How to uninstall Cortana

If you want to uninstall Cortana from Windows, you've come to the right place. The good news is that 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.

We're not sure if Microsoft is surrendering territory to Alexa, Google Assistant and (possibly) Siri... but that's a question for another day. We're here to discuss how to uninstall Cortana, with instructions for both regular folks and power users alike.

Microsoft would most likely prefer you get rid of Cortana by upgrading to Windows 11 where the digital assistant isn't enabled by default. Better still, if you or anyone you know has Cortana enabled (we'll show you later in this article), it's relatively simple to switch it off again.

It seems that Microsoft's not giving up on Cortana, though. Instead, we're seeing Cortana show up in other locations, such as Microsoft's mobile Microsoft 365 apps. So, yes, even though you can remove Cortana from PCs, it's still showing up inside the company's Outlook and Teams apps.

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 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.