Windows 11’s Latest Update Removes Cortana App

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Cortana, Microsoft’s virtual assistant, has been removed from Windows 11.

In a new update for Windows 11, Microsoft has removed the dedicated Cortana app from its operating system. Microsoft confirmed the sunset of the Cortana app for Windows 11 on a support page and noted that Cortana for Teams mobile Teams display and Teams Rooms will be removed sometime this fall. However, Cortana in Outlook mobile will remain available.

Initially released in 2014 for the Windows Phone to rival Apple’s iPhone and virtual assistant Siri, Cortana is a virtual assistant named after the fictional character Cortana from the Halo series. Roughly a year later, Microsoft would gradually roll out the virtual assistant to Windows 10, mobile devices, and even the Xbox One.

Though in the last few years, Microsoft began ending support for the Cortana virtual assistant app as it was removed from the Xbox dashboard via a console update in July 2019, and the Cortana apps for Android and iOS were removed in March 2021.

While Microsoft is slowly killing off support for Cortana, the company has made advancements and investments in its AI tools. Most notably, Microsoft is working on Windows Copilot, a new assistant powered by artificial intelligence.

Taylor is a Reporter at IGN. You can follow her on Twitter @TayNixster.