1. Ask Cortana to Sing for You
She can do a lot of serious and useful tasks, but she also has her fun side. Simply say, “Cortana, sing me a song” or you can use the classic line of “what does the fox say?” You’ll get a human-like voice and not one that sounds like a computer.
2. Have Cortana Do Specific Search Queries
You want Cortana to open your work folder, but until now you’ve only had her open your folders in general. With the following tip you can have Cortana open your work folder directly. Just type “Folder: Work.”
First, specify the search category and then the kind of folder you want her to open. This is just an example; you can also try options such as “Apps:” “Edge:” “Music:” “Imagine Dragons:” and so on.
3. Manually Track Your Packages
Cortana can automatically scan your emails to track packages you bought. But what if someone else bought it for you or you’re using a different email that is not set up in the email app? Not to worry, you can still track the package by adding a tracking ID.
4. Have Cortana Update You with the Latest News
It can be embarrassing when your friends are talking about what’s been all over the news, and you have no idea what they’re talking about. Swipe up from the app screen, and Cortana will let you know what’s going on in the world and with the things you’re interested in.
5. Eliminate Topics You Don’t Want Cortana to Show You
Cortana wants to keep you informed, and that’s why she will show you info on all sorts of subjects. That could clutter things up since you might not be an academic fan and couldn’t care less if Cortana showed you that kind of information.
To turn off the cards you don’t want Cortana to show, open Cortana and click on the Notebook icon from the navigation pane. Look for and open for the category you want to disable in the Settings pane and toggle it off.
6. Turn Cortana into Your Personal Technical Support
There are things that for some are very easy while the same things for others can be tough. If you don’t want to bother your techie friend, you can always turn to Cortana. You can ask her things such as how to change your desktop background or how to change your default programs. The nature of the question will determine if Cortana will answer it or if she will direct you to a Bing support page.
7. Disable Cortana on Your Lock Screen
Having Cortana on your lock screen can be very helpful when you want to look something up quickly. But that means someone who picked up your device can also do the same thing without your permission. That also means they can read your messages and your calendar events. To disable Cortana, click on the inside of the Cortana search box, and then click on the cog icon to the left. Lastly, turn off the switch that allows you to use Cortana on your lock screen.
Conclusion
Cortana is a very helpful tool to have around. Not only can she help you find information on certain subjects, but you can also have fun with her. How do you use Cortana? Leave a comment and share your thoughts.
