How to disable cortana in windows 10

You’ve come to the right place if you want to know how to uninstall Cortana from Windows 11 or Windows 10. Thankfully, it’s rather simple to shut down Microsoft’s digital assistant, as the company continues making it less and less prevalent on devices like the best Windows laptops.

Is Microsoft surrendering territory to Alexa, Google Assistant and (possibly) Siri? Perhaps, but we’re here to discuss how to uninstall Cortana — with instructions for both regular folks and power users alike.

There are two ways to disable Cortana, as outlined by Windows Latest. You can either stop it from automatically opening when you boot your PC (the easier way) or remove the new Cortana app from Windows 10 (which is a little harder). We’ve got full instructions below.

Alternatively, you could just upgrade to Windows 11, because Microsoft has stripped Cortana almost entirely out of it.

How to disable Cortana in Windows 10

1. Use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + Shift + Esc.
2. In Task Manager, click the Startup column.
3. Select Cortana.
4. Click Disable.
5. Then, open the Start menu.
6. Find Cortana under All Apps.
7. Right-click on Cortana.
8. Select More. 
9. Click on App settings.
10. Turn off the switch next to ‘Runs at log-in.’

How to uninstall the Cortana app in Windows 10

These steps require a little tinkering, so a word of caution. Since you’re going to be poking around in PowerShell, back up your system first. Our best cloud backup solutions provide easy ways to protect your data.

1. Open the Start Menu and type in PowerShell.
2. Right click on Windows PowerShell.
3. Select ‘Run as administrator’.
4. Type the following text (minus the ‘ marks) in: ‘Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.549981C3F5F10 | Remove-AppxPackage’
5. Press Enter.

Of course, power users set on eradicating Cortana will need to dive even deeper into Windows Registry — which is even riskier for everyday users. Since it’s less necessary and a bit dangerous, we recommend skipping that part. 

You’ve already shut Cortana up and removed its app presence. That should be enough for some extra peace of mind.

How to disable Cortana in Windows 11

While Cortana comes disabled by default in Windows 11, it’s possible to bring it back, as we’ll explain below. If you, or someone else, did that to your PC, and you want to remove it you can disable it just as easily.

We’ve got two ways to do it here, and our first is arguably the easiest.

1. Click Windows + I (that’s an I not an L) to open Settings.
2. Select Apps from the left menu. 
3. Select Apps and Features on the right menu.
4. Scroll to Cortana, click the three dots icon and select Advanced options
5. Flip the «Run at Log-in» toggle to the OFF position.

How to disable Cortana in Windows 11 with the Task Manager

This is another way to stop it in its tracks, pulling Cortana out of your Startup apps.

1. Right-click the Windows Start button from the bottom of the screen
2. Select Task Manager
3. Open the Startup tab
4. Find and right-click Cortana
5. Select Disable

How to install Cortana in Windows 11

Windows 11 doesn’t even have Cortana active by default. But, what if, just play along with us here, you wanted to enable Cortana in Windows 11?

Fortunately, it’s really easy. 

1. Click Windows + I (that’s an I not an L) to open Settings.
2. Select Apps from the left menu. 
3. Select Apps and Features on the right menu.
4. Scroll to Cortana, click the three dots icon and select Advanced options
5. Turn the «Run at Log-in» toggle to the ON position.

Henry is a managing editor at Tom’s Guide covering streaming media, laptops and all things Apple, reviewing devices and services for the past seven years. Prior to joining Tom’s Guide, he reviewed software and hardware for TechRadar Pro, and interviewed artists for Patek Philippe International Magazine. He’s also covered the wild world of professional wrestling for Cageside Seats, interviewing athletes and other industry veterans.

Cortana is the digital voice assistant built into Windows 10, designed to make your life easier with simple voice commands. And like Siri for Apple, Alexa for Amazon, and Google’s self-named voice assistant, Cortana can be finicky.

If you’re not interested in those voice assistant features, don’t want it piping up when you click on the search bar, or you’re worried about your privacy, here’s how to disable Cortana. Microsoft doesn’t make it easy, but we’ll walk you through the process.

Before you disable Cortana

When Windows 10 was first released it was simple to switch off Cortana, but doing so broke Windows Search. Turning it off now doesn’t break search in quite the same way, but it can have an impact. It’s also not quite as easy as it used to be. Changes were made in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update to how Cortana integrates into Windows and how we can turn it off. Not all previous methods work, but the steps in this guide will.

Cortana is tightly integrated into Windows 10 and Windows Search, so you will lose some Windows functionality if you disable Cortana: personalized news, reminders, and natural language searches through your files. But standard file search will still work just fine. And the good news is that you can reverse this process. If you don’t like what happens when you disable Cortana in Windows 10, just perform the steps again and undo the changes you made.

Before disabling Cortana, create a Windows Restore Point. Always better to be safe than sorry.

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1. Type ‘system restore’ into the Windows search box and select ‘Create a restore point.’
2. Select Create at the bottom of the popup box that appears.
3. Give it a name and select Create.

The process will take a few minutes and will create a snapshot we can use in the unlikely event something goes wrong when disabling Cortana. 

How to disable Cortana in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise 

The most effective way to disable Cortana in Windows 10 is to use Group Policy. GPEdit allows us to turn off Cortana with minimal impact and can be done in a couple of minutes. The downside is that Local Group Policy Editor is only available in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise. You are able to add it to Windows 10 Home, but you can also use the registry editor, which is easier (more on that below). See our guide on the difference between Windows 10 Home and Pro (opens in new tab) for more on version variations.

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1. Type ‘group policy’ into the Windows search box. You can use Windows key + R and type «gpedit.msc’ if you prefer, both will work.
2. In the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to Computer Configuration, Administrative Templates, Windows Components and Search.
3. Select Allow Cortana in the right pane.
4. Right click Allow Cortana and select Edit.

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1. Select Disabled in the radio button on the left.
2. Select Apply and the window will close. You should now see Disabled on the Allow Cortana line rather than Enabled.

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That’s all there is to it. You have now disabled Cortana in Windows 10 using Group Policy Editor. If you want to reinstate Cortana, just repeat the above and select Enable at Step 5. 

How to disable Cortana in Windows 10 Home

As Group Policy Editor is not available in Windows 10 Home unless you install it yourself, we need to use the registry to make the change. Thankfully it’s just as straightforward. 

1. Type ‘regedit’ into the Windows search. You can use Windows key + R and type ‘regedit’ if you prefer, both will work.
2. Navigate to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindows Search in the left pane of regedit.

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1. Right click an empty space in the right pane of regedit and select New and DWORD (32-bit) Value.
2. Name it ‘AllowCortana’ and give it a Value of 0.

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1. Select OK to save your new key. 

And you’re done! Cortana won’t bug you anymore—at least, not until a big Windows update conveniently reenables it. 

(Image: © Shutterstock)

Cortana in Windows 10 never really lived up to its legendary name. Even away from the desktop, gradually Cortana has been killed off, with mobile access and the Invoke smart speaker consigned to the tech scrap heap. 

Cortana is still shipped in Windows 10, though, so for folks who actually get some use from it, there is at least an outlet. But for the rest, Cortana is just another piece of bloat they don’t want. And, while knowing how to speed up Windows 10 is a necessary skill if you’re a Windows 10 user, you’ll still want to minimize all the bloatware that cause slowdows. 

It’s not easy to disable Cortana completely, but where there’s a will, there’s usually a way. Here’s what you need to do.

• Here’s how to screenshot on Windows 10
• Have yet to switch? Here’s how to upgrade to Windows 10 for free

How to hide Cortana from the Windows 10 taskbar

If all you want is to get rid of the Cortana button from the Windows 10 taskbar, there’s a simple fix. It won’t disable Cortana, but it’ll hide it from plain sight. 

‘Right click’ anywhere on the taskbar and click ‘Show Cortana button’. If Cortana was previously displayed, the button will now be gone. If you ever want to bring it back, do the same process again.

How to disable Cortana in Windows 10

Unfortunately, Cortana can’t easily be uninstalled from your Windows 10 PC. As a built-in feature, Microsoft has disabled this possibility. 

The good news is you’re not out of luck. There are a couple of methods you can use to disable Cortana, but the first one is universal whether you’re on Windows 10 Home or Pro. 

It should be noted before beginning that this involves making changes to the registry, and care should always be taken. Making changes to things you don’t understand could lead to some pretty dire consequences on your PC, so always tread carefully.

1. Open the Registry Editor

The first thing you need to do to disable Cortana in Windows 10 is to open up the Registry Editor. You’ll find this in the ‘Windows Administrative Tools’ folder in the Start Menu. 

Alternatively, use the Windows 10 search box and just type ‘Registry Editor’. When asked if you want to allow this app to make changes to your device, click ‘Yes’.

2. Locate the necessary registry entry

For the first part, you’ll need to be in the sidebar filled with folders. First, locate the folder ‘HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE’ and then expand the ‘SOFTWARE’ folder. 

From here you need to locate ‘Policies’, then ‘Microsoft’, then ‘Windows’. Inside the ‘Windows’ folder (also known as a Key) you might already have another labeled ‘Windows Search’. If you don’t, then first you’ll need to make one. 

Right-click on the ‘Windows’ folder, then select ‘New’ followed by ‘Key’. Name it ‘Windows Search’.

3. Disable Cortana in the registry

The next step is where you’ll actually disable Cortana in Windows 10. Once again, you need to first create a new entry in the registry. 

Right-click on the ‘Windows Search’ folder you created in the previous step, select ‘New’ and this time choose ‘DWORD (32-bit) Value’ and name it ‘AllowCortana’. 

Double click on this new item and ensure its value is set to ‘0’. Click ‘OK’ and close the Registry Editor. You’ll now need to restart your PC for it to take effect. 

Once rebooted, Cortana will be disabled. You can check this by right-clicking on the taskbar and you’ll no longer see the ‘Show Cortana Button’ option that was once there. It will still show in the list of apps in the Start Menu, but it’s now completely disabled as you’ll see when you try to open it. 

If you ever want to enable Cortana again, follow the same steps and in ‘AllowCortana’ change the value to ‘1’.

4. How to disable Cortana in Windows 10 Pro with Group Policy Editor

If you’re using Windows 10 Pro, the above method will also work but there is an alternative not possible in Windows 10 Home. Cortana can be disabled with the Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 Pro, removing the need to make any changes to the registry.  

Open the Group Policy Editor by pressing ‘Win + R’ to open the Run box and then enter ‘gpedit.msc’. Next, navigate to the necessary folder by first going to ‘Computer Configuration’,   then ‘Administrative Templates’,  ‘Windows Components’ and finally ‘Search’.

Moving over to the right-hand pane, locate the entry called ‘Allow Cortana’ and double-click to open. Set it to ‘Disabled’ then click ‘OK’ and close the Group Policy Editor. 

As with the registry method, you’ll now need to reboot your PC for the changes to take effect.

Summary

It’s unfortunate that Cortana never really achieved its full potential, as smart assistants like Siri, Google Assistant, and Alexa have become an integral part of daily life for millions. 

There are plenty of reasons someone might want to disable Cortana on their Windows 10 PC, and fortunately, even though Microsoft doesn’t want you to, there’s a way around it.

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