How to Uninstall Cortana in Windows 10

Cortana is a digital assistant that comes built into Windows 10. While some people find her helpful, others prefer to use a different assistant or simply don’t want her on their computer. If you fall into the latter category, you may be wondering how to uninstall Cortana in Windows 10.

Fortunately, it’s relatively easy to do. Here are the steps:

1. Type “add or remove programs” into the search box on your taskbar.
2. Select “Add or remove programs” from the results.
3. Find “Cortana” in the list of installed programs and select it.
4. Click “Uninstall” and follow the prompts to complete the process.

Once Cortana has been uninstalled, she will no longer be available on your computer. If you decide later that you want to use her again, you can always reinstall her using the same steps above.

Why You Might Want to Uninstall Cortana

Cortana is Microsoft’s digital assistant, similar to Apple’s Siri and Google’s Google Assistant. She’s designed to help you get things done, whether that’s setting reminders, providing weather forecasts, or answering questions.

However, some people prefer to use other digital assistants or simply don’t want Cortana on their computer. If that sounds like you, here’s how to uninstall Cortana in Windows 10.

How to Reinstall Cortana

Cortana is a digital assistant that is included with Windows 10. It can perform tasks such as setting reminders, answering questions using information from the web, and keeping track of your calendar. While Cortana is a useful feature, some users may prefer to disable or uninstall it.

If you have decided that you no longer want to use Cortana, you can uninstall it by following the steps below:

1. Press the Windows key + R on your keyboard to open the Run dialog box.
2. Type “appwiz.cpl” into the text box and press Enter.
3. Find and select Cortana in the list of programs.
4. Click Uninstall and follow the prompts to complete the process.

How to Completely Remove Cortana

If you’re not a fan of Cortana or simply want to free up some space on your Windows 10 device, here’s how to remove Cortana completely. Please note that this will also disable any other features that make use of Cortana, such as search and taskbar organization.

To begin, head to the Start Menu and type in “Edit group policy”. Once the Local Group Policy Editor pops up, navigate to Computer Configuration -> Administrative Templates -> Windows Components -> Search. Within the policies section on the right, find and double-click on “Allow Cortana”. When the policy window appears, select “Disabled” and click “Apply” followed by “OK”.

Now we need to stop the Cortana process from running entirely. To do this, open Task Manager (press Ctrl+Alt+Delete and select Task Manager from the menu, or Right-click on the taskbar and select “Task Manager”). In the Processes tab, find the Microsoft.Windows.Cortana entry and click “End Task” at the bottom right of the window.

Cortana should now be completely removed from your Windows 10 device!

How to Temporarily Disable Cortana

If you’re not a fan of Cortana or you just want to disable it for a while, you can follow the steps below to do so. Please note that this will only temporarily disable Cortana and you will need to repeat these steps every time you want to disable it.

1. Right-click on the Start button and select “Search”.
2. Type “Edit group policy” into the search bar and select the top result. This will open up the Local Group Policy Editor.
3. Navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search.
4. Double-click on the “Allow Cortana” setting on the right side of the window.
5. Select “Disabled” in the pop-up window and click “OK”.
6. Close the Local Group Policy Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.”

How to Stop Cortana From Running in the Background

Cortana is a digital assistant that is included with Windows 10. It can be used to search the internet, set alarms and reminders, and keep track of your calendar and schedule. While Cortana can be helpful, some users may find it intrusive and prefer to disable it.

If you’re running Windows 10 Pro or Enterprise, you can use the Group Policy Editor to disable Cortana. If you’re running Windows 10 Home, you’ll need to edit the registry to disable Cortana. We do not recommend editing the registry unless you are comfortable doing so. Incorrectly editing the registry can cause serious problems that may require you to reinstall Windows.

Before you make any changes, we recommend that you create a backup of your registry. For more information on how to do this, see our article on backing up the Windows registry.

To disable Cortana using the Group Policy Editor:
1) Press the Windows key + R to open the Run dialog box.
2) Type gpedit.msc and press Enter to open the Local Group Policy Editor.
3) In the left pane, navigate to Computer Configuration > Administrative Templates > Windows Components > Search.
4) In the right pane, double-click on Allow Cortana and set it to Disabled.
5) Click Apply and then OK to save your changes.
6) Close the Group Policy Editor and restart your computer for the changes to take effect.

How to Prevent Cortana From Starting Up Automatically

If you’re not a fan of Cortana, the digital assistant that comes with Windows 10, you can prevent it from starting up automatically. Here’s how:

1. Open the Cortana search box by clicking in the taskbar.
2. Click the notebook icon in the left panel.
3. In the right panel, click the Settings icon.
4. Scroll down to the bottom of the page and turn off the switch labeled “Let Cortana respond to ‘Hey Cortana.'”

How to Clear Your Cortana Data

If you want to keep your personal data private and don’t want Cortana to have any information about you, there are a few things you can do. You can delete the information Cortana has about you, and you can also prevent Cortana from collecting new information.

Deleting Your Cortana Data
If you want to delete the information Cortana has about you, you can do so from the Settings app. To get started, head to Settings > Privacy > Speech, inking & typing. Scroll down to the “Speech services” section and click “Stop getting to know me.”

This will delete all the information Cortana has about you, including your name, the names of people in your contacts, your interests, and anything else Cortana knows about you. If you ever want to start using Cortana again, just head back to this page and click “Get to know me” to start using it again.

Preventing Cortana From Collecting New Data
Even if you delete all of your existing Cortana data, Microsoft will still continue to collect new data unless you take steps to stop it. To do that, head back to Settings > Privacy > Speech, inking & typing and scroll down again. This time, turn off the “Hey Cortana” option. With this option turned off, Cortana won’t be listening for its wake word anymore so it won’t be able to collect any new data.

How to Turn Off Cortana Completely

If you’re not a fan of Cortana, the digital assistant included with Windows 10, it’s easy to disable her. You can turn off Cortana completely, or just disable some of her features. Here’s how.

To disable Cortana completely:
1. Press the Windows+I keyboard shortcut to open the Settings app.
2. Click System.
3. Click Search & Cortana on the left side of the window, then click the Off button under Cortana on the right side of the window to turn off all Cortana features.
4. If you want to delete your personal data as well, click the Clear button under “Cortana data”.

How to Uninstall Cortana in Windows 10

Introduction