Maximum PC - USA (2019-10)

Master Cortana with

Key Commands

1

SEARCH AND LAUNCH APPS

Opening Cortana and typing gives similar functionality to

typing on the Start menu—it searches your PC, bringing up

documents and apps that match your parameters [Image A]. It’s

using speech recognition that improves things here, because

saying “Hey Cortana, open Excel” will plunge you into a fun world

of spreadsheets. It might not be any faster than just clicking an

icon, but it feels futuristic.

2

SEARCH THE WEB

You can give Cortana more context for the search if

necessary—for example, you can narrow things down

with “documents from the last week.” If Cortana can’t find what

you want on your PC, it resorts to an Internet search, in this

case using Bing, with results opening in Edge. If you type your

query, it will happen when you press Enter, or you can say “Hey

Cor tana, find me pictures of puppies” to see small dogs from the

web [Image B].

3

CHANGE SETTINGS

Type in “increase volume” and Cortana will point you to

the audio properties section of the Settings app [Image C].

However, if you say “Hey Cortana, increase the volume” while

you’re watching a movie, she will helpfully make it louder for you.

The same goes for things such as turning Wi-Fi on and off, or any

other simple settings change you can think of, such as “open lock

screen settings” or “activate battery saver.”

4

NEWS AND WEATHER

Typing “news” or “weather” into Cor tana’s search box will

suggest the appropriate apps from the Microsoft Store,

launching them when you press Enter, and using your location

to tailor the results appropriately [Image D]. You can refine it

further, asking for the weather in a specific city or region, or a

forecast for a par ticular day. News can be filtered by topic, or you

can ask for the score in a sports game.

5

REMINDERS AND ALARMS

Saying “Hey Cortana, set an alarm for Monday at 5.30 a.m.”

will get you out of bed unreasonably early, and you can

also make it every day, or every Monday, as you choose. “View

alarms” shows you what’s already set, and “cancel” followed by

the alarm details will do just that. “Hey Cortana, remind me to

FOR SOME USERS, especially those used to versions of Windows previous to 10, Cortana is

something of a non-event. Why would you want to use an AI assistant to do something you could

very well do yourself?

These people have probably never experienced the joy of using an Amazon Echo to switch

the lights on and off, and the two things are very similar: Cortana exists to make things easier,

to smooth your passage through Windows’ interminable screens and pop-ups, and to put a

friendly face on technical settings.

We’re using typed commands, but you can also talk to Cortana if your Windows device is

equipped with an appropriate microphone. To ready Cortana to accept voice input, you can

press Win-C or a dedicated search button, click the mic icon near the system tray, or say “Hey

Cortana!” if you’ve enabled it (see boxout). Let’s get started. –IAN EVENDEN

YOU’LL NEED THIS

WINDOWS 10

Your device also needs a

microphone if you want to

speak to Cortana instead of

typing commands.

go to the gym at 6 a.m. on Monday” will pop up an on-

screen notification at that time, rather than sounding an

alarm [Image E].

6

ADD CALENDAR EVENTS

You can place new events in your calendar using

Cortana, but you must give her access to it first.

The first time you ask Cortana to manage your calendar,

she asks for permission, then asks for the subject, date,

and which calendar you want it added to [Image F]. Then

you can ask “Hey Cortana, how’s my schedule today?”

or “Add dentist’s appointment to 2.30 p.m. on Tuesday.”

7

RECOGNIZE A SONG

If you want to know what’s playing on the radio,

type the station name and “now playing” into

Cortana to get a Bing result [Image G]. If there’s music

playing on your PC, you can say “Hey Cortana, what’s this

song?” for an answer. She can use your PC’s microphone,

too, listening to a song playing for a short while before

guessing what it is. Ask for a song or artist, and she will

look in your music library.

8

LOCK, RESTART, OR SHUTDOWN PC

If you use your PC as a late-night media player,

being able to shut it down with a voice command

means you can stay in bed. Say “Hey Cortana, shut

down my PC,” or ask for a restart, and she will ask for

confirmation [Image H]. Answer “yes” and shutdown will

continue, say “no” or “cancel” to stop it. If you want to

lock your PC, ask Cortana, and she’ll do it straight away,

with no confirmation.

If you want to make the “Hey Cortana!” voice

command work, you first have to enable it—simply

go to “Settings > Cortana > Talk to Cortana >

Hey Cortana.”

HELLO, IS

ANYONE THERE?

58 MAXIMUMPC OCT 2019 maximumpc.com

R&D