Although Cortana is an essential part of Windows 10, it hasn’t really been a feature that everyone uses actively, and as a result, it appears that Microsoft is noticing that a change is needed. According to a new report from Windows Central, the software giant is planning to remove Cortana from Windows Search, and move the experience to Action Center.
In addition, the Quick Action button will move to a new “Control Center” flyout experience to make room in Action Center to house the Cortana interface.
Source familiar to the plans say the new interface will feature a “chat-based UI” that will allow users to more comfortably interact with the assistant using text, similar to the Google Assistant interface. However, you’ll still be able to use voice commands, it just seems that Microsoft has realized that people don’t really like to talk to PCs.
The new changes will not only enhance the Cortana experience, but it’ll help Windows Search to evolve, too. As we have previously seen, the company is also working on a new search experience that resembles a lot to the Apple’s Spotlight feature.
Windows Search will continue to use Cortana
According to the same report, Microsoft isn’t breaking Cortana from Windows Search. The assistant, which is powered by Bing, will continue to be the engine behind search on Windows 10. The company is simply trying to move to a text-based conversation model, instead of voice commands. It’ll also help the software giant to distant Cortana from the Windows Search, which it’s received a lot of complaints from users since the beginning.
These changes also mean that the Action Center button will replace in favor of the Cortana button in the notification area. And even though, the Action Center name may fade away, you’ll still be able to access your notifications.
Cortana relocating from Windows Search to the Action Center will not happen right away. While plans can always change, it’s said that Microsoft is looking into releasing these improvements with the Windows 10 Redstone 5 update, which is expected to arrive before the end of the year.
What are your thoughts about these changes? Tell us in the comments.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows expert and the Editor-in-Chief who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He is also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 12 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows, software, and related technologies, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 20 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me.