > Power & battery > Battery usage.
- Set nonessential supported apps to Never, accepting that their background alerts and updates will stop.
- Use Power optimized for apps whose notifications matter occasionally.
- Check desktop apps separately because they may not be listed in the Windows background-activity menu.
- Remember that Windows does not publish a universal battery percentage for these choices; actual savings depend on the app and how much work it would otherwise perform.
If your priority is minimizing recorded activity
- On a Copilot+ PC, open Settings > Privacy & security > Recall & snapshots.
- Turn Save snapshots off, or keep it on only after filtering sensitive apps and websites.
- Pause Recall from the system tray before a confidential session and delete existing snapshots when they are no longer needed.
- Review Click to Do’s destination before confirming an action. A web-search or visual-search choice sends selected content to the required online provider.
- Check Copilot PC insights independently in the Copilot app because it is not governed by Recall’s controls.
If your priority is reliable notifications
- Do not use Never for apps whose alerts you depend on.
- Try Power optimized first and verify whether notifications arrive at an acceptable frequency.
- Use Always only when delayed notifications create a real problem.
- If alerts still fail, inspect the app’s notification settings and Windows notification permissions; background permission alone does not guarantee delivery.
Troubleshoot missing controls or unexpected behavior
The app does not appear under Battery usage
The menu is limited to supported apps. Desktop applications may be absent and must be managed through their own settings. Windows version, app packaging and organization policies can also affect which controls are shown.
Recall settings are missing
Recall is limited to eligible Copilot+ PCs running a supported Windows 11 release. A standard Windows 11 computer, a Windows 10 computer or a device blocked by an organization policy may not show the Recall page. Confirm the device type and Windows version before troubleshooting a setting that is not available.
Notifications stopped after a change
Reopen the app’s background setting and change Never to Power optimized or Always. Then verify the app’s own notification controls. Stopping background execution necessarily stops that app’s background notifications and updates.
You are concerned that filtering protects all web privacy
Recall’s website filter only controls whether foreground-tab content may appear in Recall. It is not a browser privacy tool and does not stop websites, browsers, internet providers or managed networks from recording access through their own systems.
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You expected every Click to Do action to stay offline
Check the action name before confirming it. Local Phi Silica analysis applies to the supported selected-text operations, while web search and visual search use Bing. Transfer actions can also create temporary files while handing content to another app.
What changes on Windows 10 and managed computers?
The background-app overview that covers Windows 10 documents a different Settings route from the Windows 11 path above. Do not apply the Windows 11 clicks verbatim to Windows 10. Recall is a Windows 11 Copilot+ PC feature, so Windows 10 does not provide the same Recall controls.
Feature availability can also vary with Windows edition, device eligibility, app support, preview status and organization policy. If a work or school administrator manages the computer, policy may hide a setting, prevent an opt-in or impose a different data-handling rule. Check the Windows version, whether the machine is a Copilot+ PC and whether it is managed before diagnosing a missing control.
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Start with Power optimized for supported apps, move unimportant apps to Never, and reserve Always for alerts that must arrive promptly. Leave Recall’s Save snapshots off unless searchable snapshots provide a benefit that justifies reviewing filters and deleting history. If you enable Recall, filter sensitive apps and sites and use pause or deletion deliberately. Finally, treat every Click to Do online action as an explicit sharing choice rather than assuming that an on-device AI feature makes the entire workflow offline.
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