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FULL FIX: Windows 10/11 Cortana critical error

8 min. read

Updated onOctober 4, 2023

updated onOctober 4, 2023

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Key notes

Cortanais one of Windows 10’s best new features. As your own personal digital assistant,Cortanacan fetch information and generally get things done for you in a more timely manner.

Sometimes, though,Cortanamight not function properly due to glitches.

We already helped you address the issue whereCortanapops up automatically onWindows 10along with the issue whereCortanadoesn’t recognize Hey Cortana.

While the above issues have their respective fixes,CortanaonWindows 10might show some sort ofCritical Error.

When confronted by thiserror, you might see messages like,Critical Error – Start menu and Cortana aren’t working. We’ll try to fix it the next time you sign in.

In this post, we’ll tell you a few ways that can easily help you fix thiserror. Let’s get started.

Cortana is a key part ofWindows 10, and therefore Cortana Critical Error can be quite problematic. Speaking of thiserror, here are some similar issues that users reported:

How do I fix Windows 10 Cortana Critical Error?

Solution 1 – Disable your antivirus

According to users, the main cause for Cortana Critical Error message can be your antivirus software.

Certain antivirus tools, such asAvast, can interfere with your system, and they can cause this and other similar issues to appear.

To fix the problem, users are suggesting to check your antivirus settings and disable certain antivirus features.

If that doesn’t solve the problem, you might have to disable your antivirus altogether. If that doesn’t work, your last solution would be to completely remove your antivirus.

If removing the antivirus solves the problem, you should consider switching to a different antivirus solution.

There are many great antivirus tools on the market, but if you want the most reliable protection that won’t interfere with your system, it’s advised to choose the mostcompatible antivirus softwareout there.

Solution 2 – Just reboot your system

This might be a problem that occurs just once on your system. To get rid of it, you can simply restart your PC and the issues will be solved. To restart your PC, follow the steps listed below:

If your start menu is not working for some reason, then just press theresetbutton on your PC cabinet or just long-press the power button until your PC shuts off.

You can now restart the PC and the problem will be fixed.

Solution 3 – Restart your PC in Safe Mode once

According to users, in order to fix Cortana Critical Error, you just have to enterSafe Modeon your PC.

Safe Mode is a special segment of Windows that runs with default settings, so it’s perfect for troubleshooting. To enter Safe Mode, you just have to do the following:

Once you enter Safe Mode, check ifCortanaworks. If everything is in order, restart your PC, start it normally and check if the problem is resolved.

Solution 4 – Update your PC using Windows Update

Microsoft has already released a fix for this issue from their side. If you are still facing the issue, then yourWindows 10is not up to date.

You should always update your Windows OS on PC from time to time to combat such issues.

To update yourWindows 10, follow the steps given below.

Solution 5 – Perform a Clean boot

Sometimes Cortana CriticalErrorcan appear due to third-party applications. Many applications and services tend to start automatically with Windows, and that can cause this problem to appear.

However, you can fix the problem simply by performing a Clean boot. This is quite simple to do, and you can do it by following these steps:

Once your PC restarts, check if the problem is still there. If not, it’s certain that one of your startup applications was causing the issue.

To find the cause of the problem, enable startup applications and services one by one or in groups.

Keep in mind that you’ll need to restart your PC after enabling a service or an application in order to apply changes.

Once you find the problematic application, disable it or remove it and the issue should be permanently resolved.

Few users reported thatMicrosoft(C) Register Serverservice was the problem, and it seems that this service was trying to start a malicious file.

If you have a similar problem, be sure to perform a full system scan.

Solution 6 – Remove the problematic updates

In some cases, Cortana Critical Error can occur due to recent updates. Sometimes a specific Windows update can cause this issue to occur, and in order to fix it, you just need to find and remove the problematic update. To do that, just follow these steps:

Once you remove the problematic update, check if the issue is still there. If the issue doesn’t appear, it means that the update was causing the issue.

We have to warn you thatWindows 10tends to automatically install the missing updates, so be sure toblock Windows from installing the automatic updates.

Solution 7 – Perform a System Restore

If you keep gettingCortana Critical Erroryou might be able to fix the issue simply by performing aSystem Restore.

In case you don’t know, System Restore is a useful feature that allows you to restore your system to an earlier date and fix various problems.

To use System Restore, just follow these steps:

Once your system is restored, the problem withCortanawill be completely fixed.

These methods will no doubt help you in addressing Critical Errors brought on byCortana. Let us know how you did in our comments!

FULL FIX: Windows 10/11 Cortana critical error#

How do I fix Windows 10 Cortana Critical Error?#

Solution 1 – Disable your antivirus#

Solution 2 – Just reboot your system#

Solution 3 – Restart your PC in Safe Mode once#

Solution 4 – Update your PC using Windows Update#

Solution 5 – Perform a Clean boot#

Solution 6 – Remove the problematic updates#

Solution 7 – Perform a System Restore#