How do you install the Dragon web extension?

You install the Dragon web extension from a prompt that appears in your browser. In Dragon Professional 16, the prompt shows the first time you open Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge after Dragon is installed. Follow it, confirm the install, and check that the extension is on. Nuance's Dragon 16 help lists Chrome and Edge only, so for Dragon 16 those are the browsers to use. The steps below come from Nuance's own help, and the guide to using Dragon NaturallySpeaking covers the rest of setup.

The extension lets you click web page objects by voice

The extension is optional, and you can dictate without it. Nuance describes it as a browser extension that adds commands to click web page objects, like buttons and links, by voice, and Full Text Control in most web page fields and web applications. Without it, you use the mouse and keyboard for those objects. If you dictate only into Word or another desktop program, you do not need it.

Dragon 16 lists Chrome and Edge, while older help also lists Firefox

Nuance's overview for Dragon Professional 16 lists two browsers: Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge, each in its latest version ¹. It does not list Firefox.

Older Nuance help gives a different picture. Its browser list includes Mozilla Firefox Quantum ². The same older page says the extension does not apply to Edge, so you cannot click web page objects by voice there ³. That conflicts with the Dragon 16 pages, which list Edge as supported. The version you install decides which statement applies, so check the help inside your copy of Dragon.

If you run one of the older versions in Firefox, the older install steps describe a first-launch prompt for Firefox as well ⁴. Treat that as history. For a current install, use Chrome or Edge.

How to install the extension in Chrome or Edge

1. Install Dragon first. The extension prompt only appears after Dragon is on the computer.
2. Open Google Chrome. Nuance's Chrome steps begin with a prompt that appears when you first open Chrome after Dragon is installed ⁵. Click Proceed. Chrome then prompts you to install the extension, so click the button it shows. When Chrome asks you to confirm the installation, click Add extension.
3. Open Microsoft Edge. Edge shows a prompt the first time you open it after Dragon is installed ⁶. Click Add extension and follow the instructions on the screen.
4. Check that the extension is on. In Chrome, open the menu, select Settings, then Extensions. Make sure the Dragon Professional Web Extension is Enabled. If it is not, select the Enable check box, then close and reopen Chrome. In Edge, select Settings and more, then Extensions, and turn on the switch next to the extension. The extension icon sits on the toolbar, next to the address bar, once it is active.

The first-run Chrome steps in Nuance's Dragon 16 install page do not name the store's button. Its reinstall steps call it the Add to Chrome button, so follow the label you see on your screen.

When the prompt does not appear, or the extension is missing

The prompt does not appear if you ticked Do not ask me again the first time, or if Do not show tips is on in the Appearance page of the Options dialog box. In that case, use the reinstall steps on the same Nuance page. If Chrome shows a Dragon Professional Web Extension Disabled message, select Restore and follow the store steps.

Also check the Options dialog box. Nuance says the Enable HTML Support option on the Commands page must be on, and it is on by default.

Do not test the extension in a private window. Its features are not available in Chrome Incognito, Chrome Metro mode or Edge InPrivate mode ⁷. Open a normal window before you decide that the extension is broken.

What to do next

Install the extension in Chrome or Edge, enable it, and test it on a normal web page. If it still fails, read the guide on why Dragon NaturallySpeaking is not working and the page on why Dragon is not working in Chrome, Word or Outlook. For the product itself, see the Dragon NaturallySpeaking glossary entry and the overview of dictation software. If you use a screen reader alongside Dragon, the answer is different, and does JAWS work with Dragon NaturallySpeaking covers that.