Disable "Ask Siri"
- macOS onlyThis script improves your privacy on macOS
- Single actionThis page belongs to a script, containing basic changes to achieve a task.
- Impact: Medium
System Functionality / Data Loss Risk: Moderate
This action improves privacy with minimal impact when you run the recommended script.
This action improves privacy with some impact when you run the recommended script. - Bash (Shell script)These changes use macOS system commands to update your settings.
- Administrative (sudo) access requiredThis script requires privilege access to do the system changes
- Fully reversible
You can fully restore this action (revert back to the original behavior) using this website.
The restore/revert methods provided here can help you fix issues.
Overview
Ask Siri provides Siri functionality 1.
Ask Siri may collect and share data about your recordings 1.
Ask Siri functionality can be disabled by setting Assistant Enabled
key 2 3 4 5.
This script is only recommended if you understand its implications.
Some non-critical or features may no longer function correctly after running this script.
This script can be fully reversed to restore changes if something goes wrong.
Sources
- Use Siri on Mac - Apple Support. (2025).
Original: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/siri-mchl6b029310/mac - macos - How to completely disable Siri on Sierra? - Ask Different. (2025).
Original: https://apple.stackexchange.com/questions/258816/how-to-completely-disable-siri-on-sierra/370426#370426 - Blocking Siri on macOS Sierra. Der Flounder. (2025).
Original: https://derflounder.wordpress.com/2016/09/20/blocking-siri-on-macos-sierra/ - MacOS X Sierra went GM....anyone kill Siri yet?. Discussion. Jamf Nation. (2019).
Original: https://www.jamf.com/jamf-nation/discussions/21154/macos-x-sierra-went-gm-anyone-kill-siri-yet
Archived: https://web.archive.org/web/20190606004436/https://www.jamf.com/jamf-nation/discussions/21154/macos-x-sierra-went-gm-anyone-kill-siri-yet - 7.12 Siri on macOS. Tenable®. (2025).
Original: https://www.tenable.com/audits/items/CIS_Apple_macOS_10.13_v1.1.0_Level_1.audit:6c1c486cf80b992b85f50b55cc074631
Apply Now
Choose one of three ways to apply:
Help
How to apply or restore "Disable "Ask Siri"" using script
- ≈ 3 min to complete
- Tools: Web Browser
- Difficulty: Medium
- ≈ 5 instructions
- 1
Download
Download the script file by clicking on thebutton above.
Use button above to restore changes. - 2
Keep the file
If warned by your browser, keep the file. - 3
Open
Open the downloaded file. - 4
Exit
Once it's done, press any key to exit the window. - 5
Restart
Restart your computer for all changes to take effect.
Apply with privacy.sexy
Guided, automated application with safety checks- Recommended for most users
- Includes safety checks
- Free
- Open-source
- Popular
- Offline/Online usage
Help
How to apply or restore "Disable "Ask Siri"" using privacy.sexy
- ≈ 3 min to complete
- Tools: privacy.sexy
- Difficulty: Simple
- ≈ 4 instructions
- 2
Choose script
- Search for the script name: Disable "Ask Siri"
- Check the script by clicking on the checkbox.
- 3
Run
Click on ▶️ Run button at the bottom of the page.This button only appears on desktop version (recommended). On browser, use 💾 Save button.
- Apply
- Revert
defaults write com.apple.assistant.support 'Assistant Enabled' -bool false
ImRlZmF1bHRzIHdyaXRlIGNvbS5hcHBsZS5hc3Npc3RhbnQuc3VwcG9ydCAnQXNzaXN0YW50IEVuYWJsZWQnIC1ib29sIHRydWUi
Help
How to apply or restore "Disable "Ask Siri"" using commands
- ≈ 2 min to complete
- Tools: Terminal app
- Difficulty: undefined
- ≈ 3 instructions
- 1
Open terminal
Open Terminal app. - 2
Copy code
Copy the code: - 3
Paste & run
Paste the code into Terminal and press Enter to run.Some changes require a system restart to take effect
Similar Guides
Wider Goal
Guides below includes this guide to achieve a wider goal.See other more general settings that includes this one as one of its actions.
These plans combine multiple privacy settings, including this one, for stronger protection.
- Disable Siri
- Configure Siri
- Configure OS
This cheat sheet provides step-by-step instructions for: disable Siri to secure your data for enhanced privacy security on macOS. Together with that, to revert to ...
Siri is a virtual assistant that is part of macOS. It uses voice queries, gesture based control, focus-tracking and a natural-language user interface to answer que...
This page gives you practical advice on: configure OS to strengthen personal data privacy enforcement for macOS. As well, process to revert to the preset configura...
Same Goal
Other guides in Disable SiriSee settings that are in the same category as this guide.
Using other actions in the same category may help you achieve your goal better.
About the Creators
These people have authored this documentation and written its scripts:
Reviewed By
This guide has undergone comprehensive auditing and peer review:Expert review by undergroundwires
- Verified technical accuracy and editorial standards
- Assessed system impact and user privacy risks
Public review by large community
- Privacy enthusiasts and professionals peer-reviewed
- Millions of end-users tested across different environments
History
We continually monitor our guides, their impact and all other privacy options. We update our guides when new information becomes available. On every update, we publicly store who made the change, what has been changed, why the change was made and when the change was made.