How do you update Dragon NaturallySpeaking?

To update Dragon Professional on Windows, you run the newer installer over the copy you already have. If you run version 14, 15 or 16, Nuance says Dragon upgrades to version 16.1 automatically ¹, and you do not need to uninstall first. Your custom words and commands carry over ². Export a copy of them before you start anyway, because the installer removes the old version ³.

The steps below follow Nuance's release notes for Dragon Professional 16.1, the newest desktop release we found. For the first install rather than an update, use our guide to setting up Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

Version 14, 15 and 16 upgrade in place, without an uninstall

Nuance describes two upgrade paths. The first covers versions 14, 15 and 16. Dragon supports automatic upgrades from versions 14, 15 and 16, and the notes say you do not need to uninstall your existing copy first ¹. You upgrade by running the installer, and the rest happens as the program starts.

Your profile follows the same pattern. In a standalone install, Nuance says Dragon upgrades your user profiles when you open them after the upgrade ⁴. So open Dragon once the installer finishes, let it upgrade the profile, and then check that your custom words are still there.

The installer steps, as Nuance lists them, are:

1. Export your custom words and commands, as described in the next section.
2. Close any open programs. If you run an antivirus program, turn it off until the installation completes.
3. Download Dragon.exe and double-click it. The installer downloads the files it needs as it runs.
4. If prompted, install Microsoft .NET Framework 4.8, and restart the computer if the installer asks you to.
5. In the InstallShield wizard, accept the license terms, enter your serial number, and select your region.
6. Open Dragon, let it upgrade your profile, and check your custom words and commands.

The full list is in Nuance's Dragon Professional 16.1 release notes, which name the same steps.

Export your custom words and commands before you upgrade

Nuance recommends a backup: "Before you upgrade, Nuance recommends exporting your custom words and commands for safe-keeping" ⁵. The export is cheap, and it matters because the installer removes the old version as it installs the new one ³.

For custom words, open the DragonBar, select Vocabulary Center, then Export custom word and phrase list, and save the text file somewhere you will remember. For custom commands, select Tools, then Command Center, then Mode, then Manage. Choose User-defined in the Group list, select the commands you want, and click Export.

A backup of the export is not a backup of the whole profile. Nuance says a profile stores the type of microphone you use as well as your custom words ⁶, so the export covers only your custom words and commands. For setup, see our guide to setting up Dragon NaturallySpeaking.

Dragon 13 or earlier needs a manual upgrade

The automatic route does not cover older versions. For an upgrade from Dragon 13 or earlier, Nuance's steps are longer. They say: "If you are upgrading from Dragon 13 or earlier, you must do the following: ... Uninstall your current version of Dragon. Install Dragon 16.1 and create a new user profile when prompted" ⁷.

In practice, that means four stages. Open the old version and export your custom words and commands. Uninstall it. Install Dragon 16.1 and create a new user profile when the installer asks. Then import the words and commands you exported into the new profile. Nuance's Dragon 16 notes describe a separate route for version 12 and earlier. For that case and the other version paths, see the question on upgrading an old Dragon.

Some updates depend on your administrator or your Mac

Two cases change the answer.

Managed installs. If your Dragon runs in Nuance Management Center mode, an administrator controls it. Nuance says that where an edition has that mode enabled, you need an internet connection to the Nuance Management Center server and a login, and that an administrator provides the account and license ⁸. Ask your administrator before you upgrade a managed copy yourself.

Dragon for Mac. Updates for the Mac product have stopped. A reseller quotes a Nuance notice that said it would stop providing updates for Dragon Professional Individual for Mac after 22 October 2018 ⁹. On a Mac, updating is not the answer. Read the Dragon NaturallySpeaking alternatives guide to see the current options.

For a full comparison of the editions and their upgrade rules, read the guide to Dragon NaturallySpeaking versions and prices.

Check your version before you assume you are current

The Dragon 16 release notes we read do not describe a menu that checks for updates. Nuance's older support note for Dragon 12 describes a Help menu with Check for Updates, but that does not show whether later versions have one. The safest check is to compare your installed version with the release notes on Nuance's product pages before you install anything.

We found no release notes for a version newer than 16.1 in our searches. That does not rule one out, so check Nuance's product page before you pay for an upgrade. If Dragon will not start after an update, see why Dragon NaturallySpeaking is not working.

Related questions

If you are deciding whether to keep Dragon at all, read whether Dragon NaturallySpeaking is still sold and supported. If you are moving to a new computer rather than updating, the question on transferring Dragon covers the profile step. For the words and commands you exported, see the glossary entry for custom vocabulary.