Status Window

The Status Window allows you to control Dragon, receive feedback, and view guidance. When the Status Window is showing, it floats over all applications.

View and toggle the microphone mode

The microphone button’s icon indicates the microphone mode:

: The microphone is on.
: The microphone is off.
: The microphone is in sleep mode.

Click the microphone button to toggle the microphone on or off.

View and change recognition modes

The mode dropdown list indicates the current recognition mode. Click it to switch between recognition modes, or select Transcription Mode to start transcribing an audio file.

View the sound input

The gray bar at the top of the window shows the sound input level. If the sound level is too high or too low, you may need to revisit the Microphone Setup window.

Show or hide Information

Click the Show/Hide Information icon to view the Information area. Here, you will see:

The commands you speak transcribed into text
Special states such as Caps On

Show or hide Guidance

Click the Show/Hide Guidance icon to view the Guidance area. Here, you will see common next steps based on what you are currently doing.

You will also see the Commands button, which allows you to toggle the Available Commands window, and the Help button, which accesses Dragon for Mac online help.

Show or hide the Status Window

Say Show / Hide Status Window.
Click the icon in the menu bar, then select Show / Hide Status Window.

To set whether the Status Window should be visible when Dragon starts up:

In the General pane of the Preferences window, check or uncheck Show Status Window at Startup.

Change the size of the Status Window

With the Information and Guidance areas hidden, the Status Window takes up very little space:
Status Window - small

You can switch it to compact mode if you are comfortable enough using Dragon that you don't need the Status Window to remind you what recognition mode you are using.

Just place your mouse pointer on the left or right edge of the Status Window and drag towards the center of the window to collapse:
Status Window - compact

To restore the Status Window to its original size, do one of the following:

Place your mouse pointer on the left or right edge of the Status Window and drag away from the center of the window.
Click either the or icon.