How To: Disable Cortana

If you’re not a fan of Windows’ info-hungry digital assistant, MICHAEL ANSALDO reveals how to disable it

Killing Cortana isn’t as easy as it used to be. When Windows 10 first released, turning off Cortana was as simple as flipping a switch in the digital assistant’s settings, but Microsoft removed the option in the Windows 10 Anniversary Update. Now there’s no obvious way to disable Cortana – but it is possible using not-so-obvious methods. Completely eradicating Cortana requires a quick registry edit, which we’ll detail here. If you don’t want Cortana spying on you but also detest the idea of mucking with your PC’s deepest software innards, our colleagues at PCWorld’s guide to privacy-boosting Cortana tweaks (at tinyurl.com/yaLya26t) can show you how to limit the personal information it sends Microsoft. Cortana will still run in the background with limited functionality if you don’t perform the registry edit,…

You're reading a preview of

Windows Advisor (Digital) - 1 Issue, Issue 4

DiscountMags is a licensed distributor (not a publisher) of the above content and Publication through Zinio LLC. Accordingly, we have no editorial control over the Publications. Any opinions, advice, statements, services, offers or other information or content expressed or made available by third parties, including those made in Publications offered on our website, are those of the respective author(s) or publisher(s) and not of DiscountMags. DiscountMags does not guarantee the accuracy, completeness, truthfulness, or usefulness of all or any portion of any publication or any services or offers made by third parties, nor will we be liable for any loss or damage caused by your reliance on information contained in any Publication, or your use of services offered, or your acceptance of any offers made through the Service or the Publications. For content removal requests, please contact Zinio.