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Dragon Naturally Speaking Help & Support

Author: Matt Riley
by Matt Riley
Posted: Sep 14, 2021

If Dragon is not connected

If you lose your network connection (for example, you move out of Wi-Fi range), Dragon switches from connected?networked and local? mode to disconnected?local only? mode.

You’ll know Dragon has no network connection if the microphone avatar turns gray.

When Dragon is in local mode, you can still play downloaded music and movies, control your computer, and dictate text.

You can manually switch between Networked and Local only modes. See Connecting Dragon for more information.

You need a network connection to use Dragon’s networked features, such as online music, streaming movies and TV, email, and social media.

When you’re connected to the Web, you can use a larger array of commands? just say what comes to mind and Dragon processes your commands.

When you are not connected, Dragon needs you to use specific commands. Please see Command & Control.

Connecting Dragon

To connect or disconnect Dragon, right-click or hold down your finger on Dragon and select Networked.

By default, Dragon attempts to use Networked & local features as required, based on what it knows about your network connection. You can specify that Dragon use Network and Local or Local only modes in Advanced Settings.

If you can’t hear Dragon

Here are some troubleshooting tips if you can’t hear Dragon’s voice from your device. Dragon looks like this when it is speaking:

  • Make sure that your speakers aren’t muted. Press your device’s keyboard mute key or look at the Speakers icon in your Windows system tray.
  • Make sure Dragon’s voice is not turned off in Audio settings under "Speak out questions and responses." Move the slide control to the On position if needed.
  • Check your Speakers in Dragon’s Audio settings.
  • If you have a wearable headset or Bluetooth device, make sure audio isn’t channeled there when you’re not using it.
  • If the above tips don’t help, check for conflicts between multiple devices, such as your built in microphone and a video camera, in the Sound application in Windows Control Panel. You can also check your Sound Playback settings there.
  • If necessary, use the Windows Troubleshooting tool.

Click here if you need help with opening Windows audio tools.

If Dragon’s setup volume is too low

If Dragon’s responses are hard to hear, you may need to adjust your speaker volume using Windows Volume Mixer. This can happen if Dragon is shut down unexpectedly when it has your sound automatically reduced, such as when you are playing music through your device and give Dragon a command. Dragon automatically lowers the volume of other audio playing on your device so that it can hear you speaking. In the unlikely event that Dragon crashes in that situation, please turn Dragon’s volume back up using Windows Volume Mixer.

To open Windows Volume Mixer
  1. Select the Speakers icon from the Windows system tray, in the bottom right corner of the desktop. The speakers volume control opens, as shown at right.
  2. Select Mixer at the bottom of the volume control.
  3. In the Volume Mixer (shown below- you can select the image to enlarge it), slide Dragon’s volume control up.
If Dragon can’t hear you

Here are some troubleshooting tips if Dragon isn’t responding when you speak, or if Dragon doesn’t hear you right. Dragon pulsates when it is awake and hearing your voice:.

  • Make sure Dragon is awake when you are speaking to it. See Waking Dragon Up
  • Make sure the Settings window isn’t open. Dragon can’t hear you when the Settings window is open.
  • If Dragon is speaking, wait until it finishes before you make a command. Dragon can’t hear you while it’s speaking.
  • Make sure your microphone is enabled in Windows. See Check your Microphone in the Audio section of Dragon’s General Settings.
  • If you have a wearable headset or Bluetooth device, make sure audio isn’t channeled there when you’re not using it.
  • If your microphone isn’t working, first try closing and reopening Dragon, and then shutting down and restarting Windows, and trying again.
  • Make sure you have the latest audio drivers for your device. Check your device manufacturer’s Web site for updates.
  • If your microphone still isn’t working, open the Windows Control Panel and try the following:
    • Use the Windows Troubleshooting tool.
    • Check your microphone setup.
    • Run the Windows Set Up Microphone tool.

Click here if you need help with opening Windows tools.

If Dragon doesn’t always respond
  • Make sure your device is right in front of you when you speak.
  • Make sure it’s reasonably quiet where you are, and that Dragon isn’t hearing background voices, music players or TVs. Less background noise is better.
  • In noisy environments, tap on Dragon when you finish speaking. Dragon will process your speech and ignore the background noise.
  • If Dragon misunderstood something you said or did not respond, try repeating what you said. Speak clearly at the type of volume level you would in a typical conversation.
  • If you added a plug-in microphone to your device, make sure that Windows picked it up as your new default microphone. To do that, open Windows Sound app from Control Panel, click the Microphone tab and Set as Default Device.
If Dragon misunderstands you

If Dragon generally misunderstands what you say, and you have an accent in English, try the following:

Ease Dragon’s recognition requirements

To ease Dragon's recognition to allow for more variation in pronunciation, do the following:

  1. Open Dragon Settings.
  2. Scroll down and select Relax recognition to accommodate my accent.
  3. Select Save & Close.
If you have a Chinese or Indian accent

If you have a Chinese or Indian accent, and Dragon generally misunderstands what you say, try the following:

To create a new profile with an accent
  1. Open Dragon Settings.
  2. Scroll down and select Reset Dragon.
  3. Select Yes, reset Dragon. Your existing Dragon profile will be removed, Dragon will restore its settings to default and restart.
  4. In the Dragon Assistant Setup wizard, under Select your accent, choose either
    • US English? with Chinese accent or
    • US English? with Indian accent.
  5. Continue through the wizard to complete your new profile setup.

You can also improve recognition by

  • sending Dragon to school. Open Settings and see Training your Dragon.
  • adding words and phrases to Dragon’s custom dictionary. For more information, see My custom Dictionary
If Dragon gets stuck processing

Here are some troubleshooting tips to use if Dragon gets caught in a processing loop, such as if the avatar is spinning for a long time or if it won’t wake up.

  1. If Dragon spins around in the processing state for a long time, tap or click the avatar to stop it.
  2. If Dragon doesn’t display the listening avatar, try the following:
    1. Tap the avatar to wake Dragon up.
    2. Right click or hold down your finger on Dragon to open the popup menu, and select Quit Dragon, then restart Dragon.
If Dragon won’t stop listening

If Dragon wakes up from background noise or voices and won’t stop listening or asking questions, you can use commands like "Go to sleep," "Be quiet," or "Stop listening." In Dragon windows, click or tap to close the window. Only Dragon’s "avatar" is showing,

click or tap during processing to stop it. For help with Dragon states, see What is Dragon doing?

If you notice limitations using Windows Modern view

Dragon is primarily a Windows desktop program and consequently the following limitations apply in the Windows Modern view:

  • If you switch back to Windows Modern view after Dragon switches to the Windows desktop to display one of its windows, Dragon’s windows remain visible only on the desktop. To switch back to desktop view, say "Cancel" and then "Switch to Desktop" or press the Windows key
  • .
  • If you leave Dragon’s Settings window open when you switch to Windows Modern screens, Dragon does not display at all in the modern user interface. Close the Settings window to resolve the problem.
If your Web browser opens in Windows Modern view

If your Web browser is set to open only in Windows Modern view, all of your Web pages will display full screen, but Dragon’s Help will be hidden in desktop view. Here’s how to change your Web browser settings.

To set Internet Explorer to open on the desktop

If Internet Explorer is opening in Windows Modern, please change the settings as follows:

  1. Select Tools> Internet Options> Programs.
  2. If necessary, select Make Internet Explorer my default browser and set Internet Explorer as your default browser (you can change it again later as needed).
  3. Under Opening Internet Explorer, choose "Let Internet Explorer decide."
To set Google Chrome to open on the desktop

If Google Chrome is opening in Windows Modern, please change the settings as follows:

  1. Select the Chrome Customize and Control button.
  2. In the menu, select Relaunch Chrome on the desktop.
If your dictation is not entered

If you didn’t place your cursor where you want dictation to appear, you won’t see text after you finish dictation.

Your dictation is not lost, because Dragon places your text on the Windows clipboard. Paste your dictation using any method available in the target application.

If you are using Dragon NaturallySpeaking

If you are using both Dragon Assistant and Dragon Naturally Speaking on the same device, you may see your dictation entered twice if the Dragon NaturallySpeaking microphone is turned on.

For example, if you dictate, "What time can you be home for supper?" the following appears on the screen:

"What time can you be home for supper? What time can you be home for supper?"

To resolve the problem, turn off the microphone in Dragon Naturally Speaking while you are dictating with Dragon Assistant.

If you can’t find Dragon

you are not able to see Dragon, try re-opening the application. If Dragon does not hear you, see If dragon can't hear you for help.

In Windows Modern mode, Dragon’s avatar appears on top of other screens and applications.

If you have trouble with the tutorial

On rare occasions, it might not be possible to repeat the dictation lesson when you click Back. Here’s what to do:

  1. Open the Windows Task Manager.
  2. Select the Processes tab.
  3. Locate any Internet Explorer processes (iexplorer.exe) and select them.
  4. Select End process or End task.
  5. Retry the dictation lesson.
Opening Windows Control Panel

Here’s how to open Windows Control Panel:

  1. If you’re in the Windows Start view, switch to the desktop:
    • Say "Switch to desktop", or
    • Select the desktop tile on the Start screen, or
    • Press the Windows key.
  2. Do one of the following:
    • Say "Open Control Panel," or
    • Press the Windows key+ I and select Control Panel.
Running the Windows Troubleshooting tool

Here’s how to open the Windows Troubleshooting tool:

  1. Open Windows Control panel, and tap or click Troubleshooting.
  2. Under Hardware and Sound, select Troubleshoot Audio Recording.
  3. In the Recording Audio wizard, select Next and follow the prompts. The troubleshooter can find and fix conflicts if any are found.
Running the Windows Set up microphone tool

Here’s how to run the Windows Set up microphone tool:

  1. Open Windows Control panel, and tap or click Speech Recognition.
  2. Select Set up your microphone.
  3. Choose the type of microphone you are using. Choose Other if you are using the standard built-in microphone on your device and tap or click Next.
  4. Read the text in the Set Up Your Microphone screen. It mentions the following important points about dictating to your device:
    • Position yourself at a constant distance from your microphone when you speak to your computer.
    • Position yourself so that you do not breathe directly into the microphone.

    Tap or click Next.

  5. Read the two sentences in the Adjust the Volume screen out loud. If your microphone positioning is correct, the volume level meter will extend into the green section of the color spectrum as you read. After you finish reading the sentences, tap or click Next and then Finish.

If Windows displays an error while you are reading, reread the text in the Adjust the Volume screen again and click Next.

Checking your microphone setup

Here are the steps you’ll need to follow to check and update your microphone setup:

  1. Open Windows Control panel, and tap or click Sound.
  2. In the Sound window, tap or click the Recording tab.
  3. Select the microphone for your device. Most users will be using Internal Microphone.
  4. Tap or click Properties to open the main Microphone properties window.
  5. Under Device usage at the bottom of the Microphone Properties window, make sure your microphone is enabled, as shown. If it isn’t, select Use this device (enable), click OK and go to the last step in this procedure.
  6. On the Microphone Properties window, tap or click Levels and make sure your microphone volume is not muted or turned down too low and tap or click OK.
  7. On the Sound window, click OK to close it.
  8. Contact Support on +1-866-946-4895

About the Author

Dragon Technical Support by our Certified Technician, Dragon Naturally Speaking Support Phone Number +1-866-946-4895

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Author: Matt Riley

Matt Riley

Member since: Sep 11, 2021
Published articles: 1

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