How to Turn Off Cortana on Windows 10 PC
If you’re using a Windows 10 PC, you might want to consider disabling Cortana – at least on the lock screen – if you don’t plan on installing the latest Windows updates for whatever reason. (And in general, do you really need a smart assistant to help you when your computer is locked?)
McAfee security researchers recently discovered that Cortana can be called from the Windows 10 lock screen and used to launch malware, The Verge reports . Sure, someone would need physical access to a computer to perform a jailbreak, but that would allow a person to run files from a USB drive – and there is no limit after that.
McAfee recommends that users run Windows Update to get the latest Microsoft security patch that fixes the issue. However, if you don’t plan on doing this, or if you need a little time before you can launch the update, you can always simply disable Cortana on the lock screen to bypass the jailbreak.
To disable Cortana on the lock screen, launch the assistant by clicking the circle icon to the left of the search bar on the taskbar. Click the gear icon in the left pane and find the “Lock screen” section. Uncheck the “Use Cortana even when my device is locked” checkbox, which isn’t a bad idea in the world anyway – although Microsoft has fixed the jailbreak, do you want anyone to be able to chat with your desktop or laptop when you don’t use it?