Microsoft is finally killing off Cortana in Windows 11 as Windows Copilot heralds an AI future

Cortana may have been Microsoft's response to Siri, but while Apple's digital assistant prevails, the Windows maker's offering has slipped into insignificance. Never much-loved by users, Microsoft's Cortana has been in its death throes for a while and now the company is finally moving on.

With the release of Windows 11 Build 25921 a few days ago, Microsoft has introduced the option to uninstall the Cortana app, and this is just the tip of the iceberg. The company had already announced plans to stop supporting Cortana in Windows as a standalone app, and that time has now come. A Microsoft Store update is also being used to forcibly deprecate the tool.

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It is a couple of years since Microsoft killed off Cortana for iOS and Android users, and back in June the company revealed that support for the digital assistant in Windows 10 and Windows 11 would also be coming to an end. For now, it is only the standalone Cortana app that is affected; Cortana will live on in Outlook mobile, Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams display and Microsoft Teams rooms.

Given the recent explosion of interest in artificial intelligence, it was predictable that this is where Microsoft would go. As is so often the case, where others lead, Microsoft follows. In its announcement a couple of months ago, the company said:

Starting in August 2023, we will no longer support Cortana in Windows as a standalone app. However, you can still access powerful productivity features in Windows and Edge, which have increased AI capabilities. This means you can still get help with your tasks, calendar, and email, but in new and exciting ways.

Microsoft is now pushing Copilot as Cortana's successor, and dropping support for the older tool is an important step. As noted by Windows Latest, some users are being provided with an update to the Cortana app via the Microsoft Store. Once installed, this disables Cortana and displays the message:

Cortana in Windows as a standalone app is deprecated.

At the moment, Copilot is still somewhat embryonic, but when it develops over time, it is likely to garner much more affection than Cortana ever managed.

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