Why does Dragon say it should not be run in elevated mode?

We could not open the page where Nuance explains the elevated-mode warning, so the reasons below are not Nuance's own words on why. Nuance's group client guide for Dragon Professional 16 gives two reasons to avoid elevated mode. Dragon does not need the extra rights that elevation gives it, and a profile created while logged in as an administrator may be hidden from your normal account. Anything beyond those two reasons is unconfirmed.

Dragon runs without administrator rights

Nuance's guide says that "Administrator rights are not required to create a user profile or use the software after installation" ¹. Elevated mode means Windows runs a program with full administrator rights, usually because you choose Run as administrator. For normal dictation, that gives Dragon access it does not need, and the documentation does not list a benefit to running it that way.

A profile made as an administrator can be hidden from your account

The same guide adds a warning about profiles. It says that if an administrator creates a user profile while logged in as an administrator, "that profile is not accessible to users with restricted privileges" ². That matters most on a shared PC. If you create your profile while signed in as an administrator, your standard account may not see it. You would then have to create a new profile, and the old one would sit unused where your account cannot reach it.

Changing User Account Control is not a reliable fix

Some people turn User Account Control (UAC) off to stop Dragon from failing. A 2017 Microsoft Q&A user found that turning UAC back on did not fix a launch error on their PC: "Dragon still did not work for me after turning UAC back on" ³. The post reports the same UI Automation message, covered in the question on fixing the UI Automation server error. Its result is one user's, but it shows that UAC is one thing to check, not the cause. Keep UAC on unless your IT department tells you otherwise.

What to do

1. Right-click the Dragon shortcut. If it is set to always run as administrator, remove that setting.
2. Sign out of the administrator account and sign in with the standard account you dictate from.
3. Start Dragon from that account. Open Settings, then Profile, then Manage User Profiles on the DragonBar, as Nuance's help on working with user profiles describes, and check which profiles it lists.
4. If your profile is missing, it may have been created under the administrator account. Create a new profile from the standard account, then keep a copy of it, as the question on the Dragon user profile location explains.
5. Use an elevated prompt only for installing or repairing Dragon, and not for everyday dictation.

It depends on who manages the PC

On a work computer, your administrator may control Dragon's settings, the installation and the rights your account has. In that case, ask them before you change any elevation setting. On a shared computer, each person should make a profile from their own account ².

If the message you see is not about elevation at all, but says the UI Automation server failed to launch, read the question on that error. If Dragon will not start at all, see why Dragon NaturallySpeaking is not working. For the setup steps in order, return to how to use Dragon NaturallySpeaking, and read the glossary entry for Dragon NaturallySpeaking for the product's history and editions.