Cortana, your personal productivity assistant, helps you stay on top of what matters and save time finding what you need. Simply type or speak requests in natural language to connect with people, manage your schedule, find a free hour, set a reminder, add a task, and more. You can also find local information, get definitions, and keep track of the latest news, weather, and finance updates.
With the Windows 10 May 2020 Update version 2004, you now have access to a new Cortana experience that offers an emphasis on productivity, helping you quickly find the information you want across Microsoft 365. Cortana in Windows 10 features a chat-based UI that gives you the ability to interact with Cortana using your voice or the keyboard.
Cortana in Windows will assist you in better managing your schedule and tasks. You can speak or type requests to check your calendar, set a reminder, or add to your lists in Microsoft To Do. And you can look up local information, get definitions, and keep track of the latest news, weather, and finance information with Bing search.
This tutorial will show you how to install or uninstall Cortana for your account or all accounts in Windows 10 May 2020 Update version 2004 and higher.
By default, each account on the computer has a Downloads folder located at C:\Users\(username)\Downloads.
Starting with Windows 10 build 19536, Microsoft is working on adding Downloads folder to your Privacy Settings options.
If an administrator account allow access to the Downloads folder for your device, users will be able to choose if their apps have access to their Downloads folder. If an administrator account denies access, all apps that are available in the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 will be blocked from accessing any user’s Downloads folder.
If a user allows apps access to their Downloads folder, they can choose which specific apps can access their Downloads folder. If a user denies access, apps that are available in the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 will be blocked from accessing their Downloads folder.
This tutorial will show you how to change Privacy settings to allow or deny apps access to the Downloads folder for all users or only your account in Windows 10.
The Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) is a new Windows 10 feature that enables you to run native Linux command-line tools directly on Windows, alongside your traditional Windows desktop and modern store apps.
When you have Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) enabled, you can install WSL distro apps from the Microsoft Store, and import WSL distros.
This tutorial will show you how to install and setup Windows Subsystem for Linux (WSL) distro apps from the Microsoft Store for your account in Windows 10.
The Microsoft Store app in Windows 10 offers various apps, games, music, movies & TV, and books that users can browse through, purchase, or get for free to download and install for their Microsoft account in Windows 10 PCs and devices.
If you like, you can use a group policy that turns off the launch of all apps from the Microsoft Store that came pre-installed or were downloaded. Apps will not be updated. The Microsoft Store app will also be disabled.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the ability to open apps from the Microsoft Store for all users in Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education.
AppLocker helps you control which apps and files users can run. These include executable files, scripts, Windows Installer files, dynamic-link libraries (DLLs), packaged apps, and packaged app installers.
Packaged apps are also known as Universal Windows Platform (UWP) apps from the Microsoft Store or already included with Windows 10.
This tutorial will show you how to use AppLocker to block running specified Microsoft Store apps for all or specific users and groups in Windows 10 Enterprise and Windows 10 Education.
You can easily use an URL link for an app to open it in the Microsoft Store online in your web browser, but what if you wanted to directly open the app to its page in the Microsoft Store app in Windows 10?
You can create a link that launches the Microsoft Store and goes directly to your app’s listing page without opening a browser. These links are useful if you know your users are on a Windows device and you want them to arrive directly at the listing page in the Microsoft Store app.
This tutorial will show you how to create a shortcut of an app that will directly open the app’s listing page in the Microsoft Store app without opening a browser in Windows 10.
One of the many benefits of having a Microsoft account is a family group, which gives you access to family features and settings. It’s a free service that helps families stay connected and keeps kids safer on Windows 10, Xbox One devices, and Android devices running Microsoft Launcher. You’ll find settings like activity reporting, screen time limits, location sharing, and content filters, where you can also track kids’ spending and add money to their Microsoft accounts.
A Microsoft family group is separate from other Microsoft apps and programs. You can sign up with your email account. If you already use Skype, you’ll have a family chat set up and waiting for you once you create your family group. If you don’t already have Skype, get more information and sign up to create an account for your family.
Once you set up your family group, you can add or remove child and adult members.
The content filters you set determine what your child can get from the websites they visit, which games they can play, or whether they need adult approval to buy from the Microsoft Store. Content filters include three settings: Ask a parent; Apps, games & media; and Web browsing. You set the rules, and you decide when to break them. Like with screen time, your child can send you exception requests for content that you can respond to through email or on account.microsoft.com/family.
You can require adult approval for the things your child wants to buy in Microsoft Store, except what they get with gift cards or money in their Microsoft account. Even when Ask a parent is turned off, you’ll still approve content that exceeds the age limit you set in the Apps, games & media section.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off Ask a parent for a child member in your Microsoft family group to require adult approval to buy things in the Microsoft Store on Windows 10 and Xbox One devices.
Microsoft has added a new Push To Install service on June 6, 2018 to the Microsoft Store online website for a feature called Install on my devices that allows you to remotely install apps you own with your Microsoft account from the Microsoft Store online website to any of your Windows 10 devices that you also sign in to with the same Microsoft account.
If you like, you can configure a group policy setting to enable or disable if users will be able to push Apps to this device from the Microsoft Store running on other devices or the web. If disabled, users will still be able to go through the process to remotely install apps from the Microsoft Store online to this PC, but the app will not actually get installed.
This tutorial will show you how to enable or disable the Push To Install service for users to remotely install apps from the Microsoft Store online website to this Windows 10 PC.
Microsoft has added a new feature on June 6, 2018 to the Microsoft Store online called Install on my devices that allows you to remotely install apps you own with your Microsoft account from the Microsoft Store online website to any of your Windows 10 devices that you also sign in to with the same Microsoft account.
This tutorial will show you how to remotely install apps you own from the Microsoft Store online to any of your Windows 10 devices.
Windows Update Delivery Optimization lets you get Windows and Store app updates from sources in addition to Microsoft. This can help you get updates and apps more quickly if you have a limited or unreliable Internet connection. And if you own more than one PC, it can reduce the amount of Internet bandwidth needed to keep all of your PCs up-to-date. Delivery Optimization also sends updates and apps from your PC to other PCs on your local network or PCs on the Internet.
You can choose to download updates only from Microsoft, Microsoft and PCs on your local network, or Microsoft and PCs on your local network and internet.
Delivery Optimization works in two ways.
Download updates and apps from other PCs
In addition to downloading updates and apps from Microsoft, Windows will get updates and apps from other PCs that already have them. You can choose which PCs you get these updates from:
PCs on your local network. When Windows downloads an update or app, it will look for other PCs on your local network that have already downloaded the update or app using Delivery Optimization. Windows then downloads parts of the file from those PCs and parts of the file from Microsoft. Windows doesn’t download the entire file from one place. Instead, the download is broken down into smaller parts. Windows uses the fastest, most reliable download source for each part of the file.
PCs on your local network and PCs on the Internet. Windows uses the same process as when getting updates and apps from PCs on your local network, and also looks for PCs on the Internet that can be used as a source to download parts of updates and apps.
Send updates and apps to other PCs
When Delivery Optimization is turned on, your PC sends parts of apps or updates that you’ve downloaded using Delivery Optimization to other PCs on your local network, or on the Internet, depending on your settings.
If you like, you can set a policy to specify the download method that Delivery Optimization can use in downloads of Windows Updates and Microsoft Store App updates. When you specify a download mode, it prevents choosing a download method for Delivery Optimization in Settings.
This tutorial will show you how to specify a download mode for Delivery Optimization of Windows and Microsoft Store app updates in Windows 10.
Startup items are the apps, shortcuts, folders, drivers, etc… that are set to run or open automatically at startup when a user signs in to Windows.
This tutorial will show you how to automatically run UWP or Microsoft Store apps at startup for your account in Windows 10.
The Microsoft Store app in Windows 10 offers various apps, games, music, movies & TV, and books that users can browse through, purchase, or get for free to download and install for their Microsoft account in Windows 10 PCs and devices.
Some apps and games play videos automatically when you open their page in the Microsoft Store app. You can click/tap on the video to pause playback, or let the video play until it finishes and automatically stops playing.
If you prefer, you can turn off video autoplay in the Microsoft Store app where you would have to click/tap on the video for it to play instead.
This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off video autoplay in the Microsoft Store app for your account in Windows 10.
In Windows, you can use themes to help make your desktop feel a little more personal. Themes change the desktop background, colors, sounds, screen saver, and pointers on your PC all at once, and you can switch between themes as often as you like.
Starting with Windows 10 build 14951, you can now download and install themes for Windows 10 from the Store.
Starting with Windows 10 build 15007, you’ll see a Store icon at the bottom of the themes setting page to soon be able to go directly from the themes setting page directly to the Windows Store to download new themes for your PC. This isn’t working yet though.
This tutorial will show you how to download and install themes from the Store to be available for all users in Windows 10.
The Windows Store offers various apps that users can browse through, purchase, or get for free to download and install to their Microsoft account in Windows 10 PCs and devices.
To be able to install apps from the Store, you must be signed in to the Store with a Microsoft account. When signed in to the Store with a Microsoft account, you will be able to install any apps already owned by that Microsoft.
You can remove a device if you’re trying to install an app or a game from the Store on a Windows 10 device and you’ve reached your device limit. You can install apps or games on up to 10 devices.
This tutorial will show you how to remove Windows 10 devices from being associated with your Store account for getting apps and games.
The Store app in Windows 10 has a My Library feature that shows you all of the apps, games, music, and movies & TV that you installed on all devices while signed in with your Microsoft account. My Library in the Store makes it easy to quickly download and install an app or game owned by a Microsoft account to any account (local or Microsoft) on any Windows 10 PC or device.
Starting with Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14342, there’s an update available for the Store app that now allows you to hide and unhide your apps listed in “My Library”.
This tutorial will show you how to hide and unhide your apps from showing in the My Library list by default in the Store app for your account in Windows 10.
The Windows Store offers various apps that users can browse through, purchase, or get for free to download and install to their Microsoft account in Windows 10 PCs and devices.
Starting with Windows 10 Insider Preview Build 14342, there’s an update available for the Store app. This new Store app build includes a new Recent activity list in the Downloads and updates section that shows additional information about apps such as the current build number, and the date it was last updated.
This tutorial will show you how to view the recent activity of downloads and updates in the Store app for your account in Windows 10.
If you have problems with an app from the Windows store, you can try the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter. It will troubleshoot problems that may prevent Windows Store Apps from working properly.
This tutorial will show you how to use the Windows Store Apps troubleshooter in Windows 10.
The Windows Store offers various apps that users can browse through, purchase, or get for free to download and install to their Microsoft account in Windows 10 PCs and devices.
If you like, you can turn off the Store app to deny users access to the Store.
This tutorial will show you how to allow or block access to the Store app for all users in Windows 10.
The Store app in Windows 10 has a My Library feature that shows you all of the apps, games, music, and movies & TV that you installed on all devices while signed in with your Microsoft account. My Library in the Store makes it easy to quickly download and install an app or game owned by a Microsoft account to any account (local or Microsoft) on any Windows 10 PC or device.
My Library in the Store can be useful if:
•You want to see all the Windows apps you own for your Microsoft account.
•You uninstalled a Windows app, and would like to reinstall it.
•You would like to install and app owned by your Microsoft account to another local account or Microsoft account.
This tutorial will show you how to use My Library in the Store to install your Windows apps to any account in Windows 10.