7 Things You Can Do With Cortana on Windows 10

 

Find Facts

Cortana uses Bing to provide direct answers to common questions. This is similar to Google’s Knowledge Graph. For example, you can ask questions like “What is the tallest building in the world?” or “Who is the president of the United States?” to get an immediate answer.

Check the Weather

Use Cortana to quickly check the weather in different locations. “Weather” will show you the weather at your current location, while “weather in [location]” will show you the weather in another city.

Get Directions

Cortana can respond with directions, too. Ask for “directions to [location]” and Cortana will open the included Windows 10 Maps app with directions to your location of choice.

Set Alarms

Cortana also supports alarms, not just reminders. Ask Cortana to “set alarm for [time]” and it will create an alarm for you. The alarm here is saved in the Alarms & Clock app, where you can manage your alarms.

Launch Programs

Cortana can launch programs for you. Just say “Launch [program name].” If you have the “Hey Cortana” voice shortcut enabled, this means you can just say “Hey Cortana, launch Google Chrome” to your PC and it will automatically open that app.

Send Email

Cortana can send emails using the built-in Mail app and the accounts you’ve configured there. Just say “send email” to get started, or say something more specific like “Send email to Pete” if that’s a person in your contacts.

Create Calendar Events

Cortana can also create calendar events. Just say something like “add meeting at Thursday 2pm to calendar” and Cortana will automatically fill in the information you’ve provided. You can also just start with “add meeting” and Cortana will ask for more details.