Private search on Mac in a Recall world

Windows Recall, now in preview, records opt-in screen snapshots every few seconds, stores them locally with encryption, and lets you search that timeline with natural language. You can scroll an explorable history, filter by app, and pick up where you left off. Access is protected with Windows Hello, and Microsoft says snapshots stay on the device unless you choose to share.

That approach brings power and controversy. Continuous screenshots can capture more than you intended, even with filters and pause controls. Some users want the recall of a moment, others want strict limits on what gets stored at all.

If you are moving to Mac, or if you simply want private recall from the files you already keep, Fenn gives you a different path.

Download Fenn for Mac. Private on device. Find the moment, not the file.

Two philosophies of recall

Recall on Windows, snapshot timeline

• Opt-in snapshots of the active screen, taken every few seconds.

• Local encryption and Windows Hello access.

• Semantic search over what appeared on screen, with a timeline to jump back.

Fenn on macOS, private file understanding

• Indexes the content you already store, PDFs, Office files, images with text, screenshots, notes, audio, and video.

• Natural language or precise search to surface the right place inside a file, a page number, a slide, or a timestamp.

• On device by default, no data leaves your Mac.

Both help you get back to a thing you saw. Fenn does it through your files, not an always-on record of your screen.

Why many professionals choose Fenn

Privacy by design
Your documents are indexed on device. You decide which folders and app libraries to include. If your work is confidential, staying local matters.

Precision inside the file
You get deep links and contextual snippets so you can open the item yourself in the right place. Page numbers for PDFs and long Word files. Slide numbers for decks. Timestamps for audio and video.

Natural language and expert modes
Ask in natural language, or switch to Keyword, Hybrid, or Exact mode for strict control. When you want help across many files, enable Agent Mode and ask complex questions in one step.

New, email search on Mac
Add Apple Mail as a source. Use natural language to surface the message or attachment you remember, then open it in Mail with one click.

What this looks like in daily work

• Finance and ops, “restaurant invoices above 50 dollars before January 1, 2026,” Fenn surfaces matching PDFs with the right lines ready to review.

• Legal, “NDAs with termination within 30 days,” triage long agreements and land at the clause.

• Research, “figure showing dropout at week 24,” go straight to the page inside a lengthy PDF.

• Meetings, “where we confirmed the launch date,” jump to the timestamp in the recording.

You search once. You review the exact moment. You keep your files on your machine.

Getting started on Mac

1. Install Fenn on an Apple Silicon Mac. Sonoma 14 or later is recommended.

2. Add your sources, contracts, invoices, research PDFs, screenshots, Apple Mail.

3. Let Fenn index on device.

4. Use your keyboard shortcut to search in natural language or switch modes for precision.

5. Turn on Agent Mode when you want cross-file analysis in a single question.

Performance note
Agent Mode works best on Macs with at least 32 GB of RAM. If you have 16 GB, reach out and we will help you make it work on your machine.

Why this matters now

People want recall without keeping a constant visual record. If you prefer a model that understands your files directly, Fenn pairs privacy with precision on Mac. You keep control of what is indexed. You get exact moments, page, slide, or timestamp, without a screenshot timeline.

Download Fenn for Mac. Private on device. Find the moment, not the file.