How do you dictate in Outlook on a Mac?

To dictate an email in Outlook for Mac, start a new message or a reply, go to Message, and select Dictate. Microsoft's steps for Outlook for Mac say to sign in to Microsoft 365 on a device with a microphone while you do this ¹. Microsoft also lists Option + F1 as a shortcut that starts dictation ².

The steps in Outlook for Mac

1. Click New Email, or reply to the message you are reading.
2. Click in the body of the message.
3. Go to Message > Dictate, as Microsoft's Outlook for Mac steps say ¹. Wait for the Dictate button to turn on and start listening.
4. Speak. The text appears in the message body as you talk.
5. To start dictation from the keyboard, press Option + F1 ².

Microsoft gives separate steps for new Outlook, classic Outlook and Outlook for Mac, so use the instructions that match the Outlook you open.

Dictate needs a Microsoft 365 subscription and a microphone

Dictate is available only to Microsoft 365 subscribers ³. The feature also needs a microphone and a reliable internet connection ⁴. If Dictate is missing from the Message menu, check the subscription and the connection first.

Microsoft's article lists Outlook for Microsoft 365 for Mac under Applies To ⁵, so the feature is meant for that version. The question on why Dictate is not working in Outlook lists the checks in more detail.

When Dictate stops or hears nothing

Two of Microsoft's troubleshooting points cover common failures:

• If you see a message that another app is using the microphone, Microsoft says to make sure no other application or web page is using the microphone, then try again ⁶.
• If nothing appears on the screen as you dictate, Microsoft says to make sure your microphone is not muted ⁷.

These checks come from Microsoft's troubleshooting list. If they do not help, try the same message in Apple Dictation, described below, to see whether the problem is the microphone or Outlook.

Spoken punctuation works in Outlook, and the list depends on language

You do not have to stop dictating to add punctuation. Microsoft's article has a list of spoken commands for punctuation and special characters, with a separate list for each supported language, so check the list for your language before you start.

Apple Dictation is a fallback in the message body

Apple says that with Dictation on a Mac you can speak to enter text anywhere you can type ⁸. The message body in Outlook is a place where you can type, so Apple Dictation may work there when Microsoft's Dictate button is not available. We did not test that combination for this answer, so check a short message in your own account before you rely on it for a long one.

To turn on Apple Dictation, open System Settings > Keyboard and turn Dictation on. The Mac dictation shortcut guide explains the shortcut options, and the Apple Dictation glossary entry explains how Apple's feature differs from Microsoft's.

Which route to choose

Use Microsoft's Dictate when you have a subscription, because it is the feature Microsoft documents for Outlook. Use Apple Dictation when you do not have a subscription, or when Dictate will not start and you want to keep writing. Either way, read the message before you send it, because a dictated draft can contain wrong words.

For the other options, read our guide to dictating email in Outlook, Gmail and other apps, the question on dictating a professional email and the question on Mac Mail. If you write in Word or PowerPoint on the same Mac, the question on dictating in PowerPoint on a Mac uses the same Microsoft 365 requirements. The Dictate in Microsoft 365 glossary entry explains the feature across Office apps, and our overview of dictation on Mac covers the built-in options.