How to Use Alexa App for Windows 11

Alexa is a cloud-based, hands-free virtual assistant by Amazon and it is one of the best among all the virtual assistants. And with its Windows app, now you don’t even need a smart speaker which has built-in Alexa in it, which was the case before.

The best part about Alexa is its “skills“, Alexa skills are just like an app on your phone which you can add and perform multiple tasks, such as ordering food handsfree, playing fun games, listening to podcasts are just examples. There are tens of thousands of skills available on Alexa.

Moreover, with smart virtual assistants, comes the possibility of a smart home. You can use the Alexa app on your Windows 11 machine to turn on/off lights, switch on appliances, or even completely change the hue of lighting should you require a change of mood.

Along with the above amazing abilities, the Alexa app is very easy to download and a breeze to set up on your Windows 11 device. Thus, without any further ado, let’s get started.

Download and Set Up Alexa on your PC

Alexa app can be downloaded easily from the Microsoft Store on your Windows 11 PC and can be set up using your existing Amazon account if you wish to do so.

First, open the Microsoft Store either from the pinned apps of your Start Menu or by searching for it.

Next, locate the ‘Search’ bar and type Alexa in it, and hit Enter on your keyboard to search.

From the search results, click on the ‘Get’ button present on the Alexa app tile to initiate the download.

Once downloaded, click on the ‘Open’ button present on the Alexa app tile or by searching for it from the Start Menu.

From the Alexa window, click on the ‘Get started’ button to continue.

Then, you will be required to sign in. Either enter the details of your existing Amazon account or click on the ‘Create a new account’ to create an account.

Once you are signed in, on the Terms and Conditions page, click on the ‘Agree & Continue’ button to proceed.

On the next screen, if you wish to use Alexa handsfree (Alexa activation by saying a specific call word) click on the toggle switch following the ‘Wake Word’ to bring it to the ‘On’ position. Then, click on the ‘Allow’ button to move to the next screen.

After that, if you wish to pin Alexa in the taskbar, click on the checkbox preceding the ‘Pin app in the taskbar’ label. Then, click on the ‘Finish Setup’ button.

If you have chosen to pin Alexa on the taskbar, a prompt will appear on your screen asking permission to do so. Click on the ‘Yes’ button to pin the app.

The setup for Alexa is now complete. Now, let’s dig in on how to make the best out of it.

Getting Started with Alexa on your Windows 11 PC

Once you have installed and set up Alexa on your Windows machine, it is now time to explore all its functionalities.

On your first launch after setup, you will be greeted by a welcome screen. Click on the ‘Get started’ button to move to the next screen.

Next, a prompt will appear on your screen regarding the ‘Alexa communications’ read it carefully and click on the ‘Agree’ button to continue.

Then, if you wish to turn on ‘Show Mode’ (use your PC as a full-screen smart display) click on the ‘Next’ button present on the screen. Otherwise, click on the ‘X’ icon situated in the top right corner of the window.

If you chose to turn on ‘Show Mode’, on the next screen, you will be greeted with the ‘Show Mode Settings’, if you wish to enable Show Mode automatically if it detects inactivity; click on the toggle switch preceding the respective option to bring to the ‘On’ position. Then, click on the ‘Enable Show Mode’ button to proceed.

Now, you will be greeted by the home screen of the Alexa app.

Since Alexa is designed to be a hands-free virtual assistant, you only need to say “Alexa” to activate it and then say your command if you have enabled the ‘Wake Word’ settings. Otherwise, click on the ‘Alexa’ icon situated on the top left corner to speak.

To set an alarm or a reminder, just say “Alexa, set an alarm for 6 AM tomorrow” or “Remind me to get dog food at 7 PM today“, and Alexa will set the alarm or reminder for you instantly.

You can also take a look at all your reminders and alarms by clicking on their respective tabs present on the left sidebar on the Alexa app window.

Next, to play music on your device, simply say “Alexa, play top 100 hip hop songs” or “Alexa, play Sunflower by Post Malone” and Alexa shall play the music on your machine.

Note: Do remember if you’re not a Prime subscriber you will only be able to play music by playlists, artists, and genres; not a particular soundtrack by an artist.

You can also ask Alexa to turn off/on your smart devices. However, they first need to be paired with Alexa using the mobile app, only then can you instruct the Alexa on your Windows 11 device to do the same.

To instruct a paired home device, say “Alexa, turn on the Coffee Machine” or “Alexa, turn on the bedroom lights” and Alexa will intimate the paired accessory to turn on the power.

You can also ask Alexa to create lists for you and add items to them. For instance, you can say “Alexa, add milk and eggs to my shopping list” or any other item for that matter and Alexa shall add the items to the list. In case the list doesn’t exist, Alexa will also create the list for you.

In case you wish to see all the lists you have created along with the items, click on the ‘Lists’ tab situated on the left sidebar of the Alexa window. Moreover, all the created lists will be synced across all devices having the Alexa app and signed in with the same account.

Now, as we mentioned that Alexa has a very large number of features and the things you can do with it is virtually unlimited. Thus, in case you wish to discover new things that Alexa can do for you, click on the ‘Things to try’ tab present in the left sidebar of the window and then click to choose any of the sub-section to explore.

Tweak Alexa Settings on Windows 11 PC

You can also change various settings on the Alexa app to suit your needs and requirements.

To change current settings, from the Alexa app, click on the ‘Settings’ tab present on the left sidebar.

To enable Alexa even when your PC is locked, make sure you are on the ‘Alexa on PC’ tab. Then, scroll down to locate the ‘Wake Word’ section and then find the ‘Respond while locked’ and click on the toggle switch present right underneath to enable the option.

You can also toggle the Alexa sounds, to do so navigate to the ‘Apps Sounds’ section on the ‘Alexa on PC’ tab. Then, click on the toggle switch to bring it to the ‘Off’ position. To turn off the individual sound before the start of the request, or at the end of the request, click on each check box preceding the respective options.

If you wish to sign out from the Alexa app or switch accounts, scroll down to the end of the page to locate the ‘Amazon account’ section. Then, click on the ‘Sign Out’ button to sign out of the current account.

In case you wish to enable the ‘Drop In’ functionality on your Windows device as well, click on the ‘Communication’ tab on the Settings screen.

Then, locate the ‘Announcements’ section on the page. After that, click on the toggle switch present under the ‘Announcement Autoplay’ option to bring it to the ‘On’ position.

Moreover, if you do not wish to keep the Show Mode active on your device (that you turned on during the setup), head to the ‘Show Mode’ tab from the Settings screen.