How to fix Cortana if it's not working on Windows 10

• Cortana is personal assistant software and a core component of Windows 10.
• Cortana issues are usually caused by corrupted system files or your settings.
• We covered Cortana news and issues extensively, and you can find them all at our Cortana hub.
• This article is one of many guides from our Windows 10 errors hub. If you’re having more issues with your PC, we advise you to check our hub.

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Cortana is one of the most notable and most useful additions to Windows 10. But not working Cortana could be very annoying and it could decrease the functionality of the system a lot, but there’s a way to fix that.

What do I do if Cortana won’t work on Windows 10/11?

Cortana is one of the best features of Windows 10, however, many users reported various issues with it. Speaking of issues, here are some common problems reported by users:

• Windows 10 Start Menu and Cortana not working – There are many reasons for this problem, and we covered similar issues in our Start Menu not working article, so be sure to check it out.
• Cortana not working after update – Several users reported that Cortana isn’t working after an update. To fix the problem, simply re-register Universal applications and the issue should be resolved.
• Cortana keeps closing – This is another common problem that you can encounter. To fix it, simply create a new user account and check if that solves the issue.
• Cortana not available, talking, showing up, opening, searching, loading – There are many issues that can appear while using Cortana, but you should be able to solve most of them by using one of our solutions.

1. Change your region

Now, navigate to the Time & Language section.

From the menu on the left choose Region & language. In the right pane, set your Country or region to the United States.

After making these changes, Cortana should start working on your PC without any issues.

2. Check your firewall

In Allowed apps window go to Change settings.

If Cortana won’t work, your firewall might be the cause for it, so make sure that Cortana is allowed through your firewall.

3. Create a new user account

Open the Settings app and go to the Accounts section.

Go to Family & other people section in the left pane. In the right pane, click Add someone else to this PC button.

Choose I don’t have this person’s sign-in information.

You’ll be asked to sign in with a Microsoft account. Choose Add a user without a Microsoft account.

Enter the desired username and click Next.

Once you create a new user account, switch to it and check if the problem is still there. If Cortana works on the new account, switch back to your old one and check if the issue is still present.

Sometimes if Cortana isn’t working, the best way to fix it is to create a new user account, so be sure to try that.

4. Check your antivirus

In some instances, third-party antivirus software can cause issues with Cortana to occur. To fix the problem, it’s advised that you disable certain antivirus features or completely disable your antivirus.

Several users reported that the only way to fix this problem was to completely remove their antivirus.

If removing the antivirus solves your Cortana issues, this might be a good time to consider switching to different antivirus software.

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It is recommended to use an antivirus software that it is fully compatible with Windows 10, so it won’t interfere with your system in any way.

5. Perform SFC and DISM scans

When Command Prompt starts, enter sfc /scannow and press Enter.

Once the SFC scan is finished, check if the problem is still there. If the issue is still there, or if you couldn’t run an SFC scan, your next step would be to use a DISM scan instead. To do that, just follow these steps:

Now enter Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth command and run it.

DISM scan will now start. This process can take about 20 minutes or more, so don’t interrupt it. Once the DISM scan is completed, check if the problem is still there.

Corrupted files are a common source of problems, and if Cortana won’t work, SFC and DISM scan might be the best ways to fix it.

6. Re-register Universal apps

When PowerShell starts, run the following command: Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest­.xml

Once the command is executed, the issue with Cortana should be resolved.

7. Run chkdsk scan

Now enter chkdsk /f X: command. Be sure to replace X with the letter that represents your system drive. In almost all cases that would be C.

Once your PC restarts, the chkdsk scan will automatically start. The scan can take up to 20 minutes, depending on the size of your partition, so you’ll have to be patient.

After the chkdsk scan is finished, check if the issue with Cortana is resolved.

8. Install the latest updates

Open the Settings app and go to the Update & Security section.

Click Check for updates button.

Windows will now check for available updates. If any updates are available, they’ll be automatically downloaded and installed as soon as you restart your PC.

That’s all, I hope at least one of these solutions helped you to solve your problem with Cortana. If you have any questions or suggestions, please write them down in the comment section below.

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