Windows 10: Cortana running in background

Hey there!!!


So i have been using windows 10 for a while now. Recently i noticed that whenever i speak anything close to my microphonewhich i always keep inserted in my CPU's jack the mic icon pops up in the taskbar on the bottom right. Which certainly means that the microphone caught what i spoke near it and processed it. And as soon as i stop speaking the icon vanishes away. This happens even when i am not using an app or a website which requires audio input. So does this mean that my microphone is catching whatever is being spoken near it?

Then i tried to find out where this input audio is going that my microphone is catching. I opened the task manager and found out that Cortana is running in background constantly with around 2.2 MB memory usage and 'very low' power usage status. But whenever i speak near my microphone its memory usage spikes to around 36 MB and 'low' power usage status which really freaks me out. Because that means the input that my microphone catches from its vicinity is being directed to cortana. And i really cant figure out what cortana does with that input. I mean cortana is just an assistant and shouldn't really need to hear anything else.

So my final question is that why is cortana running in background? And why is it hearing me when microsoft clearly says that it cannot hear you until you say 'hello cortana' or press its mic button? Is it spying on the users and sending its data somewhere?


Thanks!!!

:)

 

Background applications

Hi Robert,

We understand that you don't want some apps to run on the background of your computer. What we suggest is to
control which apps are allowed to run in the background. To see which apps have permission, just follow the below steps:

• Open the Start menu or Start screen and select “Settings.”
• Click or tap the “Privacy” icon in the Settings.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the list and select “Background apps.”
  
• You’ll see a list of apps that have permission to run in the background with an “On/Off” toggle.

Just bear in mind that, apps normally run in the background to update their live tiles, download new data, and receive notifications. If you want an app to continue performing these functions, you should allow it to continue running in
the background.

Feel free to update us with the results.

 

Apps only run as background pocesses

Hi Carmine,

To manage background apps in Windows 10, you can follow these steps:

• Go to Start menu and select Settings.
• Click on Privacy on the Settings window.
• Scroll down to the bottom of the list and select Background apps.
• You’ll see a list of apps that have permission to run in the background with an
  On/Off toggle.

Let us know how it goes.

Thank you.

 

Disable Cortana from running in the background

Hi,

As per your description, I understand that you would like to disable Cortana. We will assist you to resolve the issue.

I suggest you to refer to the article to: Switch Cortana on or off and
check if it helps.

For more information: Cortana, Search, and privacy: FAQ

If you would like to implement a function to completely disable the Cortana from the background process,
I suggest you to post your valuable suggestions in Windows feedback app. So, that developers will try to implement it in future Windows 10 updates to enhance user experience.

Hope it helps. Get back to us for further assistance on this issue. We will be happy to help you.

Thank you.