How To Completely Remove Cortana in Windows 10

Cortana is a personal Virtual Assistant tool that is integrated with the Windows Search system. This tool makes your life easier by saving your search settings, storing important personal information and data.

Now, Microsoft says it makes your life easier but it is actually a sneaky technique to spy on you and gather your personal information which is used to show you targeted advertisements.

You could easily disable Cortana with the click of a button in early Windows 10 versions but after the Windows 10 Anniversary update (version number 1607) there is no option to disable it.

This doesn’t mean you cannot remove Cortana from your computer. I will share three ways to completely remove Cortana from your Windows 10 Home, Pro and Enterprise versions.

How To Remove Cortana in Windows 10 Home Using Regedit

Regedit short for Registry Editor is a database for all windows settings, options, information and other values for different software and hardware. You can completely remove Cortana in Windows 10 using regedit by following the steps below.

STEP 1 – Open RUN Window

Press Windows key + R key together and this will open the RUN window.

STEP 2 – Open regedit

Type regedit in the search box of RUN window and click on OK. This will open the Registry Editor.

STEP 3 – Expand HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE

Click on the small arrow in front of HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE to expand it.

STEP 4 – Expand SOFTWARE

Click on the small arrow in front of SOFTWARE to expand it.

STEP 5 – Expand Policies

Click on the small arrow in front of Policies to expand it.

STEP 6 – Expand Microsoft

Click on the arrow in front of Microsoft to expand it.

STEP 7 – Expand Windows

Click on the arrow in front of Windows to expand it.

STEP 8 – CREATE NEW KEY

With the Windows folder selected, move your mouse to the right-hand side and then Right Click and select New and then Left Click on Key. Name this new Key as Windows Search.

STEP 9 – Create a new DWORD

Left Click on the new key Windows Search to select it. Then move your mouse to the right-hand side and then Right Click and select New and then Left Click on DWORD (32-bit) Value.

STEP 10 – Name DWORD as AllowCortana

Name the new DWORD (32-bit) Value as AllowCortana.

STEP 11 – Edit DWORD

Double click on the DWORD AllowCortana to open a dialog box. Next, change the Value data to 0. Also, check that base is selected as Hexadecimal. After that click on the OK button.

STEP 12 – Restart

Finally Restart your laptop to save the changes permanently.

How to Remove Cortana in Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise Using Group Policy Editor.

You can also disable Cortana using the Group Policy Editor. It is a great method for Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users. Just follow the steps mentioned below to disable Cortana.

STEP 1 – Open RUN Window

Press Windows key + R key together and this will open the RUN window.

STEP 2 – Open Group Policy Editor

Type gpedit.msc in the search box of the RUN window and click on OK. This will open the Group Policy Editor.

STEP 3 – Expand Computer Configuration

Click on the arrow in front of Computer Configuration to expand it if it hasn’t been expanded already. It is usually expanded by default.

STEP 4 – Expand Administrative Templates

Click on the arrow in front of Administrative Templates to expand it.

STEP 5 – Expand Windows Components

Click on the arrow in front of Windows Components to expand it.

STEP 6 – Select Search

Scroll down below and left click on Search to select it.

STEP 7 – Locate Allow Cortana

Now, on the right hand side find Allow Cortana. You will notice that it is in the Not Configured state.

STEP 8 – Disable Allow Cortana

Double click on Allow Cortana and this will open a dialog box. Now, click on Disabled to change the state from Not Configured to Disabled. After that click on Apply and then click on OK.

STEP 9 – Restart

Finally, Restart your laptop to save the changes permanently.

Remove Cortana Using How To Geek Disable Cortana Tool

How To Geek is a website that discusses about tech. They have developed a tool with which you can disable cortana. Follow the steps below to disable cortana using their tool.

STEP 1 – Download the Disable Cortana Zip File.

STEP 2 – Create a new folder and name it as Disable Cortana.

STEP 3 – Unzip the Zip file and extract all the contents into the Disable Cortana folder you just created.

STEP 4 – Now, Right Click on the file Disable Cortana.reg which you extracted and then Left Click on Merge.

STEP 5 – Click on Yes to Continue and then Restart your laptop to save the changes.

This method takes the least time but you have to download external files that may contain malware. That is why I recommend the Regedit method or Group policy editor method to remove Cortana completely from your computer.

Conclusion

Cortana saves your personal information and data that you may not want to share. You can easily disable and remove Cortana from your Windows 10 Home, Pro and Enterprise versions.

Removing Cortana is perfectly safe and you won’t break any rights. I actually recommend my readers to remove Cortana and protect their Privacy.

Cortana can be removed very easily using regedit method, group policy editor method or using disable cortana tool from how to geek.

I personally recommend using the Regedit method if you’re using Windows 10 Home. For Windows 10 Pro and Enterprise users, you should use the group policy editor method.