Speech to Text in Outlook: How to Dictate Your Emails

Yes, there's speech to text in Outlook. Microsoft's Dictate button turns your voice into text in new Outlook for Windows, classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac and Outlook on the web, as long as you have a Microsoft 365 subscription and an internet connection. Here's how to use it, where it falls short, and when LumeVoice is the better fit.

How to use Dictate in Outlook#

Microsoft's Dictate guide for Outlook covers four desktop and web versions, and as of October 2026 the button sits in the same place in each: on the Message tab in new Outlook, classic Outlook and Outlook on the web, and under Message > Dictate in Outlook for Mac.

1. Start a new email or reply and click in the message body.
2. Select Dictate and wait for the button to switch on and start listening.
3. Talk. When you want exact punctuation or symbols, say them: "comma," "question mark," "new line," "at sign," "dollar sign."
4. In new Outlook, Alt + ` (the backtick key) resumes dictation after a pause.

The gear icon holds four settings: spoken language, microphone, Auto Punctuation (where your language supports it) and a profanity filter. Microsoft also says the service doesn't store your audio or the transcribed text.

Where Outlook's Dictate falls short#

• It's for Microsoft 365 subscribers. Microsoft says dictation is only available to them. Without a subscription, the button won't be there.
• It's gone from phones. Microsoft retired Dictate from Outlook Mobile starting in September 2024.
• Commands are about punctuation. Microsoft describes spoken commands that add punctuation and special characters. It doesn't describe removing filler words or applying your self-corrections.
• Language support is uneven. Fifteen language variants are fully supported, including several kinds of English, French, German, Spanish, Japanese and Hindi. About three dozen more are in preview, which Microsoft says "might have lower accuracy or limited punctuation support."
• It lives inside Outlook. A Teams chat, a Slack thread or a web form needs a different tool.

The other free option: your computer's own dictation#

On Windows, Windows key + H opens voice typing in any Outlook text box. Microsoft says it uses online speech recognition, so it also needs internet, and its settings include automatic punctuation. On Copilot+ PCs, a feature called Fluid dictation corrects grammar, punctuation and filler words as you speak, in English, using small language models that run on the PC. On a Mac, Apple's Dictation works in Outlook for Mac like anywhere else you type.

How to dictate in Outlook with LumeVoice#

LumeVoice types wherever your cursor is, so it works the same way in new Outlook, classic Outlook, Outlook for Mac and Outlook on the web in any browser, with or without Microsoft 365.

1. Download LumeVoice for Windows or Mac. On Windows it installs per user, with no admin rights needed.
2. Click into the message body, the Subject line or the description of a meeting invite.
3. Hold Ctrl + Win (Windows) or fn (Mac), speak, and let go. For a long email, double-press the key for hands-free mode and press it once to finish.
4. Read the text and click Send yourself. LumeVoice types; it never sends.

In the Outlook app on your phone, switch to the Lume keyboard on iPhone or tap the floating bubble on Android.

What lands in the email is cleaned up: filler words and stutters removed, self-corrections applied ("Tuesday, actually Wednesday" becomes "Wednesday"), punctuation, capitals and paragraph breaks added from context, spoken lists turned into numbered or bulleted lists, and grammar and spelling fixed.

Tips for dictating emails in Outlook#

• Lead with the ask. Say the request or decision in your first sentence, then the background. Busy readers decide from the first lines.
• Leave the signature to Outlook. Your signature settings still apply. Save snippets for what a signature doesn't cover: a booking link, a standard intro paragraph, directions to the office.
• Dictate meeting invites too. The description box in an invite is just another text field. Say the agenda as a list ("first…, second…, third…") and it arrives formatted as one.
• Teach it your names. Add clients, colleagues and product names to the custom dictionary so they come out spelled right.
• Pick a writing style. On desktop, the presets include Default, Casual, Excited and Casual Lowercase. Default suits most work email.
• Writing in your second language? Speak naturally and let the grammar fixes do their part. Our guide to dictating when English isn't your first language has more.
• Mind the room. In an open office, people nearby hear what you say. A headset mic helps, and some messages are still better typed.

Outlook Dictate vs Windows voice typing vs LumeVoice#

Built-in details are from Microsoft's help pages as of October 2026.

When Outlook's Dictate is enough#

Outlook's own button is a good choice if:

• You already pay for Microsoft 365, write in a fully supported language and dictate mostly in Outlook. It's built in, costs nothing extra, and Microsoft says it doesn't keep your audio or text.
• You like dictating punctuation and symbols precisely. Dictate has spoken commands for them, from "at sign" to "dollar sign."
• You have a Copilot+ PC and write in English. Windows' Fluid dictation adds grammar and filler-word cleanup for free.

LumeVoice is the better fit if you don't have Microsoft 365, want to dictate in the Outlook phone app, write in a language Outlook doesn't fully support, or want filler words and self-corrections handled in Outlook, Teams and everywhere else you type.

The short version#

If you have Microsoft 365 and stay in Outlook, try Dictate first: it's already paid for. If you write across apps and devices, one dictation tool that works everywhere is simpler than learning three. You'll find the same comparison for Microsoft Word and Microsoft Teams.