How to Fix If Cortana not Working?

Cortana, the Virtual Digital Assistance of Windows 10 PCs, takes an interesting role to search something in Windows GUI. But sometimes it fails to do it’s work properly, without any reason.

Many users have reported that Cortana is not working in their Windows 10 computers, especially after an update.

If you are facing this glitch and looking for solutions to resolve it, go through this article and apply the solutions in a proper manner.

Resolving “Cortana Not Working” Issue 

Mentioned below are some effective methods, utilizing which you will be able to resolve this error. Try to follow the fixes exactly as given. Do not skip any step and apply the methods one by one until the issue gets resolved.

Method 1: Change the Region 

Once you encounter this error with your Windows 10 PC, the first thing you can do is changing the region. To perform this action, follow these steps:

  1. First of all, open the Settings application by pressing the Windows Key + I at the same time.
  2. After that, navigate to the Time & Language section.
  3. Now, from the left menu, choose  Region & language.
  4. After that, in the right pane, set your country or region to the place where you are operating your system from.

Once you complete these steps, Cortana will start performing its job normally. This fix works because Cortana, as for now, is not available everywhere. So, make sure it is available in your region and change the settings following the steps given above.

Method 2: Check the Firewall 

You can also check the Windows firewall, in order to eliminate this error from your device. To check the firewall, try to follow these steps:

  1. First of all, navigate to the search bar and search for Firewall.
  2. Now, open Allow an app through Windows Firewall option. 
  3. After that, in the  Allowed apps window navigate to Change settings.
  4. Next, find all Cortana features situated in the Allowed apps and features and check all of them.
  5. After that, tap on OK and check whether Cortana works or not.

If the error persists, follow the next method.

Method 3: Create a New User Account

If you are facing this error due to a glitched user account, you can create a new user account, in order to resolve this error. In such cases, try to follow these steps:

  1. First of all, navigate to the Settings app and navigate to the  Accounts section.
  2. Next, from the left pane, navigate to the Family & other people section. In the right pane, click on Add someone else to this PC button.
  3. After that, select I don’t have this person’s sign-in information option. 
  4. Next, you will be asked to sign in with the  Microsoft account.
  5. After that, choose to Add a user without a Microsoft account.
  6. Next, you need to enter the username of your choice and click on the Next button. 

Method 4: Uninstall Your Antivirus

You can also uninstall your third-party antivirus if you notice that it is interfering with Cortana. Follow these steps:

  1. Firstly, navigate to the search bar and search for ‘uninstall a program.’ 
  2. Next, you will be able to see a list of search results, from which you have to select the first one.
  3. Now, in the new window, search for the third party application which you want to uninstall.
  4. Locate the program, select it and click on the Uninstall button. 
  5. After completing the procedure, you need to check the status of the error. In case, you see this error persists, try to follow the next method.

Method 5: Perform SFC Scan

In case, the above fixes aren’t able to resolve this error, try to follow this one. It involves running the SFC scan which can resolve glitches and thus can fix this one as well. Follow these steps:

  1. First of all, press the Windows Key + X at the same time and select Command Prompt (Admin) or PowerShell (Admin). 
  2. When the Command prompt opens, in the black window, enter sfc/scannow and hit the Enter button to continue.
  3. Now, you will see that the scanning process will begin. 
  4. It will take some time, wait until it completes. 

After performing these steps, try to check the status of the error. 

Method 6: Perform DISM Scan 

You can also perform a DISM scan in order to resolve this error. On that note, try out these steps:

  1. First of all, enter to the Command prompt as an administrator.
  2. After that, in the Command prompt Window, enter Dism /Online /Cleanup-Image /RestoreHealth command and run it by hitting Enter. 

Method 7: Re-register Universal Apps

You can also reregister all the universal applications in order to resolve this error. To perform this action, try to follow these steps:

  1. Firstly, press the  Windows Key + S at the same time.
  2. From the list of search results, enter Powershell and right-click on the  Windows PowerShell from the list of results. 
  3. When you see the PowerShell opens, run the following command: Get-AppXPackage | Foreach {Add-AppxPackage -DisableDevelopmentMode -Register “$($_.InstallLocation)AppXManifest­.xml

After executing this command, try to check the status of the error. Hopefully, it will be resolved. 

If the error persists, try to run chkdsk scan from your device.

Method 8: Run chkdsk scan

You can also run the chkdsk scan to eliminate this glitch from your device. For that, try to follow these steps:

  1. First of all, navigate to the Command Prompt as administrator.
  2. After that, enter chkdsk/f X. Replace the X with your current system drive. Most of the time, it will be C.
  3. If you are asked to perform a scheduled scan, press Y and restart the PC.

Method 9: Reset Cortana

The methods listed above can resolve this issue, but if they fail to fix it, you can reset Cortana which can change the situation you are facing now. 

  1. First of all, navigate to the search box and type Cortana. From the search results, search for Cortana & Search settings from the top. 
  2. After that, click on Hey Cortana, to turn it off. You will be able to see it in the Off state.
  3. Now, click on the same button again to turn on Cortana. You will now see the On status of Cortana. 
  4. Try to use Cortana again and check if it works or not. If it fails to resolve the error, try out the next fix. 

Method 10: Re-Configure Microphone

Due to some glitch present in Microphone, Cortana sometimes fails to respond. In this situation, all you can do is, reconfiguring the Microphone and starting Cortana again.

  1. Firstly, In the Search window, search for Cortana.
  2. After that, in the results, click on Cortana & Search Settings.
  3. Next, verify that these options are turned on, which are listed below.
    • Let Cortana respond to “Hey Cortana” to talk to Cortana.
    • Respond when anyone says “Hey Cortana” to let anyone talk to Cortana.
    • If desired, Use Cortana when my device is locked.
  4. Next, under Microphone and Make sure Cortana can hear me, click on Get Started.
  5. Follow the on-screen instructions to set up the microphone.

Method 11: Install Latest Updates

Corrupted installation of Windows can cause this error. In such cases, you can try to install the latest updates to fix the bug. Follow the steps mentioned below.

  1. Firstly, open the Settings application and navigate to the Update & Security section.
  2. Click Check for updates button.

Now, follow the instructions appearing on the screen to install the updates.

To Conclude

Hopefully, after following the methods and applying them correctly the “Cortana not working” issue will get fixed on your device. However, if you face any difficulty while trying to apply the fixes, you can directly contact an expert who can guide you in a proper way.

Nathaniel Villa
Nathaniel Villa

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