Why does Dragon NaturallySpeaking not recognize my microphone?

Dragon can fail to hear a microphone for a few reasons, and Nuance's troubleshooting topics cover each one. Start with whether Dragon's microphone is on. Then check the cable and the USB port. Then run Dragon's sound check. If that check fails, the cause is usually the sound card, its driver or the microphone itself.

Check that the microphone is on, not off or asleep

If Dragon gives no response when you speak, Nuance's troubleshooting topic starts with this check: make sure Dragon's microphone is on, as opposed to off or asleep ¹. Look at the microphone control on the DragonBar before you change any setting, because a sleeping microphone can look like a dead one.

Plug a USB microphone straight into the computer

A USB microphone should go directly into the computer's USB port. Nuance says not to use a USB extension or hub ². A hub is one of the easiest things to rule out, so try the microphone directly on the computer before you change anything else.

Headsets that plug into a sound jack follow different rules, but placement still matters for accuracy. Nuance's Dragon for Mac help says to keep a headset's microphone element about an inch from the side of your mouth, not touching it ³.

Dragon 16.1 also needs an audio input device that can record at 16-bit ⁴. If your microphone is an unusual or very cheap model, check its specification before you blame the software.

Run Dragon's sound check before you change anything else

Dragon has its own microphone test. Say "Check Audio" ⁵. If your voice does not reach Dragon at all, the same page gives the menu route: Switch to DragonBar, then Settings, then Microphone, then Check Microphone.

If the check fails, Nuance's error topic points to the hardware. The causes it lists are a microphone that has become disconnected, or a problem with the sound card or the audio device driver ⁶. Its first step is to test Windows itself. Go to the Windows Control Panel and click Sound ⁷, and confirm that audio plays through your speakers or headset. If Windows cannot play sound, Dragon cannot fix that for you.

The Control Panel route comes from the Dragon Professional 16 help. Newer versions of Windows may place some sound settings in the Settings app, and this guide did not confirm that path.

When the profile is the problem

Your user profile stores the type of microphone you use, along with your custom words ⁸. So if you swapped the microphone, the voice profile built with the old one may not suit the new one. Dragon may pass the sound check while a profile made for another setup still produces poor recognition. In that case, create a profile for the setup you use now. The parent guide explains how to create one.

What to do, in order

1. Confirm that Dragon's microphone is on, not off or asleep.
2. Connect a USB microphone directly to the computer, not through a hub.
3. Say "Check Audio". If the check passes but recognition is still poor, the problem is more likely the profile or the microphone's position than the hardware.
4. If the check fails, test the Windows sound system in Control Panel, then try a different microphone.
5. If you changed microphones, check that your profile matches the new one, or create a profile for it.

If Dragon will not start, or it stops responding, the question on why Dragon NaturallySpeaking is not working covers those errors. To choose a microphone, read the best microphone for Dragon NaturallySpeaking. For how the software fits with the rest of your setup, see the parent guide to Dragon NaturallySpeaking and our overview of dictation software.