How to fix "Get an app to open this ms-cortana2 link" message when copying files in Windows?

The window Get an app to open this 'ms-cortana2' link appears because a key, a button or a program asks Windows to open Cortana, and Microsoft retired the Cortana app in spring 2023. Nothing is damaged. Find what sends the link, most often Ctrl + Fn on a Lenovo laptop, and stop it there.

Facts checked on 14 October 2026. Steps written for Windows 11 (25H2 and 26H2) and Windows 10 22H2.

What "Get an app to open this ms-cortana2 link" means

ms-cortana2 is not a program and not a second version of Cortana. It is a link type, the same kind of thing as mailto: for email or ms-settings: for the Settings app. A program that wanted to start Cortana did not run a file. It asked Windows to open a link that starts with ms-cortana2:, and Windows started the app registered for that link type.

Microsoft Learn describes what happens when no such app exists: Windows offers the user a way to search the Microsoft Store for one. That offer is the window you see. Microsoft Support states that Cortana voice assistance in Windows as a standalone app was retired in spring 2023, so on a current PC nothing answers the link.

Why it appears when you copy files or text, and why Lenovo laptops

Copying has nothing to do with Cortana. The link is sent by the keys you hold while you copy. On many Lenovo laptops the Fn key sits directly beside the left Ctrl key. When you reach for Ctrl + C or Ctrl + V, the same finger often lands on both keys.

Owners of Lenovo laptops report that the pair Ctrl + Fn opens Cortana. A 2023 question on Microsoft Q&A describes exactly that on a Lenovo laptop, and a 2025 question describes the ms-cortana2 window on a new Lenovo laptop. The answer there, from an independent advisor, names Lenovo Hotkeys as the likely sender.

• Lenovo Hotkeys is Lenovo's app for the special keys. Its Microsoft Store page calls it an upgrade of Lenovo Utility that shows the hotkey status on screen.
• Lenovo's user guides for IdeaPad models also list a voice key, used with Fn, that opens "Cortana or Lenovo Voice Assistant (if installed)". A newer Yoga guide says the key "opens an associated voice app or voice service".
• Lenovo's guides do not document Ctrl + Fn as a Cortana shortcut. That part comes from owners' reports and from an independent project on GitHub that patches Lenovo Hotkeys 4.0.44.0 to remove it.
• We could not confirm whether a newer version of Lenovo Hotkeys has dropped the shortcut.

Causes of the ms-cortana2 link window, ranked

Every case has two halves. The second half is the same for everyone: no app is registered for the link. The first half, the caller, differs. Most often it is a key pair. Less often it is a single button. Rarely it is a program that starts with Windows.

Do not download "Cortana 2" or reinstall Cortana to silence the window

The window invites you to look for an app, and search engines suggest "ms cortana 2 download". There is no product called Cortana 2 for Windows. The number belongs to the link name. Microsoft's list of deprecated Windows features says that Cortana in Windows as a standalone app is deprecated, and Microsoft Support says it was retired.

Even a working copy of the old app would only replace one interruption with another. In the 2023 Microsoft Q&A report, Cortana opened on Ctrl + Fn and showed the notice "Cortana in Windows as a standalone app is deprecated".

How to stop the ms-cortana2 link window

Fix 1 is a two-minute test that tells you what sends the link. Fixes 2 to 4 are for Lenovo laptops, where the sender is the Ctrl + Fn pair. Fix 5 covers single keys and buttons, Fix 6 a program in the background. Fix 7 is the last resort when the sender cannot be removed.

Fix 1. Find the key, button or program that sends the link

2 minutesNo riskEveryone should start here, because the right fix depends on what calls the link.

Windows does not name the program that asked for the link, and we found no log that records it. A short series of presses shows which key or device brings the window up, and that points to one of the fixes below.

1. When the window is open, press Esc or select anywhere outside it. Do not follow its offer to search the Microsoft Store.
2. Press Win + R, type the link name with a colon and select OK. If the same window opens, no app is registered for the link on this PC, and you are on the right page.

   ms-cortana2:

3. Close the window. Hold the left Ctrl key and tap Fn. Then hold Fn and tap Ctrl.
4. Hold Fn and press each key of the top row that shows a microphone, a voice or an assistant symbol.
5. Press Windows key + C. If your keyboard has a Copilot key, press it too.
6. Press the assistant or call button on a connected headset, earbuds, external keyboard or mouse.
7. If nothing you press brings the window up, note when it appears on its own: at sign-in, after sleep, or when a certain program starts.

Fix 2. Stop Lenovo Hotkeys from starting, or uninstall it

5 minutesLow riskCtrl + Fn brings the window up on a Lenovo laptop.

Owners and a Microsoft Q&A advisor point to Lenovo Hotkeys, or the older Lenovo Utility, as the program that turns Ctrl + Fn into a call for Cortana. When that program is not running, nothing sends the link.

1. Press Ctrl + Shift + Esc to open Task Manager and select Startup apps (on Windows 10, the Startup tab).
2. Find Lenovo Hotkeys or Lenovo Utility, select it and select Disable. Step by step: Stop apps from opening at startup
3. Restart the PC and press Ctrl + Fn. If the window stays away, you are done and the app remains installed.
4. If the window still appears, press Win + I and open Apps > Installed apps (on Windows 10, Apps > Apps & features).
5. Type Lenovo in the search box, select the three dots beside Lenovo Hotkeys or Lenovo Utility and select Uninstall. Step by step: Uninstall a program or app in Windows
6. Restart the PC and press Ctrl + Fn again.

Check the volume, brightness and microphone keys after the restart. We could not confirm from Lenovo's documents which keys depend on the app on which model, so test the ones you use.

Fix 3. Turn off the Lenovo Fn and function keys service

5 minutesLow riskThe Lenovo laptop has no Lenovo Hotkeys app, or uninstalling it did not stop the window.

The advisor's answer on Microsoft Q&A names a second sender: the Lenovo Fn and function keys service. A service runs without an app window and without a startup entry, so Fix 2 does not touch it.

1. Press Win + R, type the command below and select OK.

   services.msc

2. Find Lenovo Fn and function keys service in the list. If it is not there, this fix does not apply to your model.
3. Double-click it and write down the current Startup type, so that you can put it back.
4. Select Stop, set Startup type to Disabled and select OK.
5. Press Ctrl + Fn to test, then check the special keys you use every day.

The answer that suggests this step does not say that it was confirmed on the asker's laptop, and results differ between models. Treat it as a test you can undo in a minute.

Fix 4. Change how Fn and Ctrl behave in the Lenovo firmware

10 minutesLow riskYou want to keep Lenovo Hotkeys and only stop hitting Fn by accident.

Lenovo's user guides for LOQ, Legion and IdeaPad Gaming models describe a firmware setting, Fool Proof Fn Ctrl, that lets Fn stand in for Ctrl in Ctrl shortcuts. With it enabled, a finger that lands on Fn instead of Ctrl still copies and pastes.

1. Save your work and open the UEFI/BIOS setup utility the way your model's user guide describes.
2. Select Configuration.
3. Change Fool Proof Fn Ctrl to Enabled.
4. Select Exit > Exit Saving Changes.
5. In Windows, test Fn + C and Fn + V in a text editor, then press Ctrl + Fn together.

• Lenovo's guide gives the example that Fn + A then selects all text, the same as Ctrl + A.
• The setting is not present on every model. If Configuration has no such line, your firmware does not offer it.
• ThinkPad firmware has a different option, Fn and Ctrl Key swap, under Config > Keyboard/Mouse. It exchanges the two keys. It does not remove any shortcut.
• We could not confirm that either option stops the Ctrl + Fn call for Cortana. Lenovo's guides do not mention that shortcut at all.

Fix 5. Reassign the voice key, the Copilot key or a device button

5 to 10 minutesNo riskOne particular key or button brings the window up every time, and it is not Ctrl + Fn.

A key or button made in the Cortana years can still be assigned to her. Pointing it at something that exists, or at nothing, removes the caller without touching Windows.

1. For the Copilot key: press Win + R, type the address below and select OK. Microsoft Support also gives the path Settings > Bluetooth & devices > Keyboard.

   ms-settings:personalization-textinput-copilot-hardwarekey

2. Open the list Customize Copilot key on keyboard and choose Search, Copilot or Custom. The options offered depend on your account and installed apps.
3. For a keyboard, mouse or headset with its own software: open that software and look through the button assignments for Cortana or voice assistant.
4. Assign the button to another action, or to none, and save.
5. For a Bluetooth headset without software: disconnect it, use the PC for a while, and see whether the window stays away.
6. Press the key or button again to test.

Microsoft notes one catch for the Copilot key: when Copilot is turned on in the taskbar settings, that choice overrides the option selected in Customize Copilot key on keyboard.

Fix 6. Find the program that calls the link in the background

15 to 30 minutesLow riskThe window appears with no key pressed: at sign-in, after sleep, or at random.

A Microsoft community support specialist answering this problem on Microsoft Q&A gives the likely cause as an application that calls ms-cortana2, which is no longer in service, and recommends a clean boot to find it. A clean boot starts Windows without other companies' services and startup apps.

First try the short way. Open Task Manager, select Startup apps and disable entries you do not need, starting with assistant, voice, keyboard and vendor utilities. Restart and watch. If the window is gone, turn the entries back on one at a time until it returns.

1. Open System Configuration. Select Search on the taskbar, type msconfig and select System Configuration from the results.
2. Hide Microsoft services. On the Services tab, select the Hide all Microsoft services check box. Only services from other companies stay in the list.

   

3. Disable the remaining services. Select Disable all, then select Apply.
4. Open Task Manager. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select Open Task Manager.

   

5. Disable the startup apps. On the Startup apps tab in Task Manager, select each item whose status is Enabled and select Disable. Write down or take a screenshot of the items you disable: you need the list to turn them back on.

   

6. Confirm the changes. Close Task Manager. On the Startup tab of System Configuration, select OK.
7. Restart and test. Restart the PC. Windows now starts in a clean boot environment: try again the thing that failed (run the app, install the update, uninstall the program).

These steps were written for Windows 11 25H2 and 26H2. The full page with the other versions and what each result means: How to perform a clean boot in Windows

• If the window does not appear in a clean boot, a disabled service or startup app sends the link. Turn half of them back on, restart, and repeat until one item is left.
• Hide the Microsoft services before you select Disable all. The specialist's answer warns that disabling them too can leave you unable to use the system.
• When you have the name, update that program from its maker, change the setting that calls a voice assistant, or uninstall it.
• Return to normal startup when you finish, as the last step of How to perform a clean boot in Windows describes.

Fix 7. Give the ms-cortana2 link a handler that does nothing

10 minutesRead the warningYou know the sender but cannot remove or change it, or you want to keep Lenovo Hotkeys as it is.

The window appears only because no app is registered for the link type. Microsoft documents how a link type is registered in the registry. If you register a command that starts and ends at once, Windows has something to run and has no reason to ask.

1. Press Win + R, type cmd and select OK to open Command Prompt. An administrator window is not needed: the key belongs to your own account. Use Command Prompt, not PowerShell, which reads the quotation marks differently.
2. Create the key and name it. Paste the line and press Enter.

   reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\ms-cortana2" /ve /d "URL:ms-cortana2" /f

3. Add the empty value that marks the key as a link type.

   reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\ms-cortana2" /v "URL Protocol" /d "" /f

4. Add the command to run.

   reg add "HKCU\Software\Classes\ms-cortana2\shell\open\command" /ve /d "\"C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe\" /c exit" /f

5. Press Win + R, type ms-cortana2: and select OK. If Windows asks how to open the link, choose Windows Command Processor and confirm that it should always be used.
6. Press the key or button that used to bring the window up.

Key

HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes\ms-cortana2

(Default)

URL:ms-cortana2

URL Protocol

An empty string. Microsoft: without this value the handler does not launch.

shell\open\command, (Default)

"C:\Windows\System32\cmd.exe" /c exit

Undo

reg delete "HKCU\Software\Classes\ms-cortana2" /f

• The command line deliberately has no %1. Microsoft warns that a handler receives the text of the link and must treat it as untrusted, so this handler receives nothing.
• A black console window may flash for a moment each time the link is called. That is the command starting and ending.
• Microsoft Learn says to store changes for the signed-in user under HKEY_CURRENT_USER\Software\Classes, and that these settings take priority over the defaults for all users.

The ms-cortana2 window still appears: what to check and what to report

There is no log to read for this problem. We found no Event Viewer entry that records which program asked for a link, and Microsoft's documents on link types describe none. What you learned in Fix 1 is the evidence.

• Lenovo laptop: send these facts to Lenovo support and ask whether a newer hotkey package for your model removes the Cortana shortcut. The call comes from Lenovo's software, so Lenovo is the one who can remove it.
• Any PC: report it in the Feedback Hub app (Win + F), so that Microsoft sees how many PCs still call the retired link.
• Work PC: tell your administrator the key pair and the app name. Uninstalling the app or adding the handler from Fix 7 can be rolled out centrally.

Running a system file check, resetting default apps or rebuilding the search index does not help here. Those repairs fix damaged Windows parts, and in this case no part is damaged: an app that Microsoft retired is absent on purpose.

Keep the ms-cortana2 window from coming back

Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025. If the window appears on a Windows 10 PC, the same fixes apply, but Microsoft no longer changes how Cortana or its shortcuts behave there.

Frequently asked questions

What is ms-cortana2 (ms cortana 2)?

It is the name of a link type, not a program. Windows apps start each other through links such as ms-settings: for Settings or mailto: for email. ms-cortana2: was the link that started the Cortana app. Microsoft retired Cortana in Windows as a standalone app in spring 2023, so on a current PC no app is registered for the link. When a key or program still asks for it, Windows shows the window that offers to find an app. There is no product called Cortana 2 for Windows.

What is the ms cortana 2 link error, and is something broken?

Nothing is broken. The text Get an app to open this 'ms-cortana2' link is not an error code. It is the standard Windows prompt for a link type that has no app, and Microsoft Learn describes it as the default behaviour: Windows offers a way to search the Store. The prompt tells you two things. Something on the PC still calls Cortana, and Cortana is not installed. Only the first can be fixed, by finding the caller with the test in Fix 1.

Is the ms-cortana2 pop up a virus?

No. The window is drawn by Windows itself, and the link name belongs to Microsoft's own retired assistant. The usual sender is ordinary vendor software, most often Lenovo Hotkeys reacting to Ctrl + Fn. The risk starts only if you answer the prompt by downloading a "Cortana" installer from a third-party site, because Microsoft does not publish one. If you see other signs of an infection, such as unknown programs or browser redirects, scan the PC: How to scan for malware with Microsoft Defender. The window alone is not such a sign.

Why do I get it when I copy files or text?

Because of the keys, not the copying. To copy you hold Ctrl, and on many Lenovo laptops Fn sits right beside it. When both are down, Lenovo's hotkey software treats the pair as a Cortana shortcut, by owners' reports, and sends the link. The window then takes the focus away from your work, so the copy seems to fail. One owner on Microsoft Q&A also reports it after Fn + PgUp, Fn + PgDn and Tab. Fix 2 removes the sender, and Fix 4 makes an accidental Fn press act as Ctrl.

How do I disable the ms-cortana 2 link?

You cannot switch the link off in Settings, because nothing is registered for it. You disable what calls it. On a Lenovo laptop, stop Lenovo Hotkeys from starting or uninstall it (Fix 2), or turn off the Lenovo Fn and function keys service (Fix 3). For a single key or button, reassign it (Fix 5). When the caller cannot be removed, register an empty handler for the link in the registry, so that Windows has something to run and stops asking (Fix 7).

Why does a new Lenovo laptop show an ms cortana 2 error?

New Lenovo laptops come with a current Windows 11, where the retired Cortana app is no longer present, and with Lenovo's hotkey software, which by owners' reports still maps Ctrl + Fn to Cortana. The two do not match, and the window is the result. Lenovo's IdeaPad user guides still describe a voice key that opens "Cortana or Lenovo Voice Assistant (if installed)". We could not confirm whether Lenovo has released a hotkey version without the Cortana shortcut, so ask Lenovo support for your exact model.

Can I download Cortana 2 or reinstall Cortana to make the message stop?

No, and you should not try with files from download sites. Microsoft's own pages say that Cortana in Windows as a standalone app is deprecated and was retired in spring 2023. Microsoft publishes no installer, so a package offered elsewhere is unofficial, and you cannot verify what it contains. Searches for "ms cortana 2 download" also lead to an old Android app, which does nothing on a PC. Even a working old Cortana would open with a deprecation notice every time you pressed Ctrl + Fn.

Does the ms-cortana2 window appear on Windows 10?

It can, when Cortana has been removed from that PC. Windows 10 keeps one more possible sender: Microsoft lists Windows key + C as "Open Cortana in listening mode" and notes that the shortcut is turned off by default. If the test in Fix 1 opens Cortana instead of the window, the app is still installed and shows its deprecation notice. In that case the caller is the same and Fix 2 still applies. Windows 10 left support on 14 October 2025.

Will re-registering apps, SFC or rebuilding the search index fix it?

No. Those were the methods of older guides, and none of them addresses the cause. Re-registering apps repairs the registration of apps that are installed, and Cortana is not. The system file check and DISM replace damaged Windows files, and no file is damaged here. The search index has no part in opening links. Resetting default apps does not bring a handler back for a retired app either. The window stops when the caller stops, or when the link gets a handler.

What replaced Cortana, and what does Windows key + C do now?

Microsoft does not name one replacement. Its end of support page points to voice access in Windows 11, which lets you control the PC and write text with your voice, to Microsoft Copilot, and to Copilot in Microsoft 365 apps. On Windows 11, Microsoft's shortcut list says Windows key + C opens Microsoft Copilot or Microsoft 365 Copilot, and opens or closes Windows search when Copilot is unavailable or disabled. So on a current Windows 11 PC that shortcut is not what sends the ms-cortana2 link.