Windows 10: Microsoft to split Search and Cortana in Windows 10 version 1903

Microsoft's upcoming operating system Windows 10 version 1903 splits Cortana and Search to separate one from the other.

Cortana, a digital assistant created by Microsoft, was integrated in the Windows 10 operating system when it was released by Microsoft in 2015.

Microsoft linked Cortana to Search by creating a unified interface that powered search and Cortana at the same time.

While the company never provided an official statement why it did that, a likely explanation is that it wanted to get as much exposure as possible for the new feature.

Search is one of the core native features of Windows; when users interact with the search bar placed on the Windows 10 taskbar or search in the Start Menu, they are exposed to Cortana at the same time.

The bundling did not sit well with Windows users who just wanted to use search. I stated in 2014 that I would not be using voice-controlled or digital-assistants anytime soon and provided a list of reasons why I made that decision.

My main objections still stand: interaction requires remote servers, functionality is fairly limited, and there is no way to train these assistants locally.

While there were options to turn off Cortana, Microsoft changed these frequently and made it difficult to keep Cortana disabled on systems because of that.

Cortana Search split




Starting with Windows 10 version 1903, Cortana and Search are no longer linked. Windows 10 version 1903 -- the operating system will launch in March/April 2019 -- has search and Cortana separated on the Windows 10 taskbar.

Users who just want to search interact with the search field, and those who use Cortana can do so with activation of the Cortana button.

Windows 10 users who don't use Cortana may right-click on the icon and select "Show Cortana button" to remove the Cortana button from the operating system's taskbar. Note that doing so won't disable Cortana on the device, it just hides the icon.

Users who want to disable Cortana can disable the wake word in Settings > Cortana > Talk to Cortana, or disable Cortana completely using the Group Policy.

Now You: Do you use a digital assistant?

Ghacks needs you. You can find out how to support us here or support the site directly by becoming a Patreon. Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Microsoft to split Search and Cortana in Windows 10 version 1903 appeared first on gHacks Technology News.

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Windows 10 Tweaks

As you may already know, Windows 10 (as well as Windows 8) allow you to log in with a valid Microsoft account, instead of creating a local account that only works on your machine. However, you may prefer to keep a local account for privacy reasons. If you do, though, some Windows 10 features—like Cortana—may not work. Despite the default behavior, the Windows 10 Store is not one of them. You can still log in to your Microsoft account for just the Store without switching to a full Microsoft account. The process, however, is not terribly obvious. To do so, follow these steps:

• Launch the Store from your Start menu.
• Click the user icon next to the search box.
• Click “Sign-in” from the menu that appears.
• Choose “Microsoft account” and log in like normal.
• When the “Make it yours” box appears do not enter your password. Instead, click “Sign in to just this app instead.”

from Lifehacker

 

Windows 10 Tweaks

Privacy tweaks...

• Turn Cortana Off. Bring up the Start menu and start typing. Click on the notebook icon in the left sidebar and choose Settings. From there, you can turn off Cortana.
• Search online and include web results. When you turn off Cortana, you’ll see this option appear. You can turn it off if you’d rather not get web search suggestions from the Start menu, which log your typing and send it back to Microsoft so you can get live-updating predictions, just like you do on Google.com or in Chrome and Firefox.
• Getting to Know You. In Settings > Privacy > Speech, Inking, & Typing, you’ll find a feature called “Getting to Know You”. This is probably the most sweeping privacy setting on the system, and even after turning off Cortana, you’ll have to disable this setting. Just click the “Stop Getting to Know Me” button to turn it off.
• Cloud Info. Turning off Getting to Know You removes info from your device, but you’ll have to remove it from the cloud separately. In that same window, click “Go to Bing and manage personal info for all your devices” to clear the Getting to Know You Data from your Microsoft account.

• If you head to Settings > Privacy > Feedback & Diagnostics, you’ll see two settings:

• Feedback frequency: Windows will occasionally ask you for feedback so you can send Microsoft your thoughts on Windows 10. If you’d rather it not bug you with such things, you can change it to Never.
• Diagnostic and usage data: This feature can send a lot of data back to Microsoft, including how often you use certain apps, which apps you use most often, and memory snapshots (which can inadvertently include parts of a document you’re working on if something crashes). You can change this to Full, Enhanced, or Basic. You can read more about what each of these to here.

Microsoft doesn’t let you turn off diagnostics completely, except on Enterprise versions of Windows. The Basic setting, they say, is data that is “vital to the operation of Windows”, including Windows Update and malicious software protection.


some may be duplicated. I found this info on Lifehacker, if anyone wants the full article.

 

Cortana search filter list


I have a lot of space for display content in Cortana search list, and 80% of it not used because Cortana sorting items by types.
How disable all filters and make visible all suggested content?