12.0

TIP To see the expanded view of the Start screen, you can give commands including “show all applications.”

On the Start screen, if you type some keys, the Search field automatically opens up, displaying the characters

you typed; the same is true if you dictate. You can use this to search for or open items by voice. For instance,

if you wish to open the folder that contains the dragon log, you could say “dragon log” – and once the words

“dragon log” appear in the Search field, you can say “press enter” to activate the search result that is

currently in focus.

Desktop vs. “Modern”

Dragon is designed to be used primarily in the desktop environment, the “classic” interface.

Only there can Dragon’s various interface elements appear; this includes the Results display, the Sidebar, the

Vocabulary Editor, the Accuracy Center, the Open User Profiles dialog, the list of open windows, the Edit

Keywords window triggered by commands such as “search maps for…” If, while outside the desktop

environment, you do something that causes one of these windows to open, that window will be open on the

desktop.

Outside of the desktop environment, Dragon’s usual capabilities may not apply. In particular, there is no Full

Text Control.

Note: Dragon’s capabilities for Internet Explorer only apply to the desktop environment; they do not apply to

the Internet Explorer app (the full-screen “modern” app introduced with Windows 8).

The Audio Bar

As mentioned above, Dragon’s Results indicator (the “rolling” icon when dictation is recognized and the Results

box when a command is recognized) cannot appear outside of the desktop interface. In Dragon 12.0, outside of

the desktop interface, there is no indication of whether Dragon’s microphone is on, off, or asleep. In Dragon

12.5, if you wish to, you can open a small toolbar, the Dragon Audio Bar, which contains the microphone

button and volume meter. Note that the Audio Bar does not open by default. One can access it from the Start

screen.

IMPORTANT: By dragging the Dragon Audio Bar with your mouse, you can move it to a location that is

convenient for you. (Keep in mind that the Dragon Audio Bar is visible in the desktop environment, but there is

no need for it there.) If you wish to close the Dragon Audio Bar, click its “minimize” icon, the right-most icon

(this “minimizes” the bar in the sense of making it disappear; it does not close Dragon NaturallySpeaking

itself).

Below is a screenshot of the Dragon Audio Bar itself, as well as a screenshot of its “tile” on the expanded Start

screen.

Note: For the latest details on using Dragon in Windows 8, please see the Knowledgebase on the Nuance

website: http://www.nuance.com/support/dragon-naturallyspeaking/index.htm