Brave becomes first browser to block Windows Recall by default

Earlier this year, Signal blocked Recall, and now, Brave is stepping in with a similar move. Starting with version 1.81 on Windows, Brave will block Microsoft Recall from seeing any part of your browser activity.

Recall was first introduced in May and immediately drew backlash. It quietly captured screenshots every few seconds and saved them locally in plain text. That made it easy for anyone with access to the device, including malware, to sift through someone’s digital history.

Microsoft paused the rollout, promised changes, and reintroduced the feature with more controls. But Brave isn’t waiting to see how that plays out. The browser now tells Windows to treat every tab as private. That’s enough to keep Recall from logging anything, even if you’re not using incognito mode.

Brave is the first major browser doing this by default. There’s still a toggle in the privacy settings if someone wants to re-enable Recall, but the default is off. Unlike Signal’s approach, Brave doesn’t block all screenshots. It only stops Recall.

Remember, accessibility tools keep working. Users can still take screenshots when they need to. All in all, Brave is trying to make sure your web activity isn’t stored in a searchable archive.