FULL FIX: Cortana not turning off on Windows 10

Madalina has been a Windows fan ever since she got her hands connected her initiative Windows XP computer. She is interested in all things technology, especially emerging technologies -- AI and DNA computing in... Read more

Updated: Oct 23, 2018

Posted: April 2016

FULL FIX Cortana not turning off on Windows 10

Cortana is a snarky little digital subordinate that Microsoft integrated in Windows 10. Cortana represents the vision and focusing Microsoft has for the future, where applied science seamlessly whole kit and boodle for you rather than you on the job with it. Cortana is a solid understructure – a tease for what's to ejaculate – and information technology already supports multiple languages, and gives answers to some of your basic questions. She can tell you jokes, interesting facts, impart you the news that interests you, she will even spill the beans for you if that is what you go for.

As with whatsoever assistant – digital, or not – the many info she has on you, the better results she leave be able to allow for you with; your friends, where you are, where you live, your emails, your calendar appointments, your contacts – everything helps her be better at her speculate, only all of this comes at the cost of privacy.

Comment that we are speaking about Cortana as if information technology is a person – and it might as easily be; if not, she is the best we can doh with our current technology and so she will only when go better over sentence. However, it is still a appendage assistant – and that means everything she hears goes finished the mighty servers of Microsoft, and that might be troublesome for more people since privacy isn't a cheap resource to throw away.

So, you power want to turn Cortana off – which everybody, including Microsoft, understands – so at that place is a way to manage it, and this guide will assistanc you turn her off, in the hopes that one day she will be discriminating sufficient that you wouldn't be capable to resist the convenience she brings.

What to cause if Cortana won't turn off?

Not being able to turn off Cortana can be a problem for some users. Speaking of issues, here are some Cortana problems that users rumored:

Invalid Cortana registry – Unmatched way to disable Cortana is to modify your register. To do that, simply locate the Cortana key and set the AllowCortana DWORD to 0. In slip you father't have this value, you'll bear to create it manually.
Turn off Cortana wholly – There are several ways to disable Cortana, but if you want to invalid it completely, rename or go off the Cortana folder and Cortana should be disabled.
Cortana won't crook off – This is a common problem that galore Windows users have. However, you should represent able to resolve it using extraordinary of our solutions.
Round off Cortana using Group Insurance policy – If you're using the Pro version of Windows 10, you'll live pleased to hear that you can disable Cortana simply by making a exclusive change in Group Policy Editor program. After doing that, Cortana should live completely injured.

Solution 1 – Disabling Cortana – Rule method

Acceptive your Start Carte du jour and typewrite "Run" – your search results don't substance hither, what matters are the icons on the left sidebar.
Click on the 2nd icon, that should open Cortana's Notebook.
Once you have the Notebook computer open, click on Settings.
Now you have two options – you can invalid Cortana completely, and remove all the features that it brings you; or you can scarcely turn off the "Hey Cortana" feature soh it will stop hearing to you altogether the time.

To disable Hey Cortana, find it in Settings and click connected the slider boxwood next to it turn it off.
To disable Cortana as a whole, scroll to the top and click on the yellow-bellied terrapin box below "Cortana can give you ideas, suggestions, alerts, reminders and more."

Solution 2 – Clearing what Cortana knows about YOU

At once you know how to stop Cortana from listening to you day in and day out – and how to blinking her down forever. However, if you do decide to completely turning off Cortana, you want to take one more step and remove all of the related to data from Microsoft's cloud. To do so, follow these instructions:

Open the Cortana settings once again, American Samoa you did for turning off Cortana.
Click the "Deal what Cortana knows about me in the cloud" link, this testament open the Bing personalization settings in your web browser.
Roll to the bottom and click "Clear". This will remove all your data from the corrupt that Cortana lives in.

If you enabled location sharing with Cortana, wipe the data from Bing Maps equally well. If you also want to delete the data from Microsoft's storage, you can go it by going to the 'Start' computer menu. Go to 'Settings>Privacy and wipe it from there.

You can also delete your account by going to Pop>Settings>Accounts. Once you'Ra done with this, the seek section will still live the same. But you can't use any services that Cortana offers.

Feel free to peruse the relief of the options if you want to clear information from unusual Microsoft services too. If you'Re this concerned about joint data with Microsoft, you whitethorn also want to open the Start menu and head to Settings > Concealment to peruse all the other slipway you may be sending entropy to Redmond, arsenic well as the "Synchronize your settings" submenu in Start menu > Settings > Accounts.

If you girl Cortana after a few days and want her to get back – just go plunk for to the Lapp settings and re-enable her. It's the Same steps leave out you have to turn it happening rather than off.

Root 3 – Change your Local Group policy

If Cortana is non turn off, you might comprise able to turn it off by modifying your Group Insurance policy settings. To act up that, you just have to do the following:

Iron out Windows Key + R and put down gpedit.msc. Instantly press Enter or click OK.
In the left pane, navigate to the Estimator Configuration/Body Templates/Windows Components/Seek. In the right pane, locate and double-click Allow Cortana.
Select Disabled from the menu and detent Apply and Sooner State to save changes.

After doing that, re-start your PC and Cortana should be completely disabled.

Result 4 – Modify your registry

Another way to number off Cortana is to modify your registry. Some versions of Windows 10 Don River't have Mathematical group Insurance policy Editor, such equally the Home adaptation, and if that's the case, you can disable Cortana using the Register Editor program. To dress that, sportsmanlike surveil these steps:

Press Windows Florida key + R, get in regedit and jam Enter or click Very well.
In the left pane, pilot to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindows Search key. If Windows Search key International Relations and Security Network't available, suited-click the Windows key and choose Virgin > Key. Enter Windows Search as the name of the sunrise key.
Navigate to Windows Search Florida key. In the right superman, search AllowCortana DWORD. If this DWORD isn't uncommitted, right-click the right pane and take New > DWORD (32-bit) Value. Enter AllowCortana arsenic the name of the DWORD.
Double-click AllowCortana to open its properties. Set Value Data to 0 and click OK to lay aside changes.

After doing that, Cortana should exist completely hors de combat happening your Personal computer. In order to hold changes, you might have to restart your Personal computer, so be destined to do that.

Solution 5 – Rename Cortana's directory

Reported to users, unitary way to fix Cortana altogether is to simply rename its directory. By doing indeed, Windows won't be able to activate it anymore and Cortana will be completely disabled. To rename Cortana's directory, you just consume to do the following:

Go to C:WindowsSystemApps directory.
Site the Cortana directory. In our example, the directory is called Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy, honorable-click it and select Rename from the menu.
Simply add -worn at the and of the directory name. Now you should bring fort a panel saying that the folder is in use. This is absolutely normal. Do non close Folder in Purpose dialog.
Open Task Manager. You can do it quick by pressing Ctrl + Chemise + Esc.
Locate Cortana on the list, right-click it and prefer End Task from the menu.
Now go quickly to the Folder in Usance dialogue and click Try again button.

After doing that, Cortana should be completely out of action from your Microcomputer. Keep in mind that this solvent is a trifle dodgy since you have to constitute fast and click the Try again button before Cortana starts automatically. To enable Cortana again, simply rename the folder to its original name, and Cortana should start working again.

Solution 6 – Take ownership of Cortana's directory and motion it

If Cortana is non turning off, you might be able to jam this problem only by moving Cortana's directory to a different folder. To do that, you just have to do the following:

Go to the C:WindowsSystemApps directory. Locate Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy folder, right-click it and choose Properties.
Run low to the Security tab and click the Sophisticated button.
In the Owner division click Change.
In the Enter the object name to choice enrol the name of your user news report. Now click Check Names button and dog Sooner State.
Now check to Put back owner happening subcontainers and objects and detent Apply and OK.
Save changes.

After doing that, you just have to move the directory by doing the following:

Move the Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy to a different location. You should now see a Permissions dialog box. Don't close the dialog box.
Open Undertaking Manager, locate the SearchUI.exe process and end it.
Straight off go gage to the Permissions dialogue and give the required permissions.

Afterwards you go down the Cortana's directory, hold back if the trouble is still there. This solution is a bit advanced, just you should be able to perform it past closely following our book of instructions.

There you get along, these are some methods that you can use to disable Cortana on your PC. If you want to enable Cortana, you fitting birth to revert changes and Cortana wish embody enabled again.