Why dictate in Gmail
Most emails aren’t hard to write. They’re just slow: the greeting, the context, the ask, the sign-off. The email you’ve been putting off for two days usually takes a minute to say out loud.
Gmail in the browser doesn’t come with a dictation button. Wisper works in any text field, so it works in Gmail in Safari or Chrome — the compose window, replies and the subject line.
How to dictate in Gmail with Wisper
- Install Wisper from the Mac App Store (macOS 14 Sonoma or later). Allow the microphone, and switch Wisper on under Accessibility so it can paste for you.
- Click into the Gmail compose window or a reply.
- Hold right ⌥ Option (or Fn, or ⌥W — your choice) and talk the way you would to a person.
- Let go. Wisper pastes clean text where your cursor is.
- Fill the subject the same way: click the subject field, hold the key and say a few words.
That’s the whole loop. For longer thoughts, double-tap the hotkey to go hands-free and tap again to stop. To change text you already wrote, select it, hold right ⌥ and say what to change — “shorter”, “friendlier”, “in Spanish”.
The style that fits: Email
The Email style shapes what you say into an email: a greeting, short paragraphs and a sign-off, with fillers and false starts gone. Say the points you want in it — it works from your words.
Writing to a friend? Default keeps it closer to how you talk.
“hi Mark, uh, thanks for sending the contract, I read it, um, mostly fine, but can we change the payment terms to thirty days instead of fifteen, and, uh, the start date should be March first, thanks”
Hi Mark, Thanks for sending the contract. It mostly looks good, but could we change two things? • Payment terms: 30 days instead of 15 • Start date: March 1 Thanks, Anna
Press a style’s number key while you talk to switch styles before you let go. Free includes 5 style presets; Pro adds unlimited and custom styles.
Tips for Gmail
Say the ask first
Lead with what you need (“Can we move the call to Friday?”), then the context. Dictated emails stay short when the point comes first.
Snippets for links and sign-offs
Save your Calendly link, phone number or a long signature as Snippets. Say “my calendly” and Wisper inserts it.
Change the tone after
Select the draft and press ⌥2 for Formal or ⌥3 for Casual, or hold right ⌥ and say “make it friendlier”.
Questions
Does Gmail have voice typing on a computer?
Not built into Gmail itself. On a Mac, you can use Apple Dictation or a dictation app like Wisper, which types into any text field in your browser.
Does it work in Gmail in Chrome and Safari?
Yes, and in any other browser. Wisper pastes wherever your cursor is. It also works in Apple Mail and Outlook.
Will the Email style make things up?
It works from what you said: it adds the greeting, paragraphs and sign-off and cleans up your wording. Read the draft before you send, as with any dictation.
Can I use it for Gmail on my phone?
Yes. The Wisper keyboard works in the Gmail app on iPhone, and the Wisper bubble works over Gmail on Android.