Windows 10: Why does "Windows Key + C" not start Cortana?

On my wife's Dell PC, typing "Windows key + C" brings up Cortana. On my Dell (XPS 2720), it does nothing.


If I just do "Windows Key", I get the start menu and I can click in there and then Cortana shows.

:)

 

Cortana

Hi,

Thank you for posting your question in the Microsoft Community.

Appreciate your efforts to work on this issue.

This issue can occur if some of the system files are not working as expected.

Suggest you to follow the steps from this article to
troubleshoot Cortana on the PC.

Note: Do not go with the ‘Reset PC’ option for now.

Method 1: Follow these steps to disable Cortana:

1. Sign-in to the PC with your Microsoft account.
   
2. In the search box at the bottom, type Disable Cortana.
   
3. Once the suggestions appear in the list, click Cortana & Search settings.
   
4. From the right section of the Settings pane, move the top button to ‘Off’ to disable Cortana from Windows 10.
   

Method 2: Follow these steps to check if that helps.

1. Launch Cortana from the search bar on the taskbar.
   
2. Then, from the left pane click the settings button.
   
3. Under "Cortana" (the first option) and slide the pill switch to the ‘Off’ position.
   

Method 3: Launch the Settings app and click on Privacy. Navigate to Speech, inking, & typing, and click Stop getting to know me. These steps will disable Cortana.

Hope this helps.

Let us know if you got the help you needed.

Regards,

Srimadhwa B

Microsoft Community-Moderator

 

Start menu,Wifi key, Search key not working

Hello Nikhil,

The issues with accessing the Start menu/ Windows key might have occurred due to corrupted/ missing system files after installing the latest update on your computer.

Provide us with additional information to assist you better with this issue:

• Have you made any changes to the operating system prior to this issue?
• What is the complete error code/ error message with this issue?

I suggest you to try the troubleshooting steps suggested from the Microsoft helps article like: Check for updates, Restart the computer, run the troubleshooter, create test user account and check if it helps.

Troubleshoot problems opening the Start menu or Cortana

Hope it helps. Get back to us with an updated status of accessing the Start menu, Search bar for further assistance.

Thank you.

 

Must Click Mic Icon or Type Win + C for Cortana to Hear Me. Why?

• 
  Turn off Windows Speech Recognition by saying "stop listening."
  
• 
  Start Cortana by selecting the search box on the task bar.
  
• 
  Select "I agree" to opt in to Cortana.
  
• 
  Turn Windows Speech Recognition back on by pressing Ctrl +
  Windows logo key, or by saying "start listening."
  

Regarding Step 1, Cortana said it couldn't comply because that feature hasn't been added yet. Step 2 worked. Step 3 didn't work because no "I agree" appeared. Step 4 didn't work.

So, I used "Talk to Cortana" in Cortana settings, and that worked. I used that procedure before, but it didn't work. Perhaps it worked this time because I bought a new microphone, installed it by typing Audio in the Cortana search field, and selected Recording
and then Microphone. For the first time since I began with Windows 10 years ago, Cortana responds to "Hey Cortana". OMG!

Maybe the key to a non-responding Cortana is to first use the Audio procedure and then the "Talk to Cortana" procedure from Settings. Maybe my old mic might even work using those two procedures, but I haven't tried it.

I didn't try"Troubleshoot problems with the Start menu or Cortana".