Cortana's Windows chapter ends later this year

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Microsoft announced this week that it will end support for Cortana in Windows later in 2023. The terminus affects the Cortana application for Windows, which Microsoft plans to retire in "late 2023".

Windows users who have the Cortana application installed on their devices won't be able to use it anymore once Microsoft pulls it from the Microsoft Store and ends support for Cortana.

Microsoft notes that Cortana will live on in various other company applications, including in Outlook mobile as well as several Microsoft Teams application, including in Teams mobile, Microsoft Teams display and Microsoft Teams rooms.



The announcement makes it clear that Microsoft is shifting away from focusing on personal assistants, like Cortana, to AI-powered services. The company has started to integrate AI services into Windows and other company applications and plans to roll out even more in the coming months and years.

Microsoft lists four services on the support page, including Microsoft 365 Copilot and Windows Copilot.

Windows Copilot is an upcoming AI-powered feature of Microsoft's Windows 11 operating system that uses AI to help Windows users when they encounter issues on the operating system. Windows users may chat with Windows Copilot similarly to how they chat with Bing Chat and other AI services on the Internet.

Microsoft 365 Copilot's aim is to improve productivity when using Microsoft 365 applications such as Office.

Microsoft unveiled Cortana in 2015 when it launched its Windows 10 operating system to the public. The personal assistant was designed to compete directly with Google Assistant, Amazon Alexa and Apple Siri.

Microsoft's decision to merge Cortana with Search was met with criticism, especially since it was difficult to block Cortana sufficiently on the operating system.

Microsoft retired the Cortana applications for iOS and Android in 2019 already, after it revealed plans to turn Cortana into a tool focused on productivity. The change its strategy surrounding the digital assistant was put in motion in 2020. Microsoft CEO Satya Nadella admitted even that virtual assistants were "all dumb as a rock" and that Cortana did not work out the way Microsoft hoped it would.

Closing Words

The removal of the Cortana apps for Windows is the next chapter in the slow death of the unloved personal assistant for Windows 10 and 11. It seems unlikely that it is used widely still by users of the operating system, especially since Microsoft has stopped promoting it. Some of Cortana's features may live on in other Microsoft products for the time being.

Microsoft will continue to focus on AI and the integration of AI services in all company products is already in the highest gear.

Now You: when was the last time you used Cortana?
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