
Having the screen on even after not needing the device to be active is a waste of electricity as well. Screen savers may interfere with software and programs that you have running. So, the point of having a screen saver has become moot. With modern LCD screens, users have a lesser chance of facing screen burn-in than they did with CRT screens. However, screensavers can be an irritant when you need to inactively stare at the screen and the screen saver pops out of nowhere. Many people also use images as scene savers to add a personal element to their workspace.

What’s your take on Cortana, and more specifically, the “Hey Cortana” feature? Leave a comment below and let us know.A screen saver offers a layer of privacy when you walk away from your screen without locking it. We will have a complete guide on setting up and using it coming soon.īut, if you’re just getting started with Cortana in Windows 10, this should take care of at least one thing that might annoy you at first. We haven’t even touched the surface of what Cortana can do, but if you are concerned about privacy, we did show you how to erase your search content from Cortana’s database. So if you have one of those digital assistants on your phone or other devices, you’ll want to toggle the “always listening” feature off on those. From Google Now to Siri and even Alexa on Amazon Echo is guilty. Digital AssistantsĪll digital assistants seem to have the problem of activating due to background noise. To turn Cortana’s responding to the keyword off, just go back into Settings and flip off the switches you enabled. Here you can also flip the switch for Cortana to respond when your PC is locked. Then scroll down to the “Choose which apps can use voice activation” section and turn on the switch to let Cortana respond to the keyword. Now in Voice Activation Settings, you want to make sure that the “Allow apps to use voice activation” switch is enabled. If this is the first time using Cortana to open Settings, you will need to click Yes to verify. Now click on the Voice Activation Permissions link.

Next, click on Voice Activation from the menu.

Then click the menu button (three dots) on the left-hand side and click Settings. To turn it on, launch the Cortana app from your taskbar. Since the updates, you can get Cortana to respond by saying either: “ Hey, Cortana,” or simply just “ Cortana.” To get started, make sure you’re signed into the Cortana app. This article has been updated to reflect those changes. Update: Microsoft has decoupled Cortana from Windows Search and a lot of its settings have changed over time. However, if I’m using my laptop while listening to a podcast, music, or watching Netflix, sometimes Cortana can turn on and start launching things – which can be annoying. I like to use the “Hey Cortana” feature because it’s always listening, and makes it easy to launch programs, settings, create appointments and reminders…etc.
