Last Updated on December 24, 2022 by Mathew Diekhake
Cortana is a virtual assistant in Windows 10 that allows you to speak to your computer verbally and have it do the work to retrieve information for you. It is the first step toward the automatization of the operating system. As you would with Google Assistant or Amazon Alexa, you can ask Cortana what you’re local weather is like, and so forth, and wait for her to give you the same information you would have had to look up yourself.
Starting with the Windows 10 May 2020 version 2004 update, Cortana has been updated to include information within Microsoft 365.
The following tutorial demonstrates how to turn on/off Hey Cortana when using a version of the Windows 10 operating system.
Method One: How to Turn On/Off Cortana Voice Activation in Cortana Settings in Windows 10
You can turn on/off Cortana voice activation via the Cortana settings. Here is how to do that:
1. Click on the Cortana icon either in or next to Search in the taskbar.
2. Keeping the mouse hovered over the Cortana window, click on the three-dotted menu and then click Settings.
3. Under the This Device heading, click Voice Activation.
4. Click on the Voice activation privacy settings link and then toggle on or off Allow apps to use voice activation.
Method Two: How to Turn On/Off Cortana Voice Activation in Settings in Windows 10
You can turn on and off the Cortana Voice Activation directly from the settings app as well [without opening Cortana]. Here is how to do that:
1. Open the Settings app and then click on the Privacy category.
2. Under the App Permissions heading, click on Voice Activation.
3. In the right side of the same window, toggle on or off Allow apps to use voice activation.
In conclusion, that is how to turn on and off Hey Cortana in Windows 10.