Disable Cortana on PC
First of all, let's try to understand how to proceed to be able to disable Cortana on PC. As already mentioned a few lines above, this is not a difficult operation, quite the contrary. The only thing you need to take into account is the fact that depending on the update you have downloaded and installed on your computer, the procedure to follow is slightly different.
Before the release of the Anniversary Update (which took place in August 2016) Microsoft had in fact made available a special option to disable the service. Following the release of the update this option has been removed but it is still possible to succeed in the enterprise by putting into practice an alternative procedure which, although a little cumbersome and not exactly intuitive, is not at all difficult to accomplish with the necessary indications. For more info keep reading, you will find everything explained in detail right below.
Also know that the instructions below apply to all editions Windows 10, except for some steps intended exclusively for Windows 10 owners For ed Enterprise that I have provided to specify. Furthermore, the indications in question are not valid, again following the release of the Anniversay Update, for Windows 10 Education as the voice and virtual assistant has already been completely removed from the company itself (more info here).
Windows 10 with an update prior to the Anniversary Update
If an update prior to the Anniversary Update is installed on your PC with Windows 10 installed, you can disable Cortana simply by disabling its setting using a convenient graphic manager.
What exactly do you need to do? I'll explain it to you right away! First click on the box ask me something annessa there taskbar then click on the icon Clipboard (Quella with il book) located on the left side of the menu that has opened and then presses on Settings.
Then bring up No the switch located next to the item Cortana can offer you tips, ideas, reminders, alerts, and more. in such a way it becomes black that and it is done!
Keep in mind that doing this will delete all the information that Cortana collects on your computer, while your notes will remain intact. After deactivating the assistant you can also decide what to do with all your info still stored in the cloud by clicking on the link manage everything Cortana knows about me in the cloud which is right under the switch to disable / enable the service.
Clicking on the link will open a new tab in the web browser through which you can access the Microsoft website and view and delete Cortana's browsing history, that of searches carried out on the network, activities related to the location, notes, related activities to health. To make changes to each element and choose what to do with the collected data, click on the relevant buttons on the screen.
Obviously, should you have second thoughts, you can always and in any case re-enable the Microsoft home assistant by simply clicking again on the search box located on the taskbar, selecting the Settings (Quella a forma di gear) located on the left in Start menu and then bringing up Si the switch related to the activation of Cortana.
Windows 10 with an update equal to or later than the Anniversary Update
As I told you a few lines above, with the release of the Anniversary Update Microsoft has decided to remove the graphic manager through which, as seen above, it is possible to disable the use of Cortana. However, this does not in any way mean that it is an impossible operation to carry out. To do this, just take advantage of theRegistry Editor or theGroup Policy Editor (on Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise only). It should be noted that the procedure in question can be put into practice even if the PC is stopped for an update prior to the Anniversary Update.
To disable the Microsoft home assistant from the registry, just call up the Run through the combination Win + R on the keyboard, type regedit in the empty field next to the entry You open: and click on first Si and then OK. This will open the Registry Editor window on the desktop.
Now, use the left side of the window to go to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindows Search. If under the heading Windows you do not see any folders named Windows Search you will have to create it. To do this, right-click on the folder Windows, select New from the menu you see appear, choose the item Key and type Windows Search in the box next to the new folder you just created.
At this point, regardless of whether the folder Windows Search was already present or not, right click on it, select the item New from the menu that opened and click on Valore DWORD (32-bit). Once this is done, you will see a new value appear on the right side of the registry. Name it AllowCortana and crushes Submit on the keyboard then double click on it and make sure that in the box below Value data: there is 0 (and if not enter it yourself) then click on the button OK.
Then close Registry Editor and restart your computer to ensure that the changes you made are actually applied. To do this, press on Start button on taskbarclick here Power symbol and choose Reboot the system give the menu that I will share.
If you then want to cancel the changes made and therefore enable Cortana again, you can do so at any time by simply accessing the system registry again, by going to HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindows Search, identifying the key AllowCortana and deleting it by right clicking on it, choosing the item Delete from the menu that appears and then clicking on Si to confirm everything.
As I told you a few lines above, on Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise you can also disable Cortana by using the group policy editor. In that case, what you need to do is therefore use the key combination Win + R on the keyboard to call up the window Run on the desktop, write in the field inside it gpedit.msc and click the button OK.
In the left part of the window that at this point you will see appear on the desktop, go to, using the section on the left Criteri Computer locale> Configurazione computer> Modelli amministrativi> Componenti di Windows> Close, locate the item Allow Cortana on the right and double-click on it.
In the window that you see appear at this point, put the check mark on disabled and then click the buttons Apply e OK which are at the bottom to confirm and apply the changes you have made to the system and then to disable Cortana. In short, it is much easier to do than to say!
In case you have to think again, you can retrace your steps at any time by accessing the Group Policy Editor again, by going to Criteri Computer locale> Configurazione computer> Modelli amministrativi> Componenti di Windows> Closeby double clicking on the entry Allow Cortana on the right, leading up Activated the item attached to the window that opens and then clicking on the buttons Apply e OK down.
Disable Cortana on mobile device
As anticipated at the beginning of the article, it is possible to disable Cortana also on Windows mobile devices. If this interests you, you can follow the appropriate instructions below.
- If you are using Windows Phone, go to the settings of the device, presses on the item relating to Cortana e carries his OFF its switch. Obviously, in case you have to think again you can always and in any case re-enable the voice and virtual assistant by bringing up ON the switch in the settings. In both cases, the changes will take effect immediately.
- If you are using a version of Windows Mobile earlier than the Anniversay Update, agreed settings of the device, bearing in the section dedicated to notes e carries his OFF l'interruttore che trovi in corrispondenza della dicitura Cortana can offer you tips, ideas, reminders, alerts, and more. so that it changes from colored to black. To enable its use again, in case you have to think again, just access the same section of the device again and bring up ON the switch for using the voice and virtual assistant. Even in this case, the changes will take effect immediately both in the deactivation and activation phases.
- If you are using a version of Windows Mobile later than the Anniversay Updateavvia Cortana, go to the section Clipboard, stop on Personal information and once yours is displayed Microsoft account press it twice in a row and choose to disconnetterti. In this way, since to take advantage of the voice and virtual assistant of the Redmond company it is essential to have a Microsoft account, its use will be immediately disabled. In case you have to think again, to reactivate Cortana, simply connect your Microsoft account to the device again by repeating the steps above but, this time, logging in.
