Read more: Have a new PC or laptop? Here’s how to set it up the best way For example, toggle yes if you want Cortana to help when you say, “Hey Cortana,” and yes if you want speech and typing personalization turned on, which helps the assistant get to know your patterns. Go to Start > Settings > Cortana to turn Cortana on and off, and control when and how you use the assistant. Cortana acts as a personal assistant - similar to Apple’s Siri - and operates via voice command to help with tasks like scheduling and reading or summarizing your email. Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana is available on Windows 10 PCs. Read more at TechRepublic: Windows 10: A cheat sheet Cortana With Windows 10, you can also access a lesser-known second Start menu that helps you access important features like the Command Prompt, the Control Panel and the Task Manager much easier, either by pressing the Windows key + X or by right-clicking the Windows icon/Start button.
To remove a tile, right-click it and click Unpin from Start. You can customize these tiles with any app you like: Just open the Start menu, click All apps and find the app you want to make into a tile. Similar to the Start menu in Windows 8, the Windows 10 Start menu includes live tiles - large icons to the right of the Start menu including Mail, Calendar and Weather. Hit the familiar Windows icon at the bottom left of the screen or on your keyboard to find a list of your desktop apps and programs. Read more: The best antivirus protection of 2021 for Windows 10 You can also check out this full comparison of Windows 10 and Windows 7 security features from Microsoft. If you’re still holding on to Windows 7, at least consider these security tips to protect your Windows 7 laptop. (You can turn these off if you want to, by going to Windows Update Settings > Advanced Options and changing from Automatic to another option in the drop-down menu.)
Read more: You can still download Windows 10 for free - and you should because Windows 7 is dead Security improvements Learn smart gadget and internet tips and tricks with CNET’s How To newsletter.