If you wish to say goodbye to Cortana one last time within Windows 11, do not upgrade the app.
Microsoft started deprecating the Cortana app within the Windows Insider program just a brief time back– that’s programmer-speak for “eliminating,” much like “layoff” or “labor force reduction” is HR-speak for the exact same thing. You can still open the Cortana app on Windows 11, however take care.
On the top of the app you may see that Cortana has an update readily available. If you neglect the update (in the meantime), Cortana must continue to work as she’s expected to for the time being. If you use the upgrade, you’ll basically kill Cortana.
After using the update, you can reopen the Cortana app. At this point, you may as well uninstall the app itself, as Cortana is now effectively dead.
Cortana had personality. She had a voice. She was the face of Windows for several years, even if she was ultimately changed into something of a monster in the Halo video games themselves. Now, Microsoft has actually changed Cortana with Bing Chat and Windows Copilot, which is now sort of a soulless corporate bot, there to help you and not much more. Rest in peace, Cortana.
