How to dictate emails in Gmail on Mac

Use Stirae to speak an email draft into Gmail in your browser. Start with direct transcription, then add a Gmail Profile if you want a particular Writing Style or output language.

Before you start

Stirae requires an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 13 or later and a valid trial or paid entitlement. Complete Setup & Permissions, including microphone and Text Insertion Access permissions.

For a Gmail-specific website Profile, use Safari, Google Chrome, Brave, or Microsoft Edge. Website Profiles are selected from the host of the tab where you start recording. Other browsers use the browser's app Profile or Default Profile.

Dictate your first Gmail draft

1. Open a draft. Open Gmail in your browser, start a new message or reply, and click inside the message body. Check that the typing cursor is in the intended field.
2. Check your settings. For a direct transcription, use Refinement Off and Output Language: Same as Spoken in the applicable Profile. New installs start with Refinement Off.
3. Speak. Hold the Function/Globe key, or your chosen recording shortcut, and dictate a short paragraph.
4. Finish. Release the key in Push-to-Talk mode. If you chose Toggle mode, press the shortcut once to start and again to stop.
5. Review the draft. Check the inserted words, recipients, subject, names, links, and dates. Send the message from Gmail when you are ready.

Stirae remembers the app and supported-browser host at the start of recording. Keep the draft focused while testing. Switching tabs during recording does not select a different website Profile for that run.

Set a Writing Style just for Gmail

1. Open Settings > Profiles > New Profile.
2. Choose Full Rewrite if you want sentence restructuring, or Light Cleanup for smaller wording edits.
3. Choose a Writing Style, such as the built-in Professional, and select your fixed Spoken Language. Profiles you create require a fixed language rather than Auto Detect.
4. Choose Same as Spoken as the Output Language unless you want translation.
5. Set Use With to Website, enter mail.google.com in Website Host, optionally restrict it to one supported browser, and save.

The Profile applies to that exact host. It does not distinguish Gmail accounts, recipients, or individual messages. If you need different behavior for one message, edit the applicable Profile before the run or use a configured Quick Action.

When a website Profile matches, changing the Default Profile's menu-bar controls does not override it. If the Gmail Profile is disabled, Stirae uses Default Profile. See how Profile selection works.

Try a short practice message

After dictation, check that the question remains a question and the unconfirmed room remains unconfirmed. Exact wording varies with Refinement and Writing Style. Stirae writes the message you dictate; it does not inspect your calendar or confirm availability.

If something behaves differently

• No recording: check microphone permission, selected microphone, and the shortcut in Settings > Recording.
• Text is not polished: confirm that the Gmail Profile has Refinement on and that your Writing Style is selected. Cloud processing must be available for cloud refinement.
• The wrong language appears: check Spoken Language and Output Language in the matching Profile. A cloud translation failure can leave the original-language result.
• A saved phrase prevents rewriting: a matched Voice Shortcut skips refinement and translation for that entire dictation. Dictate the shortcut separately.

Find more checks in Troubleshooting. For names that are repeatedly misspelled, add a Vocabulary entry.

Your audio is transcribed locally. With cloud refinement or translation, Stirae sends text and the instructions needed for the request. Gmail receives the inserted text as your destination app. Read Local transcription and cloud processing for the settings that control this.