Microsoft Releases Recovery Images for its Surface Copilot+ PCs

Microsoft finally launched its first Copilot+ PCs this week with the new Surface Pro and Surface Laptop powered by Qualcomm’s Snapdragon X Series chips. The new devices launched with a couple of exclusive AI-powered capabilities, though the flagship Recall feature designed to help users find documents and other information that they previously accessed has been delayed to address security and privacy concerns.

Early adopters who purchased a new Copilot+ PC from either Microsoft or its PC partners this week had to install an update during the during the Out of Box Experience (OOBE) that removes the Recall feature. These first Copilot+ PCs are shipping with Windows 11 version 24H2, the next annual update for the OS that’s still being tested with Windows Insiders.

For customers having trouble with the recovery options on their new Surface Copilot+ PCs, Microsoft has also published the recovery images for the new Surface Pro “11th Edition” and Surface Laptop “7th Edition”. To download these recovery images from Microsoft’s support site, users will need to find their device’s serial number, which is located at the bottom (it’s hidden under the kickstand for the Surface Pro).

After downloading the factory recovery image, the next step is to create a recovery drive with a USB key formatted with the FAT32 file system. You can find detailed instructions on how to proceed on this support page.

Due to last-minute changes to the Recall feature on Windows 11 version 24H2, reviews for the first Copilot+ PCs were not immediately available this week. However, Paul’s 15-inch Surface Laptop has shipped and you can expect to see his full review pretty soon.