How did I succeed in disabling Cortana?


  1. Posts : 720
    Win10 x64 Pro - 2 desktops, 2 laptops
       #1

    How did I succeed in disabling Cortana?


    I have two PCs and a laptop, all om Win10 AU. On the 2 PCs when I click on the search icon I get a popup window that says "Start typing to search for apps, files, and settings" at the top and "Search Windows" at the bottom. That is what I want. On the laptop I get the Cortana crap.

    Until a few minutes ago I had not used gpedit to set search settings because I had heard they weren't available as of the AU. I see that the settings do still exist, but they weren't needed on the PCs. I just tried disabling Cortana on the laptop, but the setting was ignored (as I expected).

    So how come the laptop behaves differently that the two PCs? There are lots of differences in hardware, drivers, etc., but I don't see how that could change this behavior. The laptop has a microphone and the PCs don't. Is that enough to cause the difference?

    I just want the ability to search the local computer. I have no desire to have any software trying to emulate Clippy's sister.
      My Computer


  2. Posts : 149
    Windows 10 Pro x64
       #2

    Have you looked through these two tutorials? They might help. If you've already seen them I apologize for wasting your time.

    Hey Cortana - Turn On or Off in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

    Cortana - Turn On or Off in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums
      My Computer


  3. Posts : 720
    Win10 x64 Pro - 2 desktops, 2 laptops
    Thread Starter
       #3

    Yes, I've seen those tutorials. The "Disable" part doesn't really address my question ... partially because I probably misspoke when I used the term "disable". I just want to get rid of the "personal assistant" part of the search GUI that Microsoft has tried to make act like a person. I don't want Search to ask what it can do for me. I don't want it to give me tips on how to email someone. This is all gratuitous nonsense. Perhaps I should mention that the PCs and laptop all use local accounts, not Microsoft accounts so tutorials dealing with Cortana's interaction with Microsoft servers do not apply to my devices.
      My Computer


  4. Posts : 42,734
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #4

    Have you turned off Taskbar Titbits in Cortana's settings?
      My Computers


  5. Posts : 720
    Win10 x64 Pro - 2 desktops, 2 laptops
    Thread Starter
       #5

    Very interesting. My wife's laptop is now acting like my 2 PCs - no Cortana in the search. The list of settings containing the Taskbar Tidbits doesn't seem to be available. (If it was displayed before, I'm sure I tried turning it off. I tried turning everything I could find that related to Cortana.) Whatever I did on the PCs I've no done on the laptop. Perhaps a reboot was required implement the changes ... whatever they were. So now I've achieved what I was trying to achieve on 3 devices without having any idea how I did it. :-(
      My Computer


  6. Posts : 42,734
    Win 10 Pro (22H2) (2nd PC is 22H2)
       #6

    It'll most likely be back on the next upgrade... MS really wants you to have it...!

    For me, I only see Cortana if I press Windows key + S, Windows key + Q; otherwise it's using about 60Mb of RAM.

    I use Classic Shell as my start menu, which has a highly configurable search box... covers a lot of the same areas as Cortana, but you can select which you want searched and which not.

    That includes Apps, the Start Menu, the internet, Settings, files and folders. It just works. And only uses 2.4Mb.
    Ok, no tiles, it doesn't tell jokes, or handle the news or weather... and no voice activation. Oh, I'm so disappointed...
      My Computers


 

  Related Discussions
Our Sites
Site Links
About Us
Windows 10 Forums is an independent web site and has not been authorized, sponsored, or otherwise approved by Microsoft Corporation. "Windows 10" and related materials are trademarks of Microsoft Corp.

© Designer Media Ltd
All times are GMT -5. The time now is 05:28.
Find Us




Windows 10 Forums