How to Disable Cortana in Windows 10

At the point when Windows 10 initially released, disabling Cortana was as basic as flipping a switch in the cortana settings, however Microsoft removed the alternative in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Presently there's no undeniable method to disable Cortana—yet it is conceivable utilizing not really evident strategies.

Completely eradicating Cortana requires a quick and easy registry edit, which we’ll detail here.

It’s always a good idea to create a system restore point before editing the Windows registry—so go ahead and do that now.

Press Windows Key + R keys simultaneously on your keyboard to bring up the Run box then type regedit into the Run box and press Enter key.

Once the Registry Editor is open, navigate to the following folder in the left-hand navigation pane: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE > Software > Policies > Microsoft > Windows > Windows Search.



You might not see a Windows Search folder. If it isn’t there, right-click the Windows folder, select New > Key, and name it Windows Search.



With the Windows Search folder selected in the left-hand navigation pane, right-click in the main portion of the window and select New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. A new listing will appear in the main pane, ready to be named it as AllowCortana. Afterward, double-click it and in the box that appears, ensure that the Value Data is set to '0'—minus the quotation marks.



That’s it! Close the Registry Editor, then sign out of Windows 10. When you sign back in, Cortana will be long gone. The digital assistant’s former field remains in the Windows 10 taskbar, but it now reads “Search Windows” and tellingly lacks Cortana’s all-seeing eye icon.

You will be able to search for files, system settings, and terms as before.



Head to Microsoft’s privacy dashboard website, sign into your Microsoft account, and clear whatever personal data you want Microsoft to forget.

Cortana isn’t totally dead, though. You’ll still see the process lurking in Task Manager if you pay attention. Kill it and it’ll immediately spring back to life. Your search queries nevertheless stay strictly local.

If you ever decide resummon Cortana, simply retrace your steps in the Registry Editor and either delete the AllowCortana value, or simply set it to “1” instead of “0.”


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