Microsoft Word
Proposals, contracts, and reports
Full Text Control lets you dictate, select, correct, and format inside Word without reaching for the keyboard.
v16Dragon Professional 16 for business
Dragon Professional speech recognition for Windows
Dictate documents, email, and reports up to 3 times faster than typing, then run Word, Outlook, and Excel by voice. Dragon Professional 16 is the business edition of the speech recognition software many people still call Dragon NaturallySpeaking.
- Developed by Nuance, a Microsoft company
- Windows 10 and 11
- Sold by a Nuance Gold Certified Partner
- Dictation is3xFaster than typing
- Up to99%Recognition accuracy
- 30 minutes a weekday is125 hrsBack each year
- Built on25+ yearsNuance speech recognition
Works where business gets done
Dictation software for Microsoft Word, Outlook, and Excel
Dragon types straight into the Windows programs your business already runs on. For anything else, the Dictation Box lets you dictate first and drop the text into almost any application.
Outlook
Email replies in seconds
Say the reply the way you would say it on the phone, read it once, and send it by voice.
Excel
Spreadsheets and form-based reports
Fill in cells and form fields by voice, and fix an entry without retyping the row.
Edge and Chrome
CRM records and web portals
Dragon Web Extensions let you click fields, buttons, and links, then dictate notes into browser-based CRMs and portals.
Customer story
Write the report while the meeting is still fresh
Dan Gadbois sells wire and cable products. Five or six meetings a day, four days a week on the road, and every evening ended the same way: two hours of typing up recaps from memory.
"I could write the report while the meeting was still fresh in my mind."
Dragon does not record the meeting. Dan dictated each recap himself, right after it ended.
Before Dragon
- Client meetings a day
- 5-6
- A week on the road
- 4 days
- Of recaps a night
- 2 hrs
With Dragon
8 hrs
A week back, with each recap dictated right after the meeting
"It helped my productivity immensely. It gave me more time for sales prospecting, increasing sales at existing accounts, and getting more appointments into each day."
Across the business
Dragon Professional voice recognition software for every desk
Pick a role to see where the hours come back first.
For sales and account managers
Follow-ups out the door before the next meeting
Recaps, follow-up emails, and CRM updates are where sales hours disappear. Dictate them while the details are fresh, and give the evening back to something other than typing.
- Dictate the recap and the follow-up email right after each meeting
- Update browser-based CRM records by voice in Edge or Chrome
- Add product names, part numbers, and client names to your vocabulary
- Turn your standard pitch paragraph into a one-phrase Auto-text command
For consultants, agencies, and advisors
More hours on client work, fewer on admin
Consultants, accountants, insurance agents, real estate professionals, and agency teams write for a living. Dragon takes over the drafting so more of the day goes to clients.
- Draft proposals, statements of work, and client letters in Word
- Insert standard terms and disclaimers with a single spoken phrase
- Record notes on a digital recorder and let Dragon transcribe them at your desk
- Keep a clear, detailed written record of every client touchpoint
Transcription is built for your own recordings with one speaker. It does not transcribe meetings or phone calls.
For owners and managers
Run the business, not the keyboard
In a small business the owner writes the quotes, the job postings, the policies, and half the email. Dragon turns that pile into talking, and the commands you build can be shared with your whole team.
- Dictate quotes, job postings, and policies in one pass
- Share custom words and commands with everyone who uses Dragon
- Volume licensing for teams, with central management in Nuance Management Center
- Section 508 certified, which helps when an employee needs an accommodation
For office managers and coordinators
Forms, spreadsheets, and the same update fifty times
Office managers, coordinators, and back-office staff fill in the same forms and send the same updates all week. Voice commands and Auto-text take the repetition out of it.
- Fill in form-based reports and spreadsheets by voice
- Launch programs and trigger shortcuts with Step-by-Step commands
- Replay a series of clicks and keystrokes on command with the Macro Recorder
- Transcribe a whole folder of your own recorded memos with the Auto Transcribe Folder Agent
You say"Shipping update"
Dragon typesYour order has shipped and should arrive within three business days. Tracking details are below.
Do the math
What could Dragon give your team back?
Move the sliders to estimate the hours your business spends typing, and what it would get back by dictating instead.
Estimate only. It assumes dictation is 3 times faster than typing for the time spent typing, across 250 working days a year. Actual results depend on the person and the work.
Estimated time back each year
333hours
- Per person
- 333 hrs
- Full work weeks
- 8
- Value of that time
- $13,333
Compare your options
Is Dragon Professional 16 the best dictation software for you?
Windows 10 and 11 include free voice typing, and for a quick message it does the job. Dragon Professional 16 is dedicated speech recognition software, with accuracy unmatched by general-purpose speech recognition tools. Here is how to tell which one you need.
Choose Dragon Professional 16 if
- You write for more than an hour a day
- Your work uses names, products, or terms general tools get wrong
- You repeat the same paragraphs, forms, or clicks every week
- You want to run Windows and your programs by voice
- You need to turn your own recorded notes into text
Free Windows voice typing may be enough if
- You dictate a short message now and then
- You rarely use specialized vocabulary
- You do not need custom commands, macros, or transcription
Looking for a different Dragon?
- Dragon Professional AnywhereCloud-based subscription for organizations that want dictation managed in the cloud
- Dragon Legal AnywhereCloud speech recognition with legal vocabulary for law firms
- Dragon Medical OneSpeech recognition for clinicians, inside the EHR
- Dragon Law EnforcementIncident reports and records for police departments
In their words
What business users say about Dragon
"[Dragon] is incredibly accurate, fast and an extremely important tool to my practice. I estimate that, by using [Dragon], my firm has saved tens of thousands of dollars... and has substantially increased our individual productivity."
"I admit I was skeptical at first, because I have a deep voice, but I figured I'd give it a shot. But it was surprisingly accurate out of the box."
"I expected it to be much lower and with a prohibitive learning curve. In practice, however, I found the software easy and fun to use."
Testimonials describe Dragon speech recognition. Some speakers used earlier Dragon versions.
Dragon Professional 16 price and download
Buy Dragon Professional 16
Today's price is on the product page. Dragon installs from a download and activates over an internet connection.
- Dictation, editing, and formatting by voice in Word, Outlook, Excel, and the web
- Full voice control of Windows, including MouseGrid on up to three monitors
- Auto-text, Step-by-Step commands, and the Macro Recorder
- Custom vocabulary with word list import and export
- Transcription of single-speaker recordings, including whole folders
Upgrading from an older Dragon?
Version 16 keeps your setup
- Dragon 13, 14, and 15 upgrade automatically
- Your custom words and commands come with you
- No need to uninstall the old version first
- On Dragon 12 or earlier? Export, install 16, then import
Buying for a team, or not sure your license qualifies for an upgrade?Book a 15-minute consultation
System requirements
Optimized for Windows 11 and Office 2021. Windows only, with no Mac version.
- Operating system
- Windows 10 or 11
- Microsoft Office
- 2016 or later
- Memory
- 4 GB RAM minimum
- Disk space
- 12 GB free
FAQ
Dragon Professional 16: common questions
Licensing a team?
A 15-minute call covers volume licensing, upgrades, and central management for your business.
Book a 15-minute consultationIs Dragon Professional 16 the same as Dragon NaturallySpeaking?
Dragon Professional 16 is the professional edition of Nuance desktop speech recognition, the product line many people still know as Dragon NaturallySpeaking. It runs on Windows 10 and 11, is developed by Nuance, a Microsoft company, and adds full voice control of your PC, custom commands, and transcription to the dictation the name is known for.
How much does Dragon Professional 16 cost?
The current price is listed on the Dragon Professional 16 product page. Buying for several people? Volume licensing is available, and a 15-minute consultation gets you a quote for your team.
Book a 15-minute consultationDoes Dragon work in Microsoft Word?
Yes. Word supports Full Text Control, so you can dictate, select text, correct words, and format by voice. Outlook and Excel work by voice too, and for other programs the Dictation Box lets you dictate first and transfer the text in one step.
Can Dragon transcribe meetings or phone calls?
No. Dragon transcribes recordings of a single speaker, such as notes you dictate into a digital recorder away from your desk. The Auto Transcribe Folder Agent can work through a whole folder of those recordings at once. It is not designed for meetings, interviews, or calls with several people talking.
Does Dragon Professional 16 include the Dragon Anywhere mobile app?
No. Dragon Anywhere is a separate cloud subscription for iOS and Android. Syncing custom words and commands between the desktop and mobile apps is available for enterprise deployments managed in Nuance Management Center.
Can I upgrade from Dragon Professional Individual 15?
Installing Dragon 16 upgrades versions 13, 14, and 15 automatically and keeps your custom words and commands, with no need to uninstall first. Upgrade license eligibility depends on the edition you own, so confirm it with us before you buy.
Book a 15-minute consultationWhat is the difference between Dragon Professional 16 and Dragon Professional Anywhere?
Dragon Professional 16 is installed on your Windows PC. Dragon Professional Anywhere is a cloud-based subscription aimed at organizations that want speech recognition managed centrally in the cloud.
Compare Dragon Professional AnywhereDoes Dragon work with Microsoft Teams and PowerPoint?
Dragon Professional 16 added support for Microsoft Teams (Home and Work editions), but some commands do not work in Teams Home or in PowerPoint. Word, Outlook, Excel, Edge, and Chrome are the strongest fit for all-day dictation.
Can my team share custom words and commands?
Yes. Custom words, word lists, and commands can be exported and imported between users, and organizations using Nuance Management Center can share words, commands, and Auto-text across everyone from one place.
Will Dragon Professional 16 run on my computer?
It needs Windows 10 or 11, at least 4 GB of RAM, 12 GB of free disk space, and an internet connection for download and activation. It is optimized for Windows 11 and Office 2021. There is no Mac version.
What microphone works best in an office?
In an open office, a headset microphone usually picks up less background noise than a laptop microphone, and Dragon accuracy extends to open office environments. Dragon also supports the Nuance PowerMic 4, a handheld microphone with programmable buttons and built-in mouse control.
How quickly can a new user get productive?
Most people dictate usefully in their first session. Saying "What can I say" lists the commands that work in the open program, so nobody has to memorize anything up front.
Talk your way through the paperwork
Dragon Professional 16 for Windows: dictation, voice control, and custom commands in one install. Buy it today, or talk to us about licensing a team.