Starting with Build 14316 , Anniversary Update, It is possible to use Cortana Over Lock screen. In simple words, you will be able to use “Hey Cortana” with your computer locked. Cool Eh?
Video Demo:
How to Enable Hey Cortana on Lock Screen:
As of now the option seems to be not available for all, and wasn’t for me. Thanks to Corecast , there is a way, if you are brave enough to edit registry files. Remember, this can cause problems, so don’t try if you are not sure.
- Win + R to open RUN prompt, and then type REGEDIT. You will need admin privilege to get this working.
- Now navigate toHKEY_CURRENT_USER\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Speech_OneCore\Preferences\
- Right click anywhere on the right pane, and add a DWORD with name VoiceActivationEnableAboveLockscreen.
- Double click it to open, and change the value from 0 to 1
- Reboot.
Troubleshooting:
Now ,all you need to do is lock your screen, and say “Hey Cortana” to activate it. In case you are using a desktop, make sure to have a microphone configured for it to work. If none of this is working, you may need to check if “hey Cortana” is enabled on your Windows 10 PC. Open Cortana > Settings > Turn on Hey Cortana.
During the video demo, Cortana worked 4 out of three times, but the experience may differ from PC to PC, and its mostly because the feature is still in development, but once complete, should get you a very smooth experience.
I think this is an excellent feature which will help you do few things like looking at your appointments, create new ones, finding weather without unlocking your PC. This experience will soon come to Windows 10 Mobile as well.
Thanks Corecast for the tip.
Want Cortana on lockscreen?
HKCUSOFTWAREMicrosoftSpeech_OneCorePreferencesVoiceActivationEnableAboveLockscreen (DWORD = 1), then reboot— Albacore (@thebookisclosed) April 6, 2016
