As one of Microsoft’s most acknowledged achievements, it isn’t a surprise that you want to install Cortana and have it for yourself. But what is it exactly?
Cortana is a smart personal digital assistant that’s programmed to help everyday tasks on your phone, computer, or tablet. It is very much like the Google Assistant and Apple’s Siri. You can speak to it like you would a person, have it process commands on your device, and research via speech by asking it questions. It feels much more comfortable as well as efficient to be talking to a humanlike AI, rather than pushing keys and clicking buttons. For those reasons and more, Cortana is a popular and useful addition to all of your devices.
So without further ado, here’s how to install Cortana.
How To Install Microsoft Cortana
Whether it’s an Apple, Google, or Samsung device, Cortana is available across all operating systems. All you need to do is simply search for Cortana in the iTunes store or Google Play Store and hit the install button. Fortunately, it’s free (how generous)!
The app also comes with widgets to make it easier to start up Cortana. There’s a small hub widget option which shows reminders set by you and a small microphone button that enables you to instantly start a voice command. The second widget is just a 1×1 microphone icon that allows you to talk to Cortana straight from the home screen.
Installing Cortana for PC
In order to use Cortana, you must be using Windows 10. Older versions of Windows will not be compatible.
By default, Cortana should already be installed into your PC along with Windows 10. On the first boot up, she should be there, ready to assist you. If however, you somehow accidentally uninstalled Cortana without uninstalling Windows 10, or figured you wouldn’t need her but changed your mind, you can download Cortana individually from Microsoft here.
After downloading, follow the straightforward instructions for installation and you’ll be good to go.
Installing Cortana for Mac
As we all know, Macs and Windows aren’t the best of friends. Some however, still want the best of both worlds.
If you want to install Cortana, you need to have Windows 10. Fortunately for Mac users, there’s a software called Parallels, and it allows another operating system to run simultaneously with OS X.
Unfortunately, the newest version, Parallels 11 (which is required to run Windows 10) is going to cost you a pretty penny. If you’re simply upgrading from an older version, the software is $49.99. If you’re a new customer buying Parallels for the first time, it will cost you $79.99.
As if that wasn’t disheartening enough, you also have to purchase Windows 10. The Home edition is $119 while the Pro edition costs $199. So at the very least, getting Cortana on a Mac will set you back $200 if you don’t already have Parallels.
Cortana Overview
It’s always more useful than not to have a reliable AI assistant on your devices. But is Cortana worth it?
In the case of the Macs, we say definitely not. Siri is more capable than Cortana when it comes to executing commands on its native operating system which is the OS X. Why spend $200 to install Cortana when Siri can get the job done faster and more efficiently?
When it comes to phones and tablets, we came to the same conclusion. Apple phones are equipped with Siri, and Samsung phones are accompanied by the Google Assistant. Both are highly commendable as assistants and come out above Cortana when ranking AI assistants.
The only time we found Cortana necessary was when… well, when it can’t be helped. That isn’t to say Cortana is useless. Cortana works fine and gets the jobs done, but if there is already an assistant such as Siri or Google Assistant, there’s no need to go through the trouble to install Cortana. With that said, don’t go uninstalling Cortana if you own a PC. Give Cortana the credit it deserves, just don’t go neglecting other assistants for her!