Microsoft is killing Cortana on Windows 11 and Windows 10 later this year

Microsoft has today announced that it's pulling support for the Cortana app on Windows 10 and Windows 11 later this year. The news comes just a week after Microsoft unveiled the Windows Copilot, a smarter AI assistant that's powered by ChatGPT technology and is capable of handling more complex queries.

Here's what Microsoft says in its support documentation about Cortana being retired:

"We are making some changes to Windows that will impact users of the Cortana app. Starting in late 2023, we will no longer support Cortana in Windows as a standalone app ... This change only impacts Cortana in Windows, and your productivity assistant, Cortana, will continue to be available in Outlook mobile, Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams display, and Microsoft Teams rooms.

We know that this change may affect some of the ways you work in Windows, so we want to help you transition smoothly to the new options. Instead of clicking the Cortana icon and launching the app to begin using voice, now you can use voice and satisfy your productivity needs through different tools."

Microsoft continues to list several of its recent AI products and services, including Bing Chat AI and the Windows Copilot, which is expected to launch this fall around the same time Cortana is retired, as suitable replacements for the Cortana app. The new Windows Copilot should be able to do most of what the Cortana app can do, plus more.

As Microsoft mentions, Cortana as a productivity assistant in Microsoft 365 apps isn't going away, and will continue to function like normal. It's just the Cortana assistant in Windows that's being retired.

:story: Windows Central