Cortana, Windows 10’s built-in personal assistant, allows you to easily complete tasks by either speaking your instructions or typing them in.

With its ability to work with a variety of third-party apps, you can use Cortana to book an Uber, watch your favorite show on Hulu or Netflix, add a tweet to Twitter and more. In addition to these features, you are also able to use Cortana to send emails, set reminders and search your computer for specific files.

Tip: Before you start getting Cortana to do your admin, make sure it is setup to respond to your voice and will wake up when you say “Hey, Cortana.” To do this, click the search box (to the right of the Start button) to open the Cortana dialog box. Click the menu icon (three lines) in the top right-hand corner. Select Notebook > Settings > toggle Let Cortana respond to “Hey Cortana” to on.  

How to use Cortana in Windows 10 to send an email

First off to send an email using Cortana you will need to have an email account set up in Windows Mail. Read our article for tips and tricks when it comes to loading email accounts on Windows 10.

• As you have Cortana set up to respond to your voice, say “Hey Cortana” followed by “Send an email to [person’s name].” If you have more than one contact that matches the name that you spoke, Cortana will prompt you to choose the correct one.
• Dictate your email message.
• Cortana will automatically input your contact’s email address, together with the subject ‘Quick note’.
• Cortana will ask if you want to make any changes, add a subject or if you want to send it.
• If necessary, make any changes using your voice, or you can type them in.
• When you are happy with your message, say “Send” and Cortana will send your email to your contact.

How to use Cortana in Windows 10 to set reminders

• Say “Hey Cortana, remind me to [activity] in [timeframe]” or “Hey Cortana, [timeframe] remind me to [activity].” You can also edit the details if Cortana did not process your request properly.
• Select how often you want the reminder to occur, i.e. only once, every day, specific days of the week etc.  
• To set the reminder say “Yes” or click the Remind button.
• When the reminder pops up at the allotted time, you can either snooze it to complete it at a later time or cancel the reminder if it has been completed.

Tip: If you would prefer to set reminders without talking to your computer, you can launch Cortana by pressing Windows+C or clicking the circle next to the start button. Click Reminders > click the ‘+’ to type in a new reminder.

How to use Cortana in Windows 10 to search your stuff

• You can search your computer for files, photos, presentations etc. by either typing in your search requirements in the search box in the taskbar, or click the microphone and speak your search requirements.
• Cortana will provide suggestions, answers and search results from the Internet and your computer.
• Click My Stuff to see results for files, apps, settings, photos, videos, and music across your computer and OneDrive

• You can also give specific search requirements, like “show me photos from last weekend” or “show me files from August.”
• Use Cortana to find the last document you opened, by saying or typing in “show me the last document I opened.” It will show you the file together with the directory where it is saved.  

Image credit: brar_j; Flickr