How To Fix ‘Cortana Not Working’ On Windows 10

It’s a rapidly growing digital world, where instead of human assistants, people use digital assistant to schedule meetings, write up texts and what not.

Similarly, Microsoft Windows also comes with a virtual assistant named ‘Cortana’. To use Cortana, you just have to say ‘Hey Cortana’ followed by the task you want her to perform. Then be it any type of task, from mails to playing videos and everything else.

But, due to some unwanted reasons, sometimes Cortana stops working, which can be fixed as well. So, today in this article, we will be talking about some of the ways to fix Cortana not working in Windows 10. Here is the list of methods which will help you in fixing Windows Cortana not working issue:

1. Enable And Configure Cortana

Cortana on Windows 10 works only when it is enabled. Also, it is compulsory to have a microphone as well, so that Cortana could hear you. To check whether Cortana is enabled or not:

1. Go to Search window and type Cortana.
2. Select Cortana & Search settings from results.
   
3. In Settings, check the options that are enabled:
   

• Under Microphone, tap on Check the microphone to check connection.
• To interact with Cortana enable Let Cortana respond to “Hey Cortana”.

• To allow every user to interact with Cortana, toggle on Respond when anyone says, “Hey Cortana”.
• Also, if needed, enable Use Cortana when my device is locked.

And, this is it, you are all set to use Cortana again. If the problem still persists, then move onto next method.

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2. Restart Cortana Windows 10 Process

Another way to fix Cortana not working on Windows 10 is to force stop Cortana process and restart it again. For this,

1. Go to Task Manager. To open it, hold Ctrl + Alt + Del simultaneously on keyboard.
2. In Task Manager, tap on More details given at the bottom of dialogue box.
   
3. In Processes, scroll down to Cortana and tap on it.
4. After this, press on End task.
   
   

This will stop Cortana from running in background. To restart Cortana, follow the first method.

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3. Reinstall Cortana On Windows 10

There could be an issue with the software running as well. Reinstalling Cortana will fix all error codes and will setup Cortana from initial stage. For this,

2. Hold Windows Key + X, and then press A.
3. Now, on pop up, tap Yes to open PowerShell.
4. Here, type the following command in one line:

Get-AppXPackage -AllUsers | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)\AppXManifest.xml”}

4. After which, press Enter and wait until the process is completed.

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4. Reset Windows

If Cortana is still not working, then last option left is to reset Windows. This will definitely fix Cortana not working Windows 10 issue. To reset Windows 10:

1. Go to Start menu and type Settings.
   
   

2. Now, select Update & Security.
   
   

3. From the left context menu, choose Recovery.

4. Here, under Reset this PC, press Get Started.
   
   

After this, Windows 10 & Cortana will be re-installed on your system.

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So, this was all folks! These are some of ways to fix Cortana not working error on Windows 10. Make sure, you follow each step correctly, as on wrong step may lead to change in system files or may corrupt your system. Now, just say ‘Hey Cortana’ and let Cortana do the rest of the work.

If you found this helpful, please let us know. You can also drop your feedback in the comment section below.