Brave Browser has taken a stand against Microsoft’s Recall feature by setting a default block in all Windows 11+ users’ browsers, preventing the controversial screenshot-logging capability from capturing any Brave tabs, even those in private mode. The decision stems from Brave’s long-standing commitment to privacy, with the company expressing concerns over the potential for abuse and the risk of sensitive browsing history being stored in a persistent database. Brave’s blog post explains that while Microsoft has made several privacy-positive changes to Recall, the feature is still in preview and is set to be rolled out more broadly soon. The initial announcement of Recall, however, did not inspire confidence due to its tone-deaf approach to user privacy concerns.
Microsoft has stated that private browsing windows on browsers will not be saved as snapshots, but Brave has extended this logic to apply to all Brave browser windows. By informing the operating system that every Brave tab is ‘private,’ the browser ensures that Recall never captures any of its tabs. This move is another example of Brave’s efforts to enhance Chromium’s privacy functionality, making Brave a safer browser for its users in privacy-sensitive situations. Brave is the only major web browser to disable Microsoft Recall by default across all tabs, reinforcing its position as a privacy-first browser.