Recommendations for working with speech recognition applications (Dragon, Office Dictate, Windows Speech Recognition, and Voice Control for macOS)

On this page:

Overview
Recommended headsets
Microsoft Office
Web browser for Canvas
Windows 11 support

Overview

Below are recommendations from ATAC related to hardware and software when using speech recognition applications. The items listed in this guide are not exhaustive and are subject to change.

Recommended headsets

When using speech recognition applications, it is recommended to have a dedicated headset for the best level of accuracy when dictating. The following headsets have been used by the ATAC office and clients.

Dragon USB headset
Plantronics Blackwire 3220
Plantronics Blackwire 5220
Jabra Evolve2 30 series
Sennheiser SC 660 USB ML
Poly Voyager 4200 Office and UC series
Jabra Evolve 75 series
Jabra Evolve2 75 and 85 series

Microsoft Office

Note:

When using Dragon, Voice Control, or Windows Speech Recognition with Office 365 online, you are limited to basic dictation. Editing and navigation by voice in the applications is not available.

Dragon Professional Group

To get the best performance out of Dragon Professional Group, you should use Office 365. With these versions, you can take advantage of the Full Text Control, Menu Tracking, and Natural Language Commands features within Dragon Professional. If you aren't sure which version of office you are using, see What version of Office am I using?

Windows Speech Recognition

Windows Speech Recognition also benefits from using the newest version of Office. Dictation, editing, and navigation of menus/documents are available with Office 365 for desktop.

Voice Control

Be sure to use the most current version of Office that your macOS supports. Office 365 supports macOS Monterey (version 12), Big Sur (version 11), and Catalina (version 10.15).

Web browser(s) for Canvas

Use the following browser(s) for each speech recognition application for the best experience working in Canvas:

Dragon Professional Group: Google Chrome or Mozilla Firefox
Windows Speech Recognition: Google Chrome or Microsoft Edge (Chromium version)
Voice Control: Safari

Windows 11 support

Office Dictation and Windows Speech Recognition are supported in Windows 11.
Dragon Professional Group is officially not supported for use with Windows 11. You can read about it in the Nuance Knowledge Base.