Hands On With Cortana’s New File Finder Feature On Windows 10

Microsoft’s digital assistant Cortana was first unveiled with Windows Phones and it is now included in all versions of Windows 10.

Cortana is evolving, and it’s here to stay, but it’s no secret that many users aren’t really big fans of Cortana after consumer-centric features were removed in May 2020 Update.

Microsoft promised that Cortana will eventually get better with regular updates via the Windows Store and the company is finally testing a new feature that could be proven useful for Cortana users.

The new feature lets you use the digital assistant to open and find files and save time spent navigating File Explorer or OneDrive.

The feature is included in Cortana version number 2.2011.26701.0 or newer, which is currently available for download in the Windows Insider channels via the Microsoft Store.

Once updated, you’ll be able to use Cortana to search for files by sharing parts of file names, author names, and file type. Likewise, you can also use “Hey Cortana, find my recent files” command to find the document that you have been editing.

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In our tests, we observed that most Microsoft Office files can be searched using Cortana commands but they can be a little hit and miss.

For example, when we searched for a Word document using Cortana, the search ended abruptly with “We couldn’t find the file” error. This error appeared when opening a file that was already detected in “Open my recent files” result.

However, when we searched for a PowerPoint presentation, we were instantly catapulted over to the PowerPoint app.

By default, Cortana is designed to search for files saved locally on your PC or synced via OneDrive to your PC. Users who sign into Cortana with their corporate credentials can also search for files saved on OneDrive For Business and SharePoint along with files saved locally.

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This feature is currently available to English-speaking users in U.S and it’s likely that the experience will eventually get better.