How to set a time-based reminder with Cortana

By Mark Guim
last updated

One of our favorite features on Cortana is setting reminders. We've already shown you how to do location-based reminders and person-based reminders, but there's also another way. You can also ask Cortana to set a time-based reminder. It's really simple. Head past the break to see how it looks on the Nokia Lumia Icon.

To get started, bring up Cortana by holding the search button for a few seconds. You can tell Cortana to remind you at certain times. Need a reminder at 5:30 A.M. tomorrow? How about 9 P.M. every night? Or 2:33 P.M. on Tuesdays? It's up to you. Here are some examples:

  • Remind me to throw the garbage every Monday night
  • Remind me to take out recycling Thursday nights
  • Remind me to call the plumber tomorrow morning
  • Remind me to wash the car in 2 days at 7 P.M.
  • Remind me to pick up Sheila from the airport on July 17th at 5 P.M.

That's it! Following your request, you can edit the reminder or confirm with Cortana if it is correct. You can say, "Yes," or click the remind button.

To view all your reminders, click the search button once, or the Cortana live tile if you have it on your home screen. Tap the menu button at the upper right corner and then click 'remind me.' If you need faster access to this page, you can pin it to the home screen. Simply click the pin button at the bottom of the screen.

Do you use Cortana for setting reminders on your device with Windows Phone 8.1 Preview for Developers? Has it been helpful to you? Let us know in the comments!

Further reading

Mark Guim
Mark Guim

Mark Guim is Video Editor at Windows Central. He switched to Windows because the MacBook Pro isn't Pro enough. You can follow him on Twitter at @markguim.

73 Comments
  • Already tried successfully!!
  • Have used most successfully. Like remind me when I get to Asda to buy....
  • Time reminders have always worked great for me, but location reminders tend to be somewhat iffy. BTW, no need to start Reminders to view them. Just say "show my reminders" or "what are my reminders?"
  • Except X minutes after you get somewhere, like home or work. Example "remind me Two hours after I get to work, to talk to my boss about my expense sheet".
  • Absolutely! Right now Cortana supports only Location or people or time based reminders. If Cortana could mix up all three kinds into one reminder it would be awesome... Like: If I reach my home after 6 in the evening, remind me to call my mom and tell her that I've reached.
  • Wow that would be nice
  • +820
  • This a thousand times. I frequently find it falling short when teying to chain multiple errands together.. Like, when i leave home depot get me directions to the grocery store, etc. I can have it remind me.. But then I still have to take the next step.
  • works great
  • There are sometimes Cortana leaves us with search results instead of answering.
  • *Times
  • Can you set a reminder for a specific time on the same day of every month?
  • Yea he did that in the video
  • one thing I need is the ability to tell cortana multiple alerts/alarms.  "remind me to wake up at 8 am and 8:30 am". she wont pick up 8:30.    I like to have multiple wake up alarms on in case I miss one.  and this was important to me.  
  • Try each alarm time separately. Works for me.
  • I think a lot of people are setting "Reminders" when they want to set "Alarms" Alarms will play the music you set until you snooze or dismiss it. Just tell her to "set an alarm" instead of "remind me". Alarms are only time based thought...
  • If Microsoft pushes the personal assistant on Windows Phones with voice, this could really be the breakout this platform needs. Not to mention allowing developers to tie into the service.
  • Allowing not all but the selected one's
  • All developers can as of now.
  • Dan can u show ppl how the Skype works with Cortana now!!!!
  • Great idea! I set reminders to do X after I get home, but Cortana would remind me as soon as I pulled into the parking spot.
  • Almost 1st week of july is over... When will MCFT release 8.1 for india?
  • Next week if Microsoft wants to keep their promise.
  • Let's hope for the best... I'm really tired of waiting!!!
  • Know how to do that. What I would like to know is how to change the alarm sound. The Nokia alarm is too quiet.
  • Try telling her to "set an alarm". You can control the sound in the alarms menu
  • Use the alarm app...
  • Is this a repeated article? I feel like I've seen this before...
  • My Cortana don't work without my headphones..... They need to fix that
  • Restart your phone.
  • Location based reminders is awesome
  • 8.1 please. In uk, Cortana not very good. Need proper update . Fds your slower than a wet week
  • Cortana isn't even legitly out in the UK yet, it's only available with a workaround. So yeah it's not gonna be a stellar experience...
  • Can i ask her to set a recurring monthly reminder?
  • It's one of my favourite features. I use it a lot. You can also ask Cortana to open your reminders (Cortana calls it Remind Me). Tap and hold the search button and say "open reminders"
  • Are these reminders shown in the calendar app?
  • Yep.
  • That's good for medicines.
  • I remember reading this in user voice.. Maybe..
  • Well this would be useful, IF I COULD GET CORTANA on 8X.
  • I use it all the time and comes in handy at ny new job, thanx Cortana, you're boss.
  • I wish it would be able to figure out if I say wake me up in a half hour, or wake me up in 30 minutes. Or even set an alarm for 30 minutes from now.
  • That works great for me, using reminders thou. Done that alot of times when cooking ("remind me about steak in 10 minutes")
  • It actually works.. I usually keep alarms like that.. I say "wake me up in 15mints " or " wake me up at 4.00am.. Or in 3hours.." Also by telling "let me sleep" she can turn off alarms(not all,but one at a time)
  • • "Wake me up in half an hour": sets an alarm half an hour from now
    • "Wake me up in 30 minutes": sets an alarm 30 minutes from now
    • "Set an alarm for 30 minutes from now": sets an alarm 30 minutes from now Everything you said just works exactly how you said it ;-)
  • It'd be great if she can call out the reminder instead of just buzzing the reminder tone. The tone is likely to be missed most of the times. Also, it would be really cool for Cortana to say, 'Chief, you have an appointment now' or something on those lines.
  • Exactly my thoughts.
  • Cortana, remind me to take my beer out of the freezer in 45 minutes.
  • What's about today's two matches predictions by cortana who's the favourites???
  • It would be nice for some of this software to work on HTC 8.
  • Will Cortana tell us when the General Release will be available?
  • No, but I need to start
  • Been doing this for quite some time now
  • These reminders are not good because they don't sync with other devices. Time based reminders should at the very least appear in Outlook calendar (possibly in a separate Cortana calendar). They also should NOT disappear when you turn location off somehow. My company is very strict about phone usage. Phone must be silenced at all times and plane mode or off required during meetings. Therefore I rely on computer reminders. Cortana reminders are useless if they don't appear also on computer. I don't use them.
    Did you also notice it is impossible to create a task using Cortana ?
    Except for location based, those reminders should be calendar or tasks items, but they are not.
    Leaves the bitter impression that MS is not coordinated and that divisions responsible for different products do not talk to each other.
  • You can tell her to create a calendar appointment. I am not certain if you can make a task
  • First thing I tried when I saw there was no way to get these reminders on my PC, but no, you cannot create a task with Cortana.
    In my opinion, all these reminders should have been outlook.com tasks directly, but it seems that Cortana team understood the new motto as "mobile only, no cloud at all" somehow :-)
  • How do you change the tone for reminders?
  • Yes. Love it
  • Yes of course and she does the job very well
  • To view all your reminders just say
    "show me my reminders"
  • What about setting a timer for cooking or working out ? Posted via Windows Phone Central App
  • "Set an alarm for 15 minutes"
  • Just say 'remind me in 3 minutes to take the eggs off the boil' or 'remind me in 2 hours to take chicken out of the oven'
  • When is cortana and 8.1 coming to the Nokia icon??
  • I have gone crazy with Cortana features. I love setting time and location based reminders. Location based is really a nice feature. Never heard of people based, gotta try that one. Now if I can get Cortana to send delayed emails I'd be in heaven.
  • Instead of "remind me to send a text to _______ at midnight tonight to say happy birthday", it would be nice if you could craft the message ahead of time and Cortana would just send it off. This would also be good for things like reminding your relatives to take their medicine at a certain time of day, etc.
  • i wish she would recite the reminder
  • Can't set a reminder for every second Thursday starting on a specific date. You have to be on the day for it set a repeat pattern. Wish they would fix that!!
  • You should be able to add a reminder to your reminders. I mean, Mark was reminded to pick up Sheila from the airport only when her plane was already supposed to be landing.
  • Nice didnt know this could be done. Thanks for the info.
  • I love it. I have Cortana set to remind me when I leave work to go for a beer. Every night about 2 minutes after I leave work I get a reminder saying go for a beer. Love it.
  • Cortana is great at "Remind me to start dinner in 20 minutes" or "remind me to go to bed at 11 pm" but the ONE thing I tried to tell it to do repeating, it will never, ever notify me for. So I'm completely discouraged, as a huge reason I made the leap to actually bother with a smartphone was for the personal assistant, but if I can't set a repeating schedule that actually notifies me, it's worthless. "Remind me to get ready for bed at 10 every day" gets a calendar item, but it doesn't ding. SO frustrated. 
  • How do you set up MONTHLY reminders with Cortana? I want to be reminded of a recurring event that happens at the same time every month, like the 1st Saturday of the month at 8am or the 4th Tuesday of every month at 5pm. Cortana only seems to allow for daily or weekly reminders, or one time reminders on a specific date, but not monthly. How can I create monthly reminders like I can already do in Outlook Calendar? I tried this with Cortana and since that day had already passed in that month, she just kept telling me "I cannot set reminders for the past". I'm obviously trying to set reminders for the future, but she doesn't seem to get the idea of recurring MONTHLY reminders. Any ideas?