Why dictate in Outlook
Outlook is where the careful emails live: clients, managers, other teams. They take longer to write because the tone has to be right, not just the content.
Dictation gets the content down fast. Wisper then handles the part that slows you down: removing the “um”s, structuring it as an email and, if you want, making it more formal.
Microsoft 365 subscribers also have Microsoft’s own Dictate button in Outlook, which needs an internet connection. Wisper works the same way in Outlook, your browser, Slack and every other app, with your styles, dictionary and snippets.
How to dictate in Outlook 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 Outlook message body.
- 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.
- To make a draft more formal, select it and press ⌥2 (Formal).
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 turns what you say into a structured email with a greeting and sign-off. Pair it with the Formal transform (⌥2) for client and leadership email.
For quick internal replies, Default keeps your words as they are.
“hi Laura, so, um, the design review moved, we’ll send the new mockups on Wednesday instead of Monday because legal wanted changes to the checkout, sorry about that, everything else is on track”
Hi Laura, A quick update: we’ll send the new mockups on Wednesday instead of Monday, because legal asked for changes to the checkout. Sorry for the delay — everything else is on track. Best, 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 Outlook
Signatures and boilerplate as Snippets
Meeting links, office address, a standard “thanks for reaching out” paragraph: save them as Snippets and say the phrase.
Client names, spelled right
Add client names, product names and acronyms to the Dictionary so they don’t come out as something that sounds similar.
Write to international clients
Talk in your language and send in theirs — any of 30 output languages with Pro.
Questions
Does Outlook have its own dictation?
Yes. Microsoft’s Dictate button is in Outlook for Mac, Windows and the web. Microsoft says it’s for Microsoft 365 subscribers and needs an internet connection.
Why use Wisper instead?
Wisper cleans up what you say, formats it as an email, can switch the tone or language, and works the same way in every app on your Mac — not just Outlook.
Does it work in new Outlook and Outlook on the web?
Yes. Wisper pastes wherever your cursor is, so it doesn’t matter which Outlook you use.
Is my email content stored?
Audio is sent to transcribe and clean up your text and isn’t stored on Wisper’s servers; the finished text is kept there only briefly for delivery, then deleted. Your history stays on your Mac. Details in the privacy policy.
Sources
Facts about other apps are from their makers’ own help pages, checked Oct 2026. Wisper facts are from our Mac and pricing pages. Something out of date? Tell us.