Cortana removal guide

Cortana removal guide

Cortana removal guide

 

Cortana is an integral part of Windows 10, lacking any simple uninstallation method or “off switch”. Users of Windows 10 will need to edit their registry files to disable Cortana, so it is recommended that you set a system restore point and be extra careful when changing registry files.     

To put things simply, Cortana cannot be completely removed from Windows 10, though it can be turned off. All you will need to do is follow these steps carefully, and you can disable Cortana.     

 

Entering the Registry Editor 

To enter into the Registry editor all you will need to do is type Regedit into Windows 10’s search bar, it will appear as the best match like in the image below. Then you can double click on Regedit and enter the Registry Editor. 

 

 

Cortana removal guide  

 

When inside the Windows Registry you will need to navigate to the following location. This is where things get tricky as the final key (Windows Search) may not be present in your system.  

 

HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINESOFTWAREPoliciesMicrosoftWindowsWindows Search

 

If the Windows Search Key is not present you will need to create it. To create the final key all you will need to do is right click on Windows, click on New, then Key, and then name that key Windows Search. This can be seen in the image below. 

 

Cortana removal guide

 

Now users should enter into their Windows Search key and create a new DWORD and name it AllowCortana. To create this new DWORD right click on Windows Search, then click New, then DWORD, and name it AllowCortana. This can be seen in the image below.

  Cortana removal guide

 

Make sure that you have set the DWORD’s value to 0, as this DWORD value will disable Cortana. Now if you restart your PC you will find that Cortana has been replaced by a generic Windows 10 search box. 

 

  Cortana removal guide Â