Windows 10: Turning off Cortana W10 Home (anniversary edition)

Hi,

As you can tell from the title this is a case of disabling Cortana for Windows 10 Home anniversary edition. This problem isn't as simple as it sounds. I recently posted a issue I had with my microphone specifically, and the fix for this I have just found is to disable Cortana in its entirety. Now the problem is, the person who found the solution to this problem with my microphone is using Windows 10 Pro.

As some of you may know, disabling Cortana in Windows 10 Pro anniversary edition is pretty simple, just a case of using the Group Policy editor. However when I tried to do the equivalent in Windows 10 Home (editing the registry with an "allowcortana" entry), the problem didn't resolve like it did for the individual with Windows 10 Pro. Now in his case he had to disable both Allow Cortana and Allow Cortana above the lock screen, the two available options in Windows 10 Pro group policy editor. However me disabling the lock screen Cortana option and then turning off Cortana through the registry like I mentioned before, simply didn't have the same effect. Yes Cortana did disable for me, however it did not fix the problem like it did for the other individual.

What I'm thinking is that there may be another possible way to disable Cortana which is similar to that of Windows 10 Pro, which possibly has the exact same effect? Thanks.



For any curious or for those who want more background information, here are links to the microphone problem and the individual who posted he had fixed it:

Thread: http://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/w...f-ebca42402b2c

The post which described the solution: Screenshot

:)

 

Sound Problems with Cortana

I'm running on Windows 10 home edition with the anniversary edition update. All my drivers are up-to-date, and my mic tests out fine. Sometimes Cortana recognizes my voice, and sometimes she can't "hear" me. The only way I can resolve the issue is by
clicking on Cortana's settings and turning off the switch marked "Let Cortana respond to Hey Cortana" Then I reopen the settings, switch it to on and Cortana works fine. I can't figure out what is causing this. It's not in the mic settings, because when
I run the mic test, the mic works fine.

 

Turn off Cortana

Dear Kristine Ver / Microsoft,

Please help me here. I'd like to turn Cortana off completely. Is it true that I cannot? I really want my computer back, I never intended to have to deal with Cortana when I bought this Win8 machine.
Ihave spent the last hour and a half trying to turn off all your defaulted permissions and shut off Cortana. It is a bit annoying that I had already a few months ago spent similar time to shut it (Cortana) down only to find it suddenly turned on and asking
me inane questions.

The question from yanky_932 was:

"How can I turn off Cortana on Windows 10?"

The reply was:

Quoted directly from the link in your reply (emphasis added):

"With the Windows Anniversary update, Cortana is ingrained into the Windows experience in the locales where she is available. This means
CORTANA CANNOT BE TURNED OFF. You can use Cortana settings to control exactly what Cortana has access to and how personalized you'd like her assistance to be.

• Note: Cortana is removed from the Windows 10 Education and Windows 10 Pro Education editions. See KB
  3181976 for more info on these editions."
• -support.microsoft.com
• Is it true Cortana cannot be turned off?
• Thank you for your assistance with my query.

 

Does this help?
Cortana - Turn On or Off in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

I do find it puzzling that you need to turn it off.. I assume you've disabled response to 'Hey Cortana' in its settings, and the Lock screen.

Note the response here by hTconeM9user who uses a USB mike
Hey Cortana - Turn On or Off in Windows 10 - Windows 10 Forums

 

Hi, thanks for the reply. I think that's just disabling the "hey cortana" from all I see. Also I am currently signed out as the first link requests. I'm talking about disabling Cortana in its entirety.

 

Hello Mangasp, *Smile

In that case, here you go.

https://www.tenforums.com/tutorials/2...dows-10-a.html

 

Hi Brink,

The problem I am having is that I'm not getting the same effect in Windows 10 home (using regedit) as in Windows 10 Pro (using Group Policy). The ongoing problem I've been having with my microphone was solved by someone using Windows 10 Pro by disabling Cortana, however for me disabling it using regedit (in my version of Windows, Windows 10 Home) doesn't fix the problem I'm having.

I've already done all the steps in the post you linked, and successfully disabled Cortana. However it's not giving me the solution I desire to the microphone problem I mentioned in the original post.

 

Why do you need to disable it - it takes virtually no resources if not being used?

 

The user has a problem with a USB connected microphone that worked OK in Win 7 but has lower volume in Win 10. He found a post on a different site that said their USB mic problem was fixed by disabling Cortana. I worked the microphone sound problem thread but suggested he start a new thread for disabling Cortana (if that will really fix his problem).

 

Yes, this is precisely right. Any suggestions anyone?

 

Aaand the thread goes unsolved.