How to Disable Cortana on Windows 11?

Digital assistants appeared on every platform, but Microsoft chose to silence its little helpers when it released Windows 11. Cortana is no longer active by default. If you want to bring her back, you need to enable her manually.

Why Microsoft chose to reduce the role of its AI assistant in Windows 11: Privacy issues may be one reason, self-esteem issues may be another. Maybe Microsoft thinks she is not as good as the other assistants provided.

Regardless of the reason for Cortana's downgrade, you can restore her functionality with just a few clicks.

1. Enable Cortana in Windows 11 through the app

One of the easiest ways to enable Cortana is to launch the application in Windows 11 and log in.

Click the taskbar search icon and enter Cortana.

When Cortana appears under "Best Match", click Open to launch Cortana.

Log in with your preferred Microsoft account.

Click Accept and continue to grant Cortana permission to violate your privacy.

After logging in and accepting the terms, the application launches and Cortana will be ready to provide the service.

2. Enable or disable Cortana in Windows 11 at startup

If you want to change Cortana's startup behavior, you can do it by tapping a switch or two.

(1) Enable or disable Cortana through "Settings"

Navigate to Settings>Apps>Apps and Features.

Find Cortana and click the more options (...) icon.

Click Advanced options.

Switch the switch under Run at login to the desired position.

(2) Use Task Manager to enable or disable Cortana

Press Ctrl+Shift+Esc to start the task manager.

Select the Startup tab.

Right-click Cortana and select Enable or Disable.

If you don’t plan to use Cortana, it’s a good idea to disable it at startup. There are fewer processes started when the PC starts, which can make the system run more smoothly. In fact, disabling any unnecessary startup items is a good way to improve performance.