Microsoft introduced many new features with its Windows 10. Cortana, the voice assistant, is one of them. Along with voice searches, you will be given “suggestions” that she makes; this includes reminders for scheduled events, ideas when you are surfing the Web, alternatives when you ask for information and more.
If this annoys you, Cortana can be turned off, as shown by Digital Trends. Here’s what you can do:
Cortana options at start-up
She first shows up as a search box on the Windows 10 desktop screen, more commonly known as the ‘Ask me anything’ bar. If it’s the search bar that’s the problem, then you can make it disappear without fully turning Cortana off. Right-click the search box or task bar, select ‘Cortana’, and options to ‘Show Cortana’ and ‘Show search box’ should show up. Select or unselect these options to make the search bar or Cortana’s icon appear or disappear.
Limiting Cortana
Maybe you’re not ready for such a big commitment with Cortana. There are settings to tone it down, and if you don’t want Cortana being too intrusive in your Windows 10 experience, then you should check them out.
You can find Cortana’s settings in ‘Cortana home’, inside ‘Notebook’, under ‘Settings’. There are several settings you can play around with it to help keep certain information away from Cortana or to turn off her taskbar pop-ups and much more.
“Hey Cortana”
When you first open Windows 10, Cortana is literally always waiting to hear you say “Hey Cortana”. This is one of the settings you can change, and one you definitely should try if you only want to partially disable Cortana. Because if you keep her waiting, she will drain your battery life and no one wants that, especially when you don’t have a working mike. Turning off this listening feature solves a lot of your problems by taking the ‘voice’ out of ‘voice assistant’ and leaving you only with a smart search/notifications system.
Fully disabling Cortana (and bringing her back)
Go into ‘Settings’, and the first option is a simple on/off slide bar. If you really want to end it with Cortana, just switch it ‘off’, which will leave her disabled (and probably heartbroken). But if you want to bring her back, just reverse what you have done. Turn ‘off’ to ‘on’.
If you do decide to leave Cortana, there are a few things you should know. Turning her off will not delete her memory of you, so if you take her back, she will still remember whom you are, what your preferences are, and basically everything she learned about you. Secondly, you don’t necessarily need to search for something by using Cortana. You can still use the search function by typing it in the old-fashioned way, even with Cortana off.
If the idea of Microsoft hoarding your data from Cortana makes you squirm, then you’ll want to “Manage what Cortana knows” about you. This pops open a web page that enables you to clear your personal info form the Microsoft servers. This will also mean that when you switch her back on, she will be a bit clueless.
Cortana’s Notebook
Don’t worry; this isn’t you invading her privacy. In fact, pay attention to her Notebook, because in it, you can choose a variety of categories and you can give her data about your schedule, interests, the places you like to visit, and what sort of news you enjoy. She’ll be able to offer much more personalised information, which could make the experience much more enjoyable. Remember, you can always go back and clear out that data whenever you want.
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