Microsoft Tests 'Context Vault' for Windows 11: An Opt-In Alternative to Recall

IT Home reported on October 23 that tech outlet Windows Latest published a blog post today (October 23), reporting that Microsoft is quietly testing an AI application for Windows 11. Codenamed internally as Project Pantheon and titled Context Vault in test versions, it can be viewed as a non-screen-recording version of the "Recall" feature.

After its debut, the Recall feature sparked significant privacy concerns due to its automatic screen capturing. To circumvent these privacy risks, this Context Vault app only saves content that users actively choose to store, making it closer to a searchable "second brain" that users can query with AI. Images shared by IT Home are included below:

Project Pantheon vs. Windows Recall

Users can save web pages, files, screenshots, copied text, audio, and video as "memories" and organize them into collections by topic. The app's built-in chat feature allows users to query this data—for instance, to summarize a collection, organize recent work items, or draft content based on the saved materials.

Memories saved in Context Vault (Project Pantheon) are organized by category.

The project is also deeply integrated into various Windows entry points: users can save content via browser extensions, File Explorer, the share menu, screenshots, Click to Do, and the clipboard. In File Explorer's share menu, Context Vault is already listed alongside apps such as WhatsApp and Outlook.

Context Vault appears in the Windows 11 share menu.

The entry for Context Vault in "Settings" > "Apps" > "Actions" still uses the old "Project" name.

The chat page in Context Vault allows you to ask the AI about all your saved content.

This Context Vault app also supports the Model Context Protocol, enabling third-party AI applications such as Claude and Cursor to access the user's saved memories.