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The answer from https://www.pcworld.com/article/2949759/windows/killing-cortana-how-to-disable-windows-10s-info-hungry-digital-assistant.html doesn't work, because I've already set the AllowCortanas Value Data to '0':

enter image description here

The answer from Can I completely disable Cortana on Windows 10? doesn't work either:

PS C:\WINDOWS\system32> Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_1.9.6.16299_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy
Remove-AppxPackage : Deployment failed with HRESULT: 0x80073CFA, Removal failed. Please contact your software vendor.
(Exception from HRESULT: 0x80073CFA)
error 0x80070032: AppX Deployment Remove operation on package
Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_1.9.6.16299_neutral_neutral_cw5n1h2txyewy from:
C:\Windows\SystemApps\Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_cw5n1h2txyewy failed. **This app is part of Windows and cannot be
uninstalled on a per-user basis**. An administrator can attempt to remove the app from the computer using Turn Windows
Features on or off. However, it may not be possible to uninstall the app.
NOTE: For additional information, look for [ActivityId] d9d3a5d3-e312-0001-fcc4-d3d912e3d301 in the Event Log or use
the command line Get-AppxLog -ActivityID d9d3a5d3-e312-0001-fcc4-d3d912e3d301
At line:1 char:1
+ Remove-AppxPackage Microsoft.Windows.Cortana_1.9.6.16299_neutral_neut ...
+ ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
    + CategoryInfo          : WriteError: (Microsoft.Windo...l_cw5n1h2txyewy:String) [Remove-AppxPackage], IOException
    + FullyQualifiedErrorId : DeploymentError,Microsoft.Windows.Appx.PackageManager.Commands.RemoveAppxPackageCommand

I've also seen a post that fiddle with group policies, I've done that as well. However it didn't work either.

So now, having rebooted my PC, I still see Cortana in my task:

enter image description here

UPDATE:

THIS IS NOT A DUPLICATE of the suggested.

  • the first method has a "Warning about Taskbar Breakage"
  • the second method will apparently "stopped working at some point"
  • the Original method, Remove Cortana via Powershell RemoveAppPackage, is the one that I tried and didn't work.
Improve this question
3
  • If Cortana is disabled during setup, the process is simply called “Search” instead of “Cortana” and still uses some resources.
    – Daniel B
    Commented May 7, 2018 at 18:59
  • @xpt we are on your side. However, this definitely is a duplicate question. Just because the accepted answer within the original question didn't work for you doesn't mean your query is really different. We are always glad to help, but you probably should have looked at the other answers posted in the original question also, since some of them have numerous up-votes. Realistically, you probably should have commented within the original question, or even better, posted a bounty asking for new solutions. If everyone shared your philosophy, we would have countless Cortana questions.
    – Run5k
    Commented May 8, 2018 at 3:50
  • @xpt - Unfortunately the comment section isn't the place to clarify myself. You will have to trust me the approaches in the duplicate still work. You can get frustrated with us for marking it as a duplicate if you want, but perhaps we know something about removing Cortana, and are better equipped to identify this question as a duplicate? At this end of the day the question isn't closed as a duplicate, if it doesn't receive any more votes, the exist votes will expire. I was the second person to mark this a duplicate, not the first, but I apologize if you are frustrated.
    – Ramhound
    Commented May 8, 2018 at 11:17

1 Answer 1

Reset to default
3

The easiest way to disable certain privacy aspects of Cortana is to use a third-party tool such as O&O Software's free ShutUp10.

Cortana in ShutUp10

Part of Cortana, though, is Windows Search, so there would still be an occasional Cortana process such as file indexing. However, there should no longer be any use of the internet by Cortana.

enter image description here

You can remove Cortana completely, if you wish, but that also removes Windows Search (though that might not be an issue if you use a third-party tool such as DocFetcher or Mythicsoft's Agent Ransack, which provide increased search functionality). That said, after a Windows 10 update, expect that Cortana would be reinstalled. Apparently, the only way now to permanently avoid Cortana is to use another OS, such as Linux.

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2
  • Thanks for posting this! Can you please do us a favor and post it in the original question, since this one is almost certainly going to marked as a duplicate?
    – Run5k
    Commented May 8, 2018 at 3:52
  • @Run5k, thanks, I've done so, though there were other highly rated and one accepted answer... Cortana appears to be rather detested.
    – DrMoishe Pippik
    Commented May 8, 2018 at 15:39

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