To dictate in Outlook, open a new email or a reply, click in the body of the message and click Message, Dictate. It is in new Outlook for Windows, in Outlook on the web and, with Microsoft 365, in classic Outlook and in Outlook for Mac. If you are going to dictate in Spanish, change the language to Spanish (Spain) in the gear icon before you speak: it comes set to English. It needs the internet. Gmail has no dictation button on the computer.
How to dictate in Outlook, version by version
The Dictate button is on the Message tab of the compose window in every desktop and web version that has it.
| Version | Where it is | What it needs |
|---|---|---|
| New Outlook for Windows | Message, Dictate | Microphone and internet |
| Outlook on the web and Outlook.com | Message, Dictate | Microphone and internet |
| Classic Outlook for Windows | Message, Dictate | Signed in to Microsoft 365 |
| Outlook for Mac | Message, Dictate, or Option + F1 | Microsoft 365 subscription |
| Outlook on mobile | No longer has it | Microsoft removed it from September 2024 |
- Open a new email or reply to one.
- Click in the body of the message, where you want the text to start.
- Go to the Message tab and click Dictate, the microphone button.
- Wait for the button to switch on and speak. The text appears as you dictate.
Microsoft's list includes Outlook for Microsoft 365 (also on Mac), Outlook 2024, new Outlook for Windows, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com. Earlier versions without a subscription, such as Outlook 2016 or 2019, are not on it.
Change the language and turn on auto punctuation
Outlook dictation listens in US English unless you change it. In the gear icon of the dictation itself you choose the spoken language, the microphone, auto punctuation and the profanity filter. Microsoft supports Spanish (Spain) and Spanish (Mexico) as full languages, not in preview, which according to Microsoft itself may be less accurate or punctuate worse. If you dictate in Spanish, choose Spanish (Spain) and leave auto punctuation ticked.
Dictation commands in Spanish
In Spanish, Outlook understands punctuation and symbol commands, including the opening marks; Microsoft doesn't document editing commands in Spanish.
| You say | It types |
|---|---|
| «punto», «coma», «dos puntos», «punto y coma», «puntos suspensivos» | . , : ; … |
| «signo de apertura de interrogación», «signo de interrogación» | ¿ ? |
| «signo de apertura de exclamación», «signo de exclamación» | ¡ ! |
| «abrir paréntesis», «cerrar paréntesis» | ( ) |
| «comillas izquierdas», «comillas derechas» | quotation marks |
| «nueva línea», «nuevo párrafo» | line break or paragraph break |
| «arroba», «símbolo del euro», «signo de porcentaje» | @ € % |
It is a more complete list than the one for Google Docs, which has no documented command for ¿ or ¡; we compare them in Google Docs voice typing. With auto punctuation turned on, Outlook adds marks without you saying them; check them before sending.
If the Dictate button is missing or doesn't type
If Dictate isn't on the Message tab or doesn't type anything, check the following in order:
- Your version doesn't have it. Classic Outlook and Outlook for Mac need you to be signed in to Microsoft 365. Outlook 2016 or 2019 without a subscription are not on Microsoft's list.
- You haven't clicked in the body of the message. Dictation types where the cursor is.
- Another app is using the microphone. Close the video call or web page that has it and try again.
- The microphone isn't detected, is muted or its level is low. Check it in the computer's sound settings and choose the right one in the dictation gear icon.
- It types strange sentences in English when you dictate in Spanish. The spoken language is still set to English: change it to Spanish (Spain).
- There is no connection, or it is slow. Microsoft asks for a reliable internet connection; with noise, a microphone close to your mouth helps, as we explain in which microphone to choose for dictation.
What happens to the audio of what you dictate
Outlook dictation sends your voice to Microsoft to convert it into text and, according to Microsoft, stores neither the audio nor the transcript. Word has its own Dictate button on the Home tab, which we explain in how to dictate in Word. For an email to a supplier it doesn't matter; for one about a client's matter, it is worth knowing that the audio leaves your computer. What to ask any tool before using it with client data, we explain in client confidentiality and GDPR when using AI in a law firm.
How to dictate without Microsoft 365 and in Gmail
Without Microsoft 365, and in Gmail, you dictate with the system's own dictation, which types in any program.
- On Windows: with the cursor in the email, press Windows + H. It is the voice typing of Windows 10 and 11, free, with auto punctuation and commands in Spanish. It also needs the internet. Step by step in voice typing in Windows 11.
- On a Mac: it is turned on in System Settings, Keyboard, Dictation, and used with the microphone key or with Edit, Start Dictation. We cover it in how to turn on dictation on a Mac.
- Gmail on the computer: Gmail's help doesn't document a dictation feature of its own on the web. Use Windows + H or Mac dictation inside the compose window.
- Gmail and Outlook on mobile: with the keyboard microphone. Gboard gives Gmail as an example of an app where you can dictate, and the iPhone keyboard also has its microphone; Apple says that in many languages iPhone dictation is processed on the phone itself.
Where it falls short with emails to clients
Outlook and Windows dictation type what you say as it is. For a short email that is enough. For a long one to a client the usual problems appear: you have to review the punctuation, the proper names of the parties and companies come out wrong because there is nowhere to teach them, and the hesitations of spoken sentences go into the text. The email goes out, but not in the tone you would send it in.
With ablalo you dictate in Outlook, in Gmail or in any program with a single shortcut, and your voice is transcribed on your own computer. It has a mode for client emails, with their tone and format, punctuates Spanish on its own, removes filler words, learns the names you correct and translates your dictation into more than 100 languages if the client writes in another language.
In short
To dictate in Outlook, open an email, click in the body and click Message, Dictate; in the gear icon, change the language to Spanish (Spain) if you dictate in Spanish and turn on auto punctuation. It is in new Outlook, in Outlook on the web and, with Microsoft 365, in classic Outlook and Outlook for Mac (Option + F1), but not in the mobile app. Without Microsoft 365, and in Gmail, you dictate with Windows + H or with Mac dictation.
Sources: Microsoft, Dictate your emails in Outlook, Dictate in Outlook Mobile and Use voice typing to talk instead of type on your PC; Apple, Dictate messages and documents on Mac and Dictate text on iPhone; Google, Type with your voice in Gboard. Checked on 20 October 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Where is the Dictate button in Outlook?
On the Message tab of the compose window, with the cursor in the body of the email. In Outlook for Mac it also opens with Option + F1.
Why can't I see the Dictate button in Outlook?
The most common reason is the version: classic Outlook and Outlook for Mac need Microsoft 365, and Outlook 2016 or 2019 without a subscription don't have it. In the mobile app it was removed in 2024.
Do you need Microsoft 365 to dictate in Outlook?
In classic Outlook and Outlook for Mac, yes: Microsoft requires it. For new Outlook, Outlook on the web and Outlook.com, its help doesn't set that condition. Without the Dictate button, you can dictate with Windows + H or with Mac dictation.
Can you dictate in the Outlook mobile app?
The app no longer has a Dictate button: Microsoft removed it from September 2024. You dictate with the microphone on the phone's keyboard.
Does Gmail have voice dictation on the computer?
Gmail's help doesn't document a dictation feature of its own on the web. On the computer you dictate in Gmail with Windows + H or with Mac dictation, and on mobile with the keyboard microphone.
Does Outlook store the audio of what I dictate?
According to Microsoft, the dictation service stores neither the audio nor the transcript. The audio is sent to Microsoft to convert it into text, so it needs an internet connection.