To the shock of no one, Windows 10 users who upgrade to the Anniversary Update (scheduled for release next week), will not be able to disable Cortana using the settings.
If you compare the start menu settings of Cortana of the current version of Windows (version 1511) with those of the Anniversary Update (version 1607) you will notice that Cortana's off switch is no longer available (thanks Ian Paul @PC World for spotting that)
Cortana, the digital assistant that Microsoft touts as one of the major features of Windows 10 supports interaction via touch, typing, ink and voice.
Microsoft integrated Cortana deeply with the native search functionality of Windows 10. While linked to search, Windows 10 users may turn off Cortana currently to use search without it. While you might have to turn off web searches on Windows 10 as well, doing so ensured that you got search functionality that matched those of previous versions of Windows.
Windows users who turned off Cortana had two main reasons for it: either they did not need Cortana functionality, or they did not want it because of privacy implications.
[...] It is still possible to turn off Cortana, but not by using the preferences. The policy to disable Cortana is still available and you may use it to turn off Cortana on the device.
Please note that the Group Policy Editor is only available in professional versions of Windows 10. Most notably, it is not available in Windows 10 Home.
The linked article goes into detail on how to disable Cortana using the Registry in Windows 10 Home, and Group Policy Editor in Windows 10 Pro. However, Microsoft no longer makes disabling Cortana anywhere near as easy as it was.
(Score: 2) by KritonK on Wednesday July 27 2016, @07:08AM
What is this metro UI you speak of?
I used Windows 8 for a year or two and, thanks to Windows Classic Shell, apart from the ugly flat... I mean modern window decorations, it looked just like Windows 7. I never had to deal with the metro UI.
(Score: 3, Funny) by Anonymous Coward on Wednesday July 27 2016, @10:02AM
Congratulations! You out smarted Microsoft and installed software to alter the system's original functionality. Your Smugness Participation Ribbon will be delivered in a Bing ad via Cortana.
(Score: 2) by Grishnakh on Wednesday July 27 2016, @03:15PM
Yeah, good luck installing unauthorized third-party software on a locked-down corporate PC.
(Score: 0) by Anonymous Coward on Thursday July 28 2016, @05:18AM
What is this metro UI you speak of?
The stuff you installed Windows Classic Shell to avoid.
The stuff Lenovo bundled Pokki to hide away from their customers.