RIP Cortana on Windows: You should never have left Master Chief

There’s nothing like trying to sneak in a story at the end of the day on Friday in hopes that no one will notice!

Cortana, the beloved character from the Halo game franchise, was at one time Microsoft’s big bet as the future of a smart assistant on Windows. The company launched the assistant on the operating system back in 2015 and since then, effort on the assistant has slowly faded away, making people wonder if Microsoft would eventually kill Cortana.

Well, that’s exactly what’s happening. As reported by XDA Developers, a support document has popped up on the Windows website announcing that the company will cease support of the Cortana app on Windows later this year. The assistant will still be available in some of the company’s other productivity apps for now, but we all know where things are going.

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. However, you can still access powerful productivity features in Windows and Edge, which have increased AI capabilities. This means you can still get help with your tasks, calendar, and email, but in new and exciting ways. 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.

It’s not surprising to hear today’s announcement. Microsoft  The company hosted its Build event earlier this month and revealed Windows Copilot, which brings the newer AI-powered assistant right into the taskbar to assist you across the entire operating system. It was the writing on the wall for Cortana, and now the news is official.

The future is Windows Copilot, and Microsoft says that will roll out in a preview in June so, if you are part of the preview program, you’ll get your hands on the new assistant next month. If you still want to interact with Cortana, just fire up your Xbox or PC and hop into Halo.