How to Uninstall and Reinstall Cortana in Windows 10

One of the significant changes made to Windows 10 v2004 is Cortana. Once what was integrated deep into the Operating System is now a standalone app.  The biggest problem with Cortana was usability, as it did not offer enough skills and results. Cortana is currently limited when it comes to features such as scheduling meetings, reminders, email integration, and so on. That said, if you are not able to find the Cortana app in Windows 10, in this post, we will share how you can Uninstall and Reinstall Cortana in Windows 10 2004.

Uninstall & Reinstall Cortana in Windows 10

Not many people notices, but Cortana is now available as a standalone app in Microsoft Store.  It means it will depend on the Feature updater to get new updates and is independent of everything else.

How to uninstall Cortana in Windows 10

You can uninstall Cortana using PowerShell command. Even though it’s an independent app, there is no direct option to uninstall it. We will use the AppxPackage command to uninstall Cortana from Windows 10. You will need admin privileges and PowerShell to complete this.

Open PowerShell with admin privileges. Execute the following command to check if Cortana is available on your computer.

Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.549981C3F5F10

If the command doesn’t show any error, and details package detail of the said app, then it’s confirmed that you do have Cortana available.  The next command will remove Cortana from the system for all users.

Get-AppxPackage -allusers Microsoft.549981C3F5F10_2.2005.5739.0_x64__8wekyb3d8bbwe | Remove-AppxPackage

Make sure to the exact package name instead of using Microsoft.549981C3F5F10 alone else it will not work. The complete package name is available in PackageFullName result from the first command. If you do not get any error, Cortana will be removed from the computer.

There is one strange thing about removal. Cortana App icon remains on the Taskbar even after uninstallation. You can hide it using the Taskbar menu. However, when you click on the Cortana icon on the Taskbar, nothing happens. I am assuming it because this approach of hiding and unhiding Cortana from Taskbar is merely a UI thing, and only Microsoft can tidy up this.

How to reinstall Cortana in Windows 10

• Follow this link to open Cortana listing on Microsoft Store, and click on the Get button.
• The browser will then prompt you to open Microsoft Store. Click on the Open Microsoft Store button.
• When Microsoft Store opens, you should see Cortana available.
• Click on the Install button to reinstall Cortana in Windows 10

Once installed, you can make it visible on the Taskbar, and launch it by clicking on it or using the Win+C keyboard shortcut.

I hope the post was easy to follow, and you were able to uninstall and reinstall Cortana in Windows 10.