Sep 25, 2012 - If Dictation isn't already enabled, select the 'On' radio button. It did work in TextEdit and Microsoft Word, which is great, but that's not where I.
In this topic, learn what to do if you have problems such as:
- Recognition is poor
- Cursor is jumping to the wrong place
- Dragon is only responding to commands
- Dragon does not detect any audio
- Commands are not working
- Correction is not working
- Dragon is not working in my Web browser
- Dragon menu is not showing in the menu bar
- Dragon is unresponsive
If you are having trouble with Dragon, find the type of problem you are having below, then try the tips and links to resolve the issue.
If you need help getting started with Dragon, see Getting started with dictation and FAQs for tips.
Nuance recommends upgrading your OS to version 10.11.6 or later.
Recognition is poor
Have you gotten better results from Dragon in the past?
Yes:
- Make sure you have selected the correct profile.
- Click the icon in the menu bar and make sure a check mark appears next to your profile in the Recent Profiles list.
- If a different profile is selected, click your profile to load it, then try again. See Switching profiles and dictation sources for more information.
- Are you in a different environment than usual? Background noise can decrease accuracy. Try moving to a quieter environment and see if the recognition improves.
- Try running Microphone Setup again.
- Click the icon in the menu bar and select Improve Recognition > Microphone Setup…
- Follow the on-screen instructions to complete Microphone Setup. See Microphone Setup for more information.
- Try using a different microphone, preferably the internal microphone, if available. If recognition improves, continue using the new microphone, or see Poor audio quality for other steps to solve the problem.
No:
- Problems with recognition can be caused by poor audio quality. See Poor audio quality for steps to resolve the problem.
- Once you have ruled out a problem with your microphone, continue to Poor recognition for steps to make Dragon understand you better.
Are you having trouble with a specific word?
If you are having trouble with recognition of specific words, you can teach Dragon to understand how you pronounce those words. See Training a vocabulary item for more information.
Cursor is jumping to the wrong place
In some applications, typing and dictating in the same document causes Dragon to lose track of where the cursor is. To resolve cursor issues in the current document, say Cache document to allow Dragon to read the contents of the document and learn its current content.
Be aware that after caching a document, you can no longer use Correction on your previously dictated text.
For best results, dictate into a fully supported application such as Word 2016, TextEdit, or Pages. See Mixing dictation with typing for more information, including an up-to-date list of supported applications.
Dragon is only responding to commands
If Dragon is responding to commands, but not dictation, you may be in the wrong recognition mode. Check the Recognition mode indicator in the Status Window. If you are in Command mode, you will see the icon. In Command mode, Dragon is only listening for commands. When dictating text, you should generally use Dictation mode (). For more details, see Recognition modes.
If you are in the correct mode, make sure your cursor is active in a word processing application or a text field. If your cursor is not blinking:
- Click on the application or text field you want to dictate into.
- Say Activate <application> to bring the application to the front.
Or
No audio detected
If Dragon is not responding to any audio input, try these steps:
- Check the microphone mode. Dragon can only hear audio when the Microphone button in the Status Window is green (). For more information, see Microphone modes.
- Make sure that you're not in Transcription mode. Dragon cannot hear you when you are transcribing audio. When you are finished using transcription, click Switch to Dictation. See Transcribing recorded audio for more information.
- Make sure your microphone is working properly. See No audio signal for steps to test your microphone.
Commands are not working
Are you using a custom command?
Yes:
- See Troubleshooting Commands for tips on solving the problems with your custom commands.
No:
- Check your Recognition mode in the Status Window. To use commands, you should be in Dictation mode () or Commands mode (). See Recognition modes for information about changing Recognition modes.
- If you are in Dictation mode, make sure you pause briefly before and after you issue a command. If you don't pause, Dragon may transcribe the command as dictated text. See Using commands in Dictation mode for more information.
- Make sure the command you are trying to use is available in the current context. See The Commands window for more information.
- If the command you are trying to use is not available in the context you are in, try using a different type of command, such as menu walking, to get the result you need. See Menu Walking for more information.
Correction is not working
If you are using an application that is not supported by Dragon, you may not have access to features such as Correction. Check the Guidance window for information about what Dragon can do in your current application. See Mixing dictation with typing for more information.
Even if you are using a fully supported application, be aware that Correction is also not available for Transcription files. You can edit transcribed text by voice, but Dragon does not have access to the audio required to use Correction. See Editing a transcribed file for more information.
If you selected Always Show Correction Window When Dictating in the Advanced Preferences panel, the Correction window displays a warning when Correction is not available. See Preferences window: Advanced pane for more information.
Dragon is not working with my Web browser
Are you using Firefox or Safari?
No:
Currently, Dragon offers Web extensions only for Firefox and Safari. If you wish to use a different browser, you can access some Dragon functions:
- You can dictate into most text fields, but you may not have access to correction or editing by voice. Check the Guidance window for information about what Dragon can do in the selected text field. See Mixing dictation with typing for more information.
- You can use menu walking commands to access functionality built into the browser. For example, say Click File menu, then say Click New Tab. See Menu Walking for more information.
You cannot use your voice to access links, buttons, or other Web page features. If you need access to these features, use Safari or Firefox instead.
![Why Isnt Dictation Working In Microsoft Word For Mac Why Isnt Dictation Working In Microsoft Word For Mac](https://support.apple.com/library/content/dam/edam/applecare/images/en_US/macos/macos-sierra-system-preferences-keyboard-dictation-speech-animation.gif)
Yes:
- Make sure you have installed Dragon Web Extensions for your current browser.
- Make sure you have the latest version of your browser.
- See Troubleshooting Dragon Web Extensions for more details.
Dragon menu is not showing in the menu bar
If you have a small screen and many items in the menu bar, Dragon can get squeezed out. Things you can do:
- Set Dragon to launch at startup so it loads earlier and appears closer to the right of the menu bar.
- If you have Fast User Switching on, go to System Preferences > Users & Groups and click Login Options at the bottom of the left-hand panel. Set Show fast user switching menu as to Icon, or turn it off entirely.
- In System Preferences, turn off menu bar icons for Bluetooth, mirroring options (in the Displays pane), or Time Machine.
Auto Sleep is not working
In order for the microphone to automatically go into Sleep mode, Dragon must detect no sound input for the time period specified in the Preferences pane (by default, 1 minute). See General Preferences pane for more information.
If your microphone is very sensitive, it may be detecting too much background noise, which Dragon could interpret as audio input. Try running Microphone Setup and manually adjusting the audio input level (gain). See Microphone Setup for more information.
Dragon is not responding
If Dragon is not responding and you are not able to quit through the Dragon menu:
- Launch Activity Monitor from the
Applications/Utilities
folder on your Mac. - Scroll through the list or search for Dragon.
- Select Dragon in the list.
- Click the button at the top left.
Related topics:
The dictation service Apple introduced in OS X Mountain Lion offers a convenient option to input text by speaking to your computer. When enabled by activating with the Function keys, the service will accept a small recorded spoken phrase which it sends to Apple where it's transcribed and returned as a text string to be entered at the point of the cursor.
This setup can work nicely, but does have a few configuration requirements to enable it to work properly, so there may be one of several causes for why the service might not work as expected.
First, if dictation appears to not be working, then try checking its basic setup. Make sure it is on in the system preferences, and the activation key you are using is the one configured for the service (the action of pressing 'Fn' twice is the default).
Next, ensure your microphone is selected and properly configured. In the Dictation system preferences, you should see 'Internal Microphone' or an alternative audio input listed under the microphone icon, and when you make a sharp sound by tapping your system's chassis or clapping you should see the microphone indicator lighting up and showing a level change.
If the microphone is not showing any activity, then go to the Sound system preferences and ensure your inputs are both present and the input volume for each is at an appropriate level. If you have any third-party audio device drivers and hardware attached to your system, try uninstalling this software and detaching these devices to attempt configuring the built-in hardware as a starting point.
When you are able to get audio input showing activity for the desired device in the Sound system preferences, then you can select this device as the input option in the Dictation system preferences.
At this point, the audio should be configured to work, so the next troubleshooting steps are to look at the bound activation hot key for the Dictation service. The default for this is to press the 'Fn' key twice; however, there may be some services and settings that can interfere with this hot key.
First, ensure sticky keys is not enabled in the Accessibility system preferences. The Sticky Keys feature allows a modifier key such as Fn, Shift, or Command, to be tapped and the system will maintain it in a state as if the key is held down. This allows people who are limited to pressing one key at a time to input command hot keys, but will also prevent the Fn key from being pressed twice in quick succession.
Sticky Keys can be toggled in the Keyboard section of the Accessibility system preferences, and on systems configured for it, be toggled by pressing the Shift key five times.
Apple's built-in services are not the only ones that can interfere with keyboard inputs. If you have security software installed that includes a secure input option to block nefarious key-logging, then this can isolate the keyboard's input options and prevent them from activating services like Dictation. Therefore, check any third-party security software, including password managers, to see if you have this feature enabled, and try disabling it. In addition, check for and remove any third-party input managers and driver software for keyboards and other input devices you might have installed.
Finally, the Dictation service in Mountain Lion requires an established connection with Apple's servers to work. Therefore, even if you are connected to the Internet, if your configuration is interfering with Apple's servers then you will not be able to send audio and receive text. For the most part, standard Wi-Fi and Ethernet connections should work just fine; however, if you have special DNS, proxy, or VPN configurations that you use with your connection, these might interfere. If you can configure your connection to work without these options, try to do so and see if the Dictation service can properly connect.
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