Where is the Dragon NaturallySpeaking user profile stored and how do you back it up?

On a standalone install of Dragon Professional 16, your user profile is stored in the Nuance\NS16\Users folder inside your local AppData folder. Dragon makes its own backups every 5 saves by default ¹. The help we could open describes a manual backup and an export, so use those first, and copy the profile folder while Dragon is closed as a second copy. That copy is our suggestion, not a procedure Nuance tests.

The profile is a folder under AppData, in Nuance\NS16\Users

A user profile is the set of files Dragon uses to process your speech. Nuance says it stores information such as the type of microphone you use and your custom words ². That is why a profile made for one room or headset can fit poorly in another.

Nuance's help tells you where the profiles are. Type %localappdata% into File Explorer, which opens the Users\Username\AppData\Local folder, then go to Nuance\NS16\Users ³. Each profile sits there, so you can find yours by its name.

If you would rather let Dragon open the folder, the Dragon 16 group client guide lists a /FindAppData switch for natspeak.exe that opens the AppData directory for the Dragon client ⁴. The guide does not say which folder that opens on a single-user install, so compare it with the Nuance\NS16\Users path above before you copy anything.

Dragon backs the profile up every 5 saves by default

In standalone mode, Dragon backs up your user profile automatically every 5 saves by default ¹. You can change the number under Settings, then Options, on the Data page. On managed installs, your administrator sets the frequency in the Nuance Management Center console instead, as Nuance's help on working with user profiles describes.

The automatic backup is not the same as a copy you can take elsewhere. The help does not say where the backups are stored, so look inside the profile folder for backup files before you assume a location.

An upgrade can move, or rename, your profile

If you upgraded from an earlier release, Dragon moves your standalone profile from the %ProgramData% folder to the %LocalAppdata% folder when you open your user profiles after the upgrade ⁵. If that move fails, Dragon renames the profile ⁶. After an upgrade, check both folders before you assume your profile is in the new place.

Back up the profile yourself, and keep it after uninstalling

Nuance's help describes a manual backup, which you start from Settings, then Profile, then Back up User Profile ⁷. A copy of the profile folder, made while Dragon is closed, is a second safety step of our own. Uninstalling Dragon does not remove the profile either, because Nuance says the profiles remain on your local drive after uninstallation ⁸. That gives you a safety net, but do not rely on it alone.

1. Close Dragon, so that it is not writing to the profile while you copy it.
2. Open %localappdata%, go to Nuance\NS16\Users, and copy your profile folder to an external drive or a second location.
3. Copy any backup files you found in the profile folder as well.
4. Keep the copy until you have dictated normally with the restored profile.

It depends on how many profiles you keep, and who created them

You can have only one profile per region ⁹, so a second region needs its own profile. The Dragon Professional group client guide warns that a profile made while logged in as an administrator is not accessible to users with restricted privileges ¹⁰, so make your profile from the account you dictate with. For that case, read the question on why Dragon says it should not run in elevated mode.

What to do before you move or reinstall Dragon

Back up the profile first. If you plan to move Dragon to another computer, follow the steps for moving Dragon to a new computer. If you want to release the license, read the question on how to deactivate Dragon NaturallySpeaking. For the rest of the setup, return to how to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking. A profile is only as useful as the voice it learned, so if a restored profile performs poorly, check your microphone with the question on the best microphone for Dragon. The glossary entry for a voice profile explains the term, and the glossary entry for custom vocabulary covers the word lists you may want to export separately.