Use Flow with Microsoft Outlook

Last updated: September 5, 2026

Available on: Mac, Windows, iOS, Android

Dictate emails in Microsoft Outlook with your voice. Click into any email field, press your hotkey, and speak — Flow transcribes and pastes your message. Works with the Outlook desktop app, mobile app, and Outlook on the web.

Quick checks

  • Is your cursor in the email field? Click inside the body or subject line — you should see a blinking cursor before pressing your hotkey.

  • Is Flow running? Look for the Flow icon in your menu bar (Mac) or system tray (Windows). On new installs the Flow Bar is hidden by default, so check the icon instead.

  • Does Flow work in another app? Dictate into a browser or Notes. If it works there but not in Outlook, see Troubleshooting below; if it fails everywhere, the issue isn't Outlook-specific.

How to dictate an email

The same steps work for the email body and the Subject field — click into the field you want first.

Mac

Outlook for Mac needs no configuration.

  1. Open Outlook and click New Email (or reply to an existing email).

  2. Click inside the email body and confirm you see a blinking cursor.

  3. Press and hold your Flow hotkey (default: Fn) and speak your message.

  4. Release Fn. If your text appears in the email body, you're done.

Note: On external keyboards without an Fn key, the defaults are Ctrl + Opt for push-to-talk and Ctrl + Opt + Space for Hands-free.

Tip: For longer emails, start Hands-free mode by double-pressing Fn or pressing Fn + Space; press either again to stop.

Windows

These steps apply to Outlook classic and new.

  1. Open Outlook and click New Email.

  2. Click inside the email body and confirm you see a blinking cursor.

  3. Press and hold your Flow hotkey (default: Ctrl + Win) and speak your message.

  4. Release the hotkey. If your text appears in the email body, you're done.

Note: If paste is delayed in Outlook, restart the app or run Flow as Administrator.

iOS

Dictate into Outlook with the Flow Keyboard.

  1. Open the Outlook app and compose a new email or reply.

  2. Tap inside the email body to bring up the keyboard.

  3. Tap the globe icon (🌐) to cycle to the Wispr Flow keyboard — tap more than once if you have multiple keyboards installed.

  4. Tap the microphone to start dictating, then tap it again to stop. Your text appears in the email.

Note: The Flow Keyboard requires Full Access and Microphone permission: go to iOS Settings → Keyboards → Flow → Allow Full Access, and grant Microphone access when prompted. No restart is needed after enabling Full Access.

The keyboard switches to your default keyboard in email address fields (To, CC, BCC), number/phone/decimal pad fields, and numbers-and-punctuation fields.

Important: Some corporate Outlook configurations block third-party keyboards. If the Flow Keyboard is blocked, dictate with Quick Dictation to Clipboard (on iPhone models with an Action Button), Siri Shortcuts ("Dictate a Flow note", "Quick dictation to clipboard", "Toggle Flow on/off"), or the Control Center widget on iOS 18+. Then tap and hold in the email body and tap Paste.

Android

Dictate into Outlook with the Flow Bubble overlay.

  1. Open Outlook and compose or reply.

  2. Tap inside the email body and confirm the keyboard appears.

  3. Tap the Flow Bubble to start dictating, then tap the checkmark to finish — or long-press the bubble to dictate and release to stop.

  4. Confirm text appears in the email.

Note: If Flow can't confirm the text landed, a copy button appears next to the bubble so you can paste manually. Failed dictations are saved to your transcript history with the audio, so you can retry without re-dictating. If Flow's accessibility connection needs reconnecting, the bubble shows a Repair state while a text field is focused.

Outlook on the web

Flow works with Outlook on the web in a desktop browser.

  1. Open Outlook in your browser and compose or reply to an email.

  2. Click inside the email body and confirm you see a blinking cursor.

  3. Press and hold your Flow hotkey, then dictate.

  4. Release the hotkey. If your text appears in the email body, you're done.

Note: In web compose fields — Outlook on the web, or Outlook inside an in-app browser — Flow is more likely to fall back to the clipboard. If text doesn't land, use Paste Last Text or your system paste shortcut.

Note: Smart Formatting is on by default and formats your dictation output.

Troubleshooting

Text shows in Flow but doesn't paste into Outlook

Text won't land if the cursor isn't in an editable field when paste runs; the transcript goes to your clipboard instead. Flow also sends the transcript to the clipboard rather than overwriting a compose field it can't read or that already contains a draft, and won't insert a duplicate if the text is already in the field.

  1. Click directly in the email body (not just the Outlook window) and confirm the cursor is blinking.

  2. Paste the last transcript with Paste Last Text — Ctrl + Cmd + V (Mac) or Shift + Alt + Z (Windows) — or your system paste shortcut. Without a shortcut: on Mac use the tray menu, Flow Bar menu, or app menu (as Copy Last Transcript); on Windows use the tray menu.

  3. Change your Flow hotkey or run Flow as Administrator on Windows if you suspect a modifier conflict.

If the manual shortcut pastes successfully, the issue is focus — click into the email body and confirm the cursor is blinking before dictating.

Flow can't paste on Mac

Flow needs Accessibility permission to paste text into other apps. If it's missing, macOS shows a prompt — click Open System Settings, or go there manually.

  1. Open System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.

  2. Confirm Wispr Flow is listed and toggled on.

  3. Dictate a short phrase into Outlook to confirm paste works.

There's a delay before text appears

Outlook can take a moment to process the paste; Flow's paste behavior is the same across email apps.

  1. Wait a few seconds after dictating — don't click elsewhere while the paste completes. If text appears, Outlook is processing normally.

  2. Try the other Outlook version (classic or new) on Windows if delays persist.

Text pastes but formatting is wrong

Outlook may apply its own formatting on top of Flow's output.

  1. Dictate into the body first, then adjust formatting with Outlook's toolbar.

  2. Try shorter phrases if the formatting still looks off.

Flow works in other apps but not Outlook

Restart both apps, then confirm Outlook isn't restricted.

  1. Quit Outlook completely (not just minimize) and reopen it.

  2. Restart Flow.

  3. Confirm Outlook isn't running in a restricted or compatibility mode.

  4. Dictate a short phrase into Outlook to confirm.

Dictation errors on iOS

When dictation fails, the Flow Keyboard names the cause and offers Retry. Causes: audio engine failed to start, transcription error, network connection, microphone in use by another application, or unknown error. For the microphone-in-use error, close other apps using the microphone first, then tap Retry.

FAQs

Should I dictate the whole email at once or in pieces?

Dictate the whole email at once when possible. Flow formats complete thoughts better than short fragments.

Does Flow work with corporate or enterprise Outlook?

Flow works with most Outlook configurations. Some enterprise device and keyboard policies restrict clipboard access or third-party apps — for example, third-party keyboards may be disabled on iOS. If Flow consistently fails there, check with your IT team.

Can I use Hands-free mode for long emails?

Yes, on Mac and Windows. On Windows, press Ctrl + Win + Space to start, then press your hotkey again to stop; on Mac, see the Hands-free tip above. Very long emails may need more than one session — see Limitations for session length.

Limitations and notes

  • Flow requires an internet connection. On desktop, dictation won't start and you'll see a "No internet connection" notification.

  • Dictation sessions stop at about 6 minutes on desktop and about 5 minutes on iOS.

  • Font styling in emails is controlled by Outlook — Flow cannot dictate in specific fonts.

  • Free plan word limits can interrupt a long email: 2,000 words/week on desktop (5,000 hard cap) and 1,000 words/week on iOS (1,500 hard cap). At the iOS limit, the Flow Keyboard shows a "limited to 1000 words per week" or "no words left" modal with an upgrade option.

  • Transcripts are stored locally per device and do not sync — a transcript dictated on your phone won't appear in desktop history.

  • Some desktop users see "Spoken with Wispr Flow" or "Written with Wispr Flow" appended to dictated emails. This is rolling out to a portion of users, in English only, when the dictation looks like an email greeting.

Still need help?

Reach out to our support team if:

  • Flow doesn't paste into Outlook even though the manual paste shortcut works.

  • You're seeing consistent issues only in Outlook (Flow works everywhere else).

  • Your organization has specific requirements for accessibility tools.

In the Flow desktop app, click the ? icon, then select Talk to support. Include your platform, your Outlook version (classic, new, or web), and what you've already tried. Most Outlook issues are resolved in one reply.