Dictate Emails in Outlook and Gmail

Outlook on a computer has a Dictate button on the Message tab, which Microsoft calls Dictate (Microsoft 365). Microsoft documents it for new Outlook, classic Outlook and Outlook for Mac. Gmail on a computer has no dictation button, so you dictate into Gmail with your operating system's system-wide dictation, which types into whichever field has the cursor. On phones, Microsoft planned to retire Dictate from the Outlook app from September 2024 ¹, and the keyboard's microphone key takes its place.

Outlook has Dictate on desktop and the web, and Gmail has none on a computer

Dictation is built into Outlook on a computer, but not into Gmail. Google documents voice typing for Google Docs, where you start it from Tools and then Voice typing ². We found no Google help page that describes a dictation control in Gmail's compose window, so treat Gmail as having none. The table sets out the route for each app.

Microsoft's dictation article lists these products under Applies To: Outlook for Microsoft 365, Outlook for Microsoft 365 for Mac, Outlook 2024, Outlook.com, New Outlook for Windows and Outlook Web App ³. The article does not mention phone apps anywhere. Microsoft says the dictation feature in Outlook is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers ⁴.

The choice comes down to where the email is written:

Classic Outlook, the new Outlook and Outlook on the web each start Dictate from the message window

The steps are the same in new Outlook and classic Outlook. They start in the message body. Microsoft's instructions for new Outlook are:

1. Start a New Email, or select Reply on a message.
2. Select the body of the message.
3. Go to the Message tab and select Dictate ⁵.
4. Wait for the Dictate button to turn on and start listening, then speak.

In classic Outlook, Microsoft gives the same sequence, with one added condition: you must be signed in to Microsoft 365 on a device with a microphone ⁶. If you use a laptop with a built-in microphone, check that the microphone is not muted before you start.

Outlook for Mac has its own keyboard shortcut. Microsoft says you can start dictation with Option + F1 ⁷. The shortcut avoids the ribbon altogether, so it suits anyone who keeps their hands on the keyboard.

To resume dictation in new Outlook, Microsoft gives ALT+` ⁸. The same tip says you can press the Mic icon in the ribbon instead. If you need to stop to check a name or a figure, the shortcut lets you resume without reaching for the mouse.

One detail trips people up. Microsoft's steps say to select the body of the message first, so click into the body before you press Dictate, not the subject line.

Outlook on the web is listed in Microsoft's Applies To list ³. Microsoft's article writes its steps for new Outlook and does not give a separate web route. Start from the Message tab as you would in new Outlook. If the button is missing, check the subscription and the microphone first, and the next section covers both.

If Dictate is missing or does nothing

Most problems fall into three groups. The first is the subscription. Microsoft's troubleshooting says that if you cannot find the Dictate button, the dictation feature is only available to Microsoft 365 subscribers ⁴.

The second is the microphone. Microsoft says that if nothing appears on the screen as you dictate, you should make sure your microphone is not muted ⁹. The same section also suggests adjusting the input level and moving somewhere quieter. The third is the connection, because Microsoft says Outlook dictation needs a microphone and a reliable internet connection ¹⁰.

If the text comes out wrong rather than not at all, check the language. Microsoft says that languages marked Preview in its list might have lower accuracy or limited punctuation support ¹¹. Dictate in a language on the main list where you can, and treat a preview language as a draft that needs a closer read. For the causes and fixes of other problems, read our guide to dictation not working on any device and the question on why Dictate is not working in Outlook.

Which route to try first

Start with the app you already use. If you have new Outlook for Windows or Outlook for Microsoft 365 on a Mac, use the Dictate button first, because it is the route Microsoft documents for the message window. If the button is greyed out or missing, check the subscription and the microphone before you look for another tool. If you write in Gmail on a computer, skip the Outlook steps entirely and use your system's dictation, which the next section covers. If you write on a phone, use the keyboard's microphone in both apps. Changing tools mid-email costs more time than it saves, so pick one route for each email and stay with it.

If the keyboard microphone is not available on your phone, dictate a draft into a notes app, check it, and paste the finished text into Outlook. The notes app gives you a plain text field to correct in, and the paste keeps the wording you have already checked.

Microsoft planned to retire Dictate from the Outlook phone apps, so phones use the keyboard

Microsoft's message center told administrators that the Dictation feature would be retired from Microsoft Outlook for iOS and Android, starting in early September 2024 and ending by late September 2024 ¹. The notice also said that a system microphone remains available to users while they work in the app ¹².

Microsoft gave no reason for the decision. Office Watch, which reported the change in July 2024, said the company would drop the feature "for no reason Microsoft will share" ¹³. The change matters more than it sounds, because phones are where people often have no physical keyboard.

So on a phone, dictate in Outlook through the keyboard. On Android, tap a text field and then the microphone at the top of the Gboard keyboard, and speak when you see "Speak now" ¹⁴. Our guide to voice typing on Android covers the setup. On iPhone, spoken punctuation works by saying the name of the mark, for example "exclamation point" ¹⁵, and our guide to iPhone dictation covers the rest.

On Android, the Gboard microphone works in any text field, so the same habit covers Outlook, Gmail and your messages ¹⁴.

Outlook has its own spoken punctuation list, separate from Word's

Outlook does not use Word's command table. Microsoft says that in addition to dictating your content, you can speak commands to add punctuation and enter special characters ¹⁶. The commands are listed per language on Microsoft's page, with a dropdown that switches the list. Check the list for your language before you rely on a command.

The practical rule is simple. Speak the words, then say the punctuation name when you need a mark, and check the result before you send. Our guide to dictation punctuation covers the patterns that work across apps, and Dictate in Word covers Word's list, which differs from Outlook's.

In Gmail on a computer, the operating system's dictation does the typing

Gmail on a computer has no dictation button of its own, so you use a tool that types into any field. Two routes cover most people.

On a Mac, dictation works anywhere you can type. Apple says you can speak to enter text in any place where you can type ¹⁷, which includes the Gmail compose box in a browser. You turn Dictation on from the Dictation section of Keyboard settings in System Settings ¹⁸. Apple says general text Dictation on a Mac is processed on your device and not sent to Siri servers, and you can check this in Keyboard settings ¹⁹.

On Windows, press the Windows key and H together on a hardware keyboard to start voice typing ²⁰. Voice typing needs a working microphone and the cursor in a text box ²¹. Gmail's compose box is a text box, so the same steps work there. Microsoft says Windows voice typing uses online speech recognition powered by Azure Speech services ²², so expect it to need the internet, unlike the Mac route, which Apple describes as processed on the device.

Google Docs is a workable workaround for a computer. Voice typing in Google Docs works with the latest versions of Chrome, Edge and Safari ²³. Dictate into a Google Doc, then copy the text into your Gmail draft. It takes one extra step, but the speech is recognized by a tool built for it.

Which system tool fits your computer depends on the machine you write on. The Mac and Windows routes start with different keys, so learn the one for each computer rather than trying to remember both in the same session. Our guides to dictation on a Mac and Windows voice typing give the setup for each.

We make Yap, an on-device dictation app for Mac and Windows that types into the field that has focus, including Gmail in a browser. It is one option, and the built-in tools above are free and enough for many people. The question on whether Gmail has voice typing lists the routes in more detail, and the question on dictation extensions for Gmail explains what extensions can and cannot do. For the wider picture of dictating into any app, read how to dictate into any app.

On a phone, Gmail dictation is the keyboard's microphone

The Gmail app does not have its own dictation. On an Android phone, the Gboard keyboard's microphone works in any text field, Gmail included ¹⁴. The steps are the same as in Outlook: tap the field, tap the microphone at the top of the keyboard, and speak. For Gmail-specific troubleshooting, see the question on why dictation is not working in Gmail.

For iPhone, the command list is covered in the iPhone dictation commands guide.

Email is where dictation saves the most time, and a quick read before sending catches the errors

Speech is much faster than typing for the same text. In a controlled study on an iPhone, English text entered by speech reached 153 words per minute, against 52 words per minute on the built-in keyboard ^{24 25}.

Those were short messages read aloud in a quiet room, so treat the numbers as a guide to short replies, not a promise for a long email. For a day of email, the difference is clearer. In an example day of 1,200 words of replies, typing on a phone keyboard at 52 words per minute takes about 23.1 minutes ²⁶. Dictating the same 1,200 words at 153 words per minute takes about 7.8 minutes, but that figure covers only text you have already composed ²⁷. Heavy email users matter here: Microsoft's 2023 Work Trend Index found that the top 25 percent of its Microsoft 365 users spend 8.8 hours a week on email ²⁸.

Speed is not the whole story, because speech can leave more errors in the final text. The Ruan study found that speech produced fewer errors during entry than the phone keyboard, but left slightly more errors in the final text: 1.30 percent uncorrected against 0.79 percent for the keyboard ²⁹. The study's authors also note that results outside the lab still need study ³⁰.

A checklist before you send

Speed makes a careless send easier, so use the same short check every time:

1. Read the first sentence and the last sentence of the email aloud or silently.
2. Check every name, date, number and link.
3. Look at each punctuation mark the commands produced, and fix any that are missing or doubled.
4. Check the subject line, which you may have typed by hand or left out.
5. If you used a preview language, read the whole message once more.

This takes seconds and matches the error pattern the study found. For more on building the habit, read how to dictate emails faster than you type them and dictation vs typing.

Practice on routine mail first. Dictate a few replies to simple messages, such as meeting confirmations, and compare each result with what you would have typed. Leave the small errors for the checklist rather than stopping to fix each one as you go, because stopping breaks the flow of the sentence you are speaking. With practice, most routine replies will need only the checklist and a quick send.

The routes in this guide sit inside a wider set of choices, and the overview of dictation in your apps puts them side by side. Our guides to Dictate in Word and Google Docs voice typing cover the other two writing tools people use most, so you can compare the same steps across the apps you write in.