Method 1: Spokenly Desktop App
The desktop app works in Gmail in any browser and in Apple Mail, Outlook, Slack, or Word. It runs on Mac, Windows, and Linux.
- 1Download Spokenly and open it.
- 2Allow microphone access. On a Mac, also allow Accessibility, which lets Spokenly type into other apps; the Linux AppImage needs a one-time input permission.
- 3Choose a local model (Parakeet or Whisper) or a cloud model (GPT-4o Transcribe or Deepgram Nova).
- 4In a Gmail message, hold the recording shortcut (Settings > Recording Shortcut), speak, and release it to insert the text.
Email cleanup mode
A mode's AI Instructions can remove filler words and fix grammar before the text is inserted. This needs Apple Intelligence on a Mac, your own model API key, or Pro. In the Mac app from spokenly.app, the mode can switch on when Gmail is the active tab (not in Firefox) or when a dictation starts with its trigger word. Setup is in the Modes guide.
Vocabulary
The Custom Dictionary, on supported models, covers client names and product terms, and Word Replacements fix recurring mistakes.
Offline and private email
With a local model, dictation works without a connection, and Local Only Mode blocks internet access except model downloads. Gmail on the web keeps an offline draft only if offline mail is turned on in Chrome, then sends it once you reconnect.
Price
Local models are free. With your own API key, the provider bills you for usage. Pro costs $9.99 a month or $99.99 a year and includes managed cloud transcription and hosted AI.
Method 2: Spokenly Chrome Extension (Free)
The extension works without the desktop app and needs no Spokenly account, but it does not include the app's models or modes. It types into the selected text field, including the Gmail subject line and message body.
- 1Open the Spokenly extension in the Chrome Web Store and choose Add to Chrome.
- 2Allow microphone access in the welcome tab that opens after installation.
- 3In a Gmail message, press
Alt+X(Option+Xon a Mac) or click the extension icon, then speak. - 4Press the shortcut again to stop, and proofread the text before sending.
Keep the pinned recognition tab that the extension opens. Dictation stops when you switch tabs or stop talking; once the recording overlay next to the field disappears, press the shortcut again. The recognition language is set in the extension settings.
Chrome sends the audio to Google's speech service, so the extension needs an internet connection. The extension itself does not store audio or send it to Spokenly. It cannot type inside embedded frames or on protected Chrome pages. Its Web Store listing showed 4,000 users and a last update on July 27, 2026.
Method 3: Built-In Dictation (Free)
Mac
Turn on Dictation in System Settings > Keyboard; the Shortcut menu there shows the key that starts it, such as the microphone key (F5) or Fn pressed twice. Press it in the Gmail message and speak. Press Esc or the shortcut to stop; dictation also stops after 30 seconds of silence. The Mac dictation shortcut guide lists every option.
Windows 10 and 11
Press Win+H in the Gmail message and speak; voice typing needs an internet connection. To stop, say "stop listening" on Windows 11 or "stop dictation" on Windows 10, or click the microphone in the voice typing menu. On Copilot+ PCs, fluid dictation also removes filler words and fixes grammar on the device, in English. How to Use Dictation on Windows covers setup.
Chromebook
Open Settings > Accessibility > Keyboard and text input and turn on Dictation. Press Search+D or Launcher+D in the Gmail message to start, and say "cancel" to stop.
Other Tools That Type Into Gmail
Google Docs voice typing
Free, but it types only into Docs: open Tools > Voice typing in a document, dictate, then paste the text into Gmail. Details are in How to Dictate in Google Docs.
Dictation for Gmail
A free extension that works only in Gmail. It adds a microphone to the right of the Send button and supports 60 languages. The listing showed 100,000 users and a last update on January 1, 2025.
Voice In
The free tier of this extension works in the Gmail compose window and in standard text fields on many other sites. Voice In Plus adds custom voice commands, text replacements, unlimited dictation, and an advanced mode for custom editors. The listing showed 700,000 users and a last update on September 22, 2026.
Gemini for Mac
Long-press Fn in any window, including a Gmail message, and Google's Gemini app types what you said without filler words. Google began rolling it out to all Gemini for Mac users in English in July 2026.
Speech to Text Chrome Extensions compares five extensions side by side.
Dictation in the Gmail App (iPhone and Android)
In the Gmail app, tap the message body to open the keyboard, then tap the keyboard's microphone.
iPhone and iPad
Turn on Enable Dictation in Settings > General > Keyboard first. To stop, tap the microphone again or say "stop dictation". In many languages, iPhone dictation runs on the device without an internet connection.
To use Spokenly's speech models and modes, such as email cleanup, install Spokenly for iPhone(iOS 16.4 or later). Add its keyboard in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard and turn on Allow Full Access, which iOS requires for a keyboard that uses online transcription. In the message, switch to the Spokenly keyboard, tap Start dictation, speak, and tap the checkmark to insert the text.
Android
On a Pixel 6 or later, Gboard's advanced voice typing adds punctuation as you speak, processes speech on the device, and deletes words on command. Spokenly has no Android app.
What Gmail Live does
Gmail Live, launched in September 2026 in the Gmail apps for Android and iOS, searches the inbox by voice: tap the Live icon in the search bar, ask a question, and get a spoken answer with links to the source emails. It needs a Google AI Plus, Pro, or Ultra plan and works in English.
Punctuation, Line Breaks, and Sending by Voice
Mac and iPhone dictation add commas, periods, and question marks automatically in supported languages. Windows 11 voice typing does the same with automatic punctuation turned on in its settings, and most of Spokenly's models punctuate from context. To force a symbol or a line break, say it:
"comma","period"."question mark"?"exclamation mark"!"new line"Line breakOn an iPhone, say "exclamation point". Windows 10 voice typing has no exclamation or "new line" command. In the Spokenly desktop app, a mode can convert spoken punctuation (see the punctuation commands guide), and the Chrome extension also understands "new paragraph".
Spokenly does not respond to commands such as "send" or "delete that". To edit and send an email hands-free, use Voice Control on a Mac or Voice Access on Windows 11, which click buttons such as Send by name, or say "send" with Gboard's advanced voice typing on a Pixel.
Gmail Dictation Not Working? Fixes
The extension hears nothing
Allow Chrome to use the microphone in the operating system's privacy settings, then open chrome://settings/content/microphone and remove the extension from the blocked list if it appears there. For extensions that listen inside Gmail, such as Dictation for Gmail, also check Site settings for mail.google.com.
The shortcut does nothing
After an extension update, reload the Gmail tab. If it still fails, look for a conflicting shortcut on chrome://extensions/shortcuts.
The extension is blocked on a work account
Ask your Google Workspace or Chrome administrator to allow the extension, or use the built-in dictation if your organization permits it.
Win+H does nothing
Check microphone access in Settings > Privacy & security > Microphone on Windows 11, or Settings > Privacy > Microphone on Windows 10.
For Apple's dictation, see Mac Dictation Not Working and iPhone Dictation Not Working.
Sources: Chromebook Help: Type text with your voice, Apple Support: Dictate messages and documents on Mac, Microsoft Support: Use voice typing to talk instead of type on your PC. Chrome Web Store figures checked September 26, 2026.
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