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Voice typing in Gmail on a Mac
The simplest way to dictate Gmail drafts on macOS is to use system-wide Dictation (or Voice Type).
← Back to Learn  |    Mac Dictation guide

Gmail doesn’t need a special “Gmail dictation” feature on macOS. If you can place a cursor in the message composer, you can dictate using macOS Dictation (system-wide speech-to-text).

Step 1: Enable Dictation (once)

Open System Settings → Keyboard → Dictation.

Switch Dictation to On.

Confirm your Dictation shortcut (often Fn twice).

Step 2: Dictate an email in Gmail

Open Gmail in your browser and click Compose.

Click into the message body (make sure the cursor is visible).

Start Dictation (microphone key if present, or your Dictation shortcut).

Speak. Use punctuation like “comma” and “new paragraph”.

Stop Dictation to insert the text.

If it’s not working (fast checks)

Make sure your browser is allowed in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Microphone.

Test mic input in System Settings → Sound.

If Dictation doesn’t start at all, use:  Dictation not working on Mac .

If you dictate daily (workflow)
Built-in Dictation is great for occasional use, but if you dictate a lot of email (and also Slack, docs, tickets, etc.), a consistent hotkey workflow matters. Voice Type adds a dedicated hold‑to‑dictate hotkey and stays on-device:  voice typing for Mac .

Sources

Apple: Dictate messages and documents on Mac

Apple: Control access to the microphone on Mac


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