Need Help Turning Off Cortana / Ask Me Anything

You can search for documents, videos, photos etc with Cortana's search bar. But.. only items which are indexed, and no executable files.



See the pale blue box at the top? That's how to select document search.
The result is found in the contents of a txt file in an indexed location on drive H.

More options if you use Filters at the top.

There is no 'old' search box as you hope. If you turn Cortana off, you get no search box.

Now, if you want to do file an folder search REALLY fast and neatly almost everywhere, try a 3rd party program (free).

Locate32
Ultrasearch
Everything by Void tools.

These give 'instant' find-as-you-type results, let you choose where to search, what date range, what size range, what extension .... etc etc but not content search- at least not indexed content.

If you still want to turn Cortana off, have a look in the Tutorials section.

planet99 said:

I need help turning off Cortana / Ask Me Anything and restoring the OLD Search Box in

Windows 10 Home 64-bit Version 1703 OS Build 15063.138

Up until about three days ago, I had a search box in my task bar that would allow me to search on my computer, similar to how the search box worked in Windows 7. I believe I had turned off Cortana somehow.

But since about three days ago, the search box changed to "Ask Me Anything" and it appears that it is using Cortana and searching for WEB RESULTS instead of searching on my local computer for files or apps or other local assets.

I have tried to disable it and followed several of the methods posted online, but to no avail.

For instance, I went into Cortana, and turned all the sliders to off, but Cortana still is there and I don't get the older style search box back.

I also went into settings, General, change privacy options, and slid all of them to off.

I went into settings, Speech, inking and typing and I turned off the "Turn on speech services and typing suggestions" button (it is now a medium gray color).

I can't find any other wya to turn off cortana

Any help is greatly appreciated.

Or if there is any way that I can get the old search functionality back where I am searching locally instead of online, that would be greatly appreciated, too.

Cortana - Turn On or Off in Windows 10 Click on link below. :)

Turn On or Off Cortana Personalization in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Apps Features Tutorials