If you want to use Recall on any Windows 11 computer without any hardware requirements or Copilot+ PCs, you should check out OpenRecall. OpenRecall is a free alternative to the Recall & snapshots feature that Microsoft is rolling out to some selected PCs. Here is how you can set things up and use the app on your Windows 11 computer.
What is OpenRecall?
As said earlier, OpenRecall is a free Recall & snapshots alternative that you can use on any Windows 11 computer. It is a command-line tool that captures your screen while doing anything with your computer screen ON. Simply put, you can find out what you have been doing on your computer with the help of this application. The best thing is that it works on Windows, Linux, and macOS.
System requirements:
It has basic system requirements, and they are:
- Python 3.11 or higher. You can download it from the Microsoft Store or the official website. You should check out this article to install Python on Windows 11 without errors.
- Git
- The OpenRecall package. You can download it from github.com. After downloading, extract the ZIP file and keep it somewhere.
Once you install Python, you can go through the steps to install and use it on your computer.
How to install and use OpenRecall on Windows 11
To install and use OpenRecall on Windows 11, follow these steps:
- Press Win+X and select Terminal (Admin).
- Ensure that a Command Prompt instance has opened.
- Enter this command:
python3 -m pip install --upgrade --no-cache-dir git+https://github.com/openrecall/openrecall.git - Enter this command:
python3 -m openrecall.app - Open a browser and enter this:
http://localhost:8082/ or http://127.0.0.1:8082/.
To learn more about these steps, continue reading.
To start, you must open the Terminal with administrator permission. After opening Terminal, make sure that you have opened the Command Prompt instance.
Next, enter this command:
python3 -m pip install --upgrade --no-cache-dir git+https://github.com/openrecall/openrecall.git
It may take some time.
Once done, enter this command:
python3 -m openrecall.app
For your information, the last command doesn’t end unless you close it manually since it starts capturing your screen continuously.
If you see the URL, you can enter any of the following URLs in your browser:
http://localhost:8082/
or
http://127.0.0.1:8082/
Both open the localhost.
From now on, you can use the timeline bar to navigate through time and check what you have been doing. The more time you keep the Terminal window open, the more screenshots you can find.
Important things to keep in mind:
- It comes with OCR, which helps you search for almost anything on the screen.
- The data is stored on your local computer, which could be an advantage and a disadvantage. The advantage is that you can access your data anytime. However, the disadvantage is that it can eat up your computer storage.
- You can use your mouse or trackpad to navigate the timeline and find what was on the screen for a specific period.
- The search is pretty slow, but it works seamlessly.
I hope this guide helps you get started.
Read: How to download and install Recall on an unsupported computer
How to turn off OpenRecall?
To turn off OpenRecall, you need to close the Terminal or Command Prompt window. Use the close button to get it done. However, you can also press Ctrl+C to cancel the request.
