Microsoft has been hard at work onthe new Outlook for Windows, which is now widely available to Windows 10 and Windows 11 PCs. Now, voice dictation is available in the new Outlook client and the web app.
Microsoft announced in a blog post that the Dictate feature is now available in the new Outlook for Windows, as well as the Outlook.com web app (which the Windows app is based on). It’s the same functionality already available in Outlook for Mac and the classic Windows application, allowing you to dictate emails with your microphone instead of typing, complete with punctutation. It’s not full-on voice control of your entire inbox—you can’t ask Outlook to pull up a specific email—but it can be useful if it’s easier for you to speak messages than typing them out.
Microsoft said in the blog post, “The Dictate feature removes typing constraints and harnesses the power of AI-backed voice commands to help you effortlessly articulate your messages. It currently supports over 50 languages and ensures your thoughts flow freely, transforming the way you communicate.”
you’re able to try out Dictate by clicking the button while creating an email or replying to a conversation—it’s in the Message ribbon section, with a microphone icon on the button. While it’s enabled, anything you say will be injected into the email, like you’re used to with native voice typing on mobile devices. You can also say words like “comma” or “question mark” to insert punctuation, or words like “dollar sign” or “percent sign” to add symbols. The dictation can be paused by clicking the button again or by pressing the Alt and plus (+) keys at the same time.
There are some differences between the new dictation feature and what is available in the older Outlook for Windows app—Microsoft hasa support pageoutlining some missing commands. Microsoft also says it doesn’t store your speech data, and recorded audio is deelted after it’s processed into text. Some languages are also labelled as “preview” and may not have the same accuracy as English transcription.
Dictation is available now for everyone in Outlook on the web and the new Outlook for Windows.
