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Microsoft is bringing its digital assistant Cortana to life in a new version of Windows 10 that is now available for Windows Insiders to download on the Dev channel.
Since its launch on Windows 10 in 2015, Cortana has allowed users to search the web, track flights, set reminders, and more.
While Microsoft’s digital assistant used to reside on the taskbar, it became a separate app with the release of the company’s Windows 10 May 2020 update. At the time, users were also given the ability to stop Cortana from running on startup or shut it down entirely.
However, with the release of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 20270, Windows 10 users may want to consider giving it another go, as Microsoft has added an archive ability to Cortana that allows you to quickly find and open files using your digital assistant.
File ability in Cortana
Windows Insiders users who have upgraded to the latest version of Windows 10 can now use Cortana to translate their thoughts into direct actions to find and open files, helping to save time navigating the operating system.
Business users who are signed in to Cortana with their corporate credentials (Azure Active Directory) can search for files saved in OneDrive for Business and SharePoint along with files saved locally on their PCs. Microsoft account users, on the other hand, will only be able to find files saved locally on their PCs.
In a blog post announcing the new version of Windows 10 Insider Preview Build, Microsoft’s Brandon LeBlanc explained that users have several options for using Cortana to open or search for files. They can say parts of file names like “Hello Cortana, open the marketing platform” or use author names “Hello Cortana, open Anthony’s Excel budget” to open files. Additionally, users can find a document they’ve been editing by asking Cortana to find their recent files or find a document of a particular file type.
Searching for documents or files saved on your hard drive can be a bit tedious and time consuming, so it’s good to see that Microsoft provides a hands-free way for Cortana to do this work for you. At the moment, however, Cortana’s File Skill is only available to English-speaking Windows Insiders in the US, but this functionality is likely to be incorporated in a future Windows update.
