This post shows students and new users step to turn Cortana on or off when using Windows 11. Cortana is an Ai-powered personal productivity assistant that uses the Bing search engine to set reminders, answer questions, manage calendars, and perform productivity tasks.
Some people find Cortana very useful, others not so much. If you’re on the fence and want to disable Cortana on Windows 11, then continue below. If Cortana is disabled and you want it reenabled, also continue below. We’re going to show you how to turn it on or off.
Cortana is pre-installed on Windows 11, but you can’t use it in its current settings. Why keep an app if you’re not going to use it? Well, you can just stop and remove it from Windows.
To disable Cortana on Windows 11, follow the steps below.
How to turn off Cortana on Windows 11
As mentioned above, Cortana is already installed on Windows 11 but can’t be used with its current settings. You can remove it from Windows, so you don’t have to deal with it.
Windows 11 has a centralized location for the majority of its settings app. From system configurations to creating new users and updating Windows, all can be done from the System Settings pane.
To get to System Settings, you can use the Windows key + I shortcut or click on Start ==> Settings, as shown in the image below:
Alternatively, you can use the search box on the taskbar and search for Settings. Then select to open it.
Windows Settings pane should look similar to the image below. In Windows Settings, click Apps, and select Apps & feature on the right pane of your screen, shown in the image below.
On the Apps & Feature settings pane, select Cortana on the list of apps. Then click on the app’s ellipse (vertical dots) to show the Advanced options.
On the Advanced option settings pane for Cortana, toggle the buttons for Microphone under App permissions and Cortana under Runs at log-in to the Off position to disable.
How to enable Cortana on Windows 11
If you change your mind about Cortana and want to reenable it, simply reverse the steps above by going to the Start menu ==> Settings ==> Apps ==> Apps & feature ==> select Cortana Advanced options, then toggle the switch for Microphone under Apps permissions and Cortana under Run at log-in to the On position to enable.
You may also need to download the Cortana store app and install it. A Microsoft account is required to get apps from the store.
That should do it!
Conclusion:
This post showed you how to turn Cortana on or off using Windows 11. Please use the comment form below if you find any errors above or have something to add.
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