How to Turn On or Off Cortana Pick up where you left off in Windows 10

This tutorial is no longer valid starting with Windows 10 version 2004.

Cortana is your cloud-based personal assistant that works across your devices and other Microsoft services. Depending on the capabilities of your device and the version of Cortana you’re using, Cortana can provide a range of features, some of which are personalized. Cortana on Windows is available in certain regions and languages. If Cortana isn’t available for your Windows device, you can still search for files on your device in the search box on the taskbar. Cortana is also available on other platforms, such as Android and iOS, in select markets.

Cortana works best when you sign in and let her use data from your device, other Microsoft services, and third-party services you choose to connect. To provide you with personalized experiences, Cortana learns from certain data about you, such as your searches, calendar, contacts, and location. You’re in control of how much data you share. If you choose not to sign into Cortana on Windows, you can still chat with Cortana and use her to help you search the web, documents stored in Microsoft services like OneDrive, and your Windows device. See the section about Windows Search in the Privacy Statement for more information. If you don’t sign in, or you choose to sign out, your experiences will be more limited and they won’t be personalized with your Cortana data. On iOS and Android devices, Cortana only works when you sign in.

Starting with Windows 10 Creators Update version 1703, Cortana can help you pick up where you left off. When you switch computers, Cortana can display quick links in the Action Center to help you easily get back into Microsoft Edge websites and SharePoint (or other cloud-based) documents you used most recently. For example, if you were working on a PowerPoint deck on your laptop, when you later return to your desktop, a link to that deck appears in the Action Center.

Cortana "Pick up where I left off" Requirements:

• You will need to sign in to Cortana with your Microsoft account on this PC and any other device you want to be able to pick up where you left off.
• Turn on notifications, and turn on notifications for Cortana on this PC and any other device you want to be able to pick up where you left off.
• Turn on Send notifications and information between devices for Cortana on this PC and any other device you want to be able to pick up where you left off.
• Currently only available with United States: English set as Cortana language.

See also: Windows 10 activity history and your privacy | Microsoft Support

This tutorial will show you how to turn on or off Pick up where you left off in Cortana for your Microsoft account in Windows 10.


EXAMPLE: "Resume from your other devices" quick links from Cortana in Action Center




Here's How:

1. Open Settings, and click/tap on the Cortana icon.

2. Click/tap on Permissions on the left side, and click/tap on the Manage the information Cortana can access from this device link on the right side. (see screenshot below)

3. Do step 4 (on) or step 5 (off) below for what you want to do.

 4. Turn On Cortana Pick up where you left off

A) Turn on or off (default) Location for what you want. (see screenshot below)

This requires that you have turned on location services for this device and apps.

B) Turn on or off (default) Contacts, email, calendar & communication history for what you want.

If turned on, you will be prompted to click/tap on Continue to confirm.

C) Turn on or off (default) Browsing history for what you want.

 5. Turn Off Cortana Pick up where you left off

This is the default setting.

A) Turn off Location. (see screenshot below)

B) Turn off Contacts, email, calendar & communication history.

C) Turn off Browsing history.

6. When finished, you can close Settings if you like.


That's it,
Shawn

Related Tutorials

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• How to Sign in or Sign out of Cortana in Windows 10
• How to Enable or Disable Cortana in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Get Phone Notifications from Cortana in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Cortana in Microsoft Edge in Windows 10
• How to Turn On or Off Collect Activity History in Windows 10
• How to Clear Your Activity History in Windows 10

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