Gmail voice typing on a Mac: 3 ways to dictate an email
Gmail on the web has no voice typing of its own. Here are three ways to dictate an email in Gmail on a Mac, and how to ask about your inbox by voice.
Gmail in a browser has no built-in voice typing for writing emails. Gemini's "Help me write" is typed, and Gmail Live, which lets you talk to Gmail, is only on the iPhone and Android apps and answers questions rather than writing your draft. On a Mac, these three ways work.
1. Apple Dictation
Apple Dictation is built into macOS and types into Gmail's message box like any other text field.
- Turn it on in System Settings›Keyboard›Dictation.
- Click Compose, click into the message, and press the Microphone key or your Dictation shortcut.
- Press Escape, or the shortcut again, to stop.
It stops on its own after 30 seconds without speech, so a long email may take a few starts.
Say it. Speechy writes it.
Hold Fn, speak, and clean text lands in any app on your Mac.
2. Google Docs voice typing, then paste
Google Docs has voice typing that Gmail doesn't. Open a blank Doc, choose Tools›Voice typing, dictate your email, then copy it into Gmail. It works in Chrome, Safari and Edge, and you say punctuation out loud ("comma", "period", "new paragraph"). It's a detour, but it's free.
Say it. Speechy writes it.
Hold Fn, speak, and clean text lands in any app on your Mac.
3. Speechy
Speechy is a dictation app for Mac: click into the email, hold Fn, speak, and let go. Your voice is transcribed on your Mac, and emails come out shaped like emails, with the greeting and sign-off on their own lines:
Connect Gmail in Speechy and you can also ask about your inbox from any app: press ⌥⇧Space and say "What did Kai send me this week?" or "Draft a reply to the last email from Sarah". Sends show Gmail's own compose window first, with a few seconds to undo. See Speechy for Gmail.
Which one to use
| Apple Dictation | Google Docs, then paste | Speechy | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Types straight into Gmail | Yes | No, you copy it over | Yes |
| Punctuation | Spoken commands | Spoken commands | Added for you |
| Long emails | Stops after 30 seconds of silence | No limit stated by Google | Listens until you let go |
| Ask about your inbox | No | No | Yes, with Gmail connected |
| Cost | Free | Free | Paid, with a 3-day trial |
Checked on 21 October 2026 in Google's Gemini in Gmail and Help me write help, and Apple's Dictation guide.