How to uninstall Cortana

We recently got the ability to uninstall Cortana. A long hoped-for feature (not everyone wants to talk to their tech, thank you very much), this new option is finally here, and allows you to easily boot Cortana. 

We've got complete instructions for both regular folks and power users, depending on how deep in your system you want to get. And that's not the only place Cortana's losing its footing: the AI assistant's getting the boot from iOS and Android in 2021.

• The best laptops around
• HP Omen 15 2020: Release date, price, specs, AMD Ryzen options
• Plus: PS5 backwards compatibility leak sounds too good to be true

This is one of the few bright spots in Windows 10 these days, as most updates just lead to anger and frustration because of bugs that crash systems and break functionality. But giving power back to the users? We're all in favor for these new options, which let you either uninstall the assistant's app or brave the command line to remove it like you're clearing gunk from the gutters.

Cortana is a big part of the Windows 10 May 2020 update, as it now stands alone as more of a full-fledged app. It even starts up by default when you boot your machine. That is, unless you don't want it to, and know how to disable it. 

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.

How to disable Cortana

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

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 more risky 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.