How to Dictate Emails in Gmail (Voice Typing)

How to Dictate Emails in Gmail

Gmail has no built-in dictation on desktop. Voice In adds it: open a compose window, click the body, and speak. Your words appear as editable text so you can fix names and details before sending.

Chrome & Edge Real-time speech to text 50+ languages Video demo

Last updated September 22, 2026

Does dictation work in Gmail?

Yes. Voice In lets you write Gmail messages using real-time speech to text in Chrome and Edge. Your words appear directly in the active text field and stay editable until you submit or send them.

Where it works in Gmail

The compose window and replies

Subject lines

Google Chat inside Gmail

Known limitations

The Gmail mobile app is not supported; use Gmail in Chrome or Edge on a computer or Chromebook

What you can do with Voice In

Draft longer text with less keyboard use, switch between more than 50 languages, and add punctuation and line breaks with voice commands. Voice In transcribes speech inside your browser, so nothing you dictate in Gmail is sent to or stored on Voice In servers.

The free version works in standard text fields. Voice In Plus adds Advanced Mode for custom editors, custom voice commands and text replacements, and unlimited dictation.

How to use dictation in Gmail

Install Voice In

Add the free Voice In extension to Chrome or Edge.

Open Gmail

Go to the compose window and replies or any other place where you would normally type.

Click a text field

Click where you would normally type so the text cursor is active.

Start dictating

Click the Voice In icon or press the keyboard shortcut, then speak. Say “period” or “new line” for punctuation.

Review and send

Check names and specialized terms, make any edits, and submit the finished text.

Why use Voice In with Gmail?

Works in place

Speech to text goes straight into Gmail fields without copying between tools.

Private by design

Speech is transcribed in your browser. Voice In never stores your audio or text.

Multilingual

Dictate in more than 50 languages and 100 dialects, and switch with one click.

Voice commands

Add punctuation, line breaks and custom snippets with built-in commands.

Gmail dictation FAQ

Does Gmail have built-in voice typing?

Not on desktop. Gmail has no dictation button in the browser, which is why Voice In is the usual way to dictate emails in Gmail on Windows, macOS, Linux and Chromebooks.

Can I dictate an email in another language?

Yes. Voice In supports more than 50 languages. Pick the language from the extension menu before you start speaking.

How do I add a new paragraph while dictating in Gmail?

Say "new paragraph" or "new line". Voice In also understands "period", "comma", "question mark" and other punctuation commands.

How do I turn on dictation in Gmail?

Install Voice In from the Chrome Web Store, open Gmail, click a text field, then click the Voice In icon or press the keyboard shortcut and start speaking. The text appears as you talk.

Can I add punctuation while dictating an email?

Yes. Say "period", "comma", "question mark" or "new paragraph" and Voice In inserts the punctuation or line break for you.

Does Voice In work in the desktop Outlook or Mail apps?

Voice In is a browser extension, so it works in the web versions of email services in Chrome and Edge, not in native desktop or mobile apps.

Which browsers and computers support Voice In?

Voice In works in Google Chrome and Microsoft Edge on Windows, macOS, Linux and Chromebooks.