Cortana is part of Windows 10 in the locales where Cortana is available. If you don’t want the digital assistant to be visible to you, you can hide Cortana from the taskbar. You can also manage your privacy settings following the steps below.
To hide Cortana in Windows 10, May 2020 Update and later versions, select the Cortana icon in the taskbar and uncheck Show Cortana button.
In the May 2020 Update and later versions, you must be signed in to use Cortana. When you’re signed in, Cortana learns from certain data about you, such as your searches, calendar, contacts, and location. You can learn more in the Microsoft Privacy Statement.
You can clear your chat history with Cortana on a device by signing out or by going to Cortana > Settings > Privacy. Then select the Clear button under Chat history.
To hide Cortana in Windows 10, November 2019 Update and earlier versions: On the taskbar, select Cortana, hover over Cortana on the menu, and then select Hidden from the side menu. This will also remove the search box from your taskbar. We don’t recommend hacking registry settings or similar measures, as this can make your operating system unstable or crash.
In the November 2019 Update and earlier versions, you can review and control exactly what personal information Cortana can access by going to the search box and selecting Settings on the left pane. You can also search "Cortana settings" in the search box on the taskbar, and select Cortana & Search settings from the results.
Note: Cortana is removed from the Windows 10 Education and Windows 10 Pro Education editions. See Windows 10 editions for education customers for more info.
In Windows 11, Cortana is hidden from the taskbar by default.
