How to Enable or Disable Cortana in Windows 10
Cortana is your cloud-based personal assistant that works across your devices and other Microsoft services. Depending on the capabilities of your device and the version of Cortana you’re using, Cortana can provide a range of features, some of which are personalized. Cortana on Windows is available in certain regions and languages. If Cortana isn’t available for your Windows device, you can still search for files on your device in the search box on the taskbar. Cortana is also available on other platforms, such as Android and iOS, in select markets.
Cortana works best when you sign in and let her use data from your device, other Microsoft services, and third-party services you choose to connect. To provide you with personalized experiences, Cortana learns from certain data about you, such as your searches, calendar, contacts, and location. You’re in control of how much data you share. If you choose not to sign into Cortana on Windows, you can still chat with Cortana and use her to help you search the web, documents stored in Microsoft services like OneDrive, and your Windows device. See the section about Windows Search in the Privacy Statement for more information. If you don’t sign in, or you choose to sign out, your experiences will be more limited and they won’t be personalized with your Cortana data. On iOS and Android devices, Cortana only works when you sign in.
For more information about Cortana, see:
- What is Cortana - Microsoft Windows
- Cortana, Search, and privacy: FAQ - Microsoft Windows
- Microsoft Privacy Statement - Microsoft privacy
- Cortana's regions and languages
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable Cortana for all users in Windows 10.
You must be signed in as an administrator to enable or disable Cortana.
Contents
- Option One: To Enable or Disable Cortana using Group Policy
- Option Two: To Enable or Disable Cortana using a REG file
EXAMPLE: Cortana disabled
The Local Group Policy Editor is only available in the Windows 10 Pro, Enterprise, and Education editions.
All editions can use Option Two below.
1 Open the Local Group Policy Editor.
2 In the left pane of Local Group Policy Editor, navigate to the location below. (see screenshot below)
3 In the right pane of Search in Local Group Policy Editor, double click/tap on the Allow Cortana policy to edit it. (see screenshot above)
4 Do step 5 (enable) or step 6 (disable) below for what you would like to do.
A) Select (dot) Not Configured or Enabled, click/tap on OK, and go to step 7 below. (see screenshot below)
Not Configured is the default setting.
7 When finished, close the Local Group Policy Editor.
8 Either restart explorer, sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.
The downloadable .reg files below will add and change the DWORD value in the registry key below.
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Policies\Microsoft\Windows\Windows Search
AllowCortana DWORD
0 = Disable
1 or delete = Enable
1 Do step 2 (enable) or step 3 (disable) below for what you would like to do.
This is the default setting.
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Enable_Cortana.reg
Download
A) Click/tap on the Download button below to download the file below, and go to step 4 below.
Disable_Cortana.reg
Download
4 Save the .reg file to your desktop.
5 Double click/tap on the downloaded .reg file to merge it.
6 When prompted, click/tap on Run, Yes (UAC), Yes, and OK to approve the merge.
7 Either restart explorer, sign out and sign in, or restart the computer to apply.
8 If you like, you can now delete the downloaded .reg file.
That's it,
Shawn
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