Prevent Cortana from Starting Automatically in Windows 10

How to Prevent Cortana from Starting Automatically in Windows 10

There is a change in Windows 10 version 2004. Since Microsoft moved Cortana to the Store, it is now possible to manage its startup behavior, and enable or disable its startup entry. There are plenty of users who always wanted to prevent Cortana from automatically starting with Windows. Now it is can be easily done.

Cortana is a virtual assistant bundled with Windows 10. Cortana appears as a search box or an icon on the taskbar and comes with tight integration with the Search feature in Windows 10. Signing in to Cortana with your Microsoft account allows it to keep track of what interests you, save your favorite places to its Notebook, collect notifications from other devices, and sync your data between all your devices with Cortana enabled.

Windows 10 version 2004 includes a number of improvements made to Cortana. Microsoft has moved it to the Store, so now it is possible to remove and reinstall it when needed.

Being a regular Store app now, Cortana allows you to manage its startup behavior the same way you can manage startup apps in Windows 10.

To Prevent Cortana from Starting Automatically in Windows 10,

1. Open Task Manager.
2. If it looks as follows, switch it to the full view using the "More details" link in the bottom right corner.
3. Click on the Startup tab.
4. Right-click on the Cortana entry in the list, and select Disable from the menu.

You are done! Similarly, you can re-enable the startup option for Cortana at any moment later.

Alternatively, you can use Settings.

Prevent Cortana from Starting Automatically in Settings

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps > Startup apps.
3. Turn off the toggle option next to the Cortana item.
4. The Cortana startup option is now disabled.

You are done. Again, you can re-enable this feature later at any moment.

Finally, you can disable the startup option for Cortana in its options.

Prevent Cortana from Starting Automatically in Advanced Options

1. Open Settings.
2. Navigate to Apps > Apps & features.
3. Find and select Cortana in the list of installed apps.
4. Click on the Advanced options link.
5. On the next page, turn off the toggle option Runs at log-in.

That's it.