Use Flow with Microsoft Outlook

Mac

Flow works with Outlook for Mac out of the box — no special configuration needed.

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).

4. Speak your message once the Flow Bar shows active recording.

5. Release Fn. Your text pastes into the email body within a second.

Windows

Flow works with both the classic Outlook app and the new Outlook for Windows.

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).

4. Speak your message once the Flow Bar activates.

5. Release the hotkey. Your text pastes into the email body within a second.

iOS

On iOS, Flow uses the Flow Keyboard to dictate into Outlook.

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

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

3. Tap the globe icon (🌐) to switch to the Wispr Flow keyboard.

4. Tap the microphone and dictate. Your text appears in the email as you speak.

Android

On Android, Flow uses the Flow Bubble overlay to dictate into Outlook.

1. Open Outlook and tap to compose or reply.

2. Tap inside the email body.

3. Tap the Flow Bubble to start dictating, then tap the checkmark when you finish. Or long-press and hold to dictate, then release to stop.

Flow transcribes and pastes your text into the email body.

Outlook on the web

Flow works with Outlook on the web (outlook.office.com) when accessed through a desktop browser.

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

2. Click inside the email body.

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

4. Release the hotkey. Your text pastes into the email body.

Text shows in Flow but doesn't paste into Outlook

This is almost always a focus issue — Outlook isn't accepting the paste because the cursor isn't in the right field.

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

2. Paste the last transcript manually with Ctrl + Cmd + V (Mac) or Alt + Shift + Z (Windows).

3. On Windows: Change your Flow hotkey to Ctrl + Space, or run Flow as Administrator.

If the manual shortcut pastes successfully, the issue is focus-related — click into the email body and wait a moment before dictating next time.

Flow can't paste on Mac

Flow needs Accessibility permissions to simulate paste commands.

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

2. Confirm Wispr Flow is listed and toggled on.

Flow notifies you if Accessibility permissions are missing and opens System Settings to the correct page. After enabling, dictate a short phrase to confirm paste works.

There's a delay before text appears

Outlook sometimes processes paste commands slowly, especially the classic Windows app.

1. Wait a few seconds after dictating — don't click elsewhere while the paste completes.

2. Switch to the new Outlook app if you're using classic Outlook on Windows.

If text appears within a few seconds, Outlook is processing normally.

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 using Outlook's toolbar.

2. Try shorter phrases if the formatting looks off, then adjust with Outlook's toolbar.

Flow works in other apps but not Outlook

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.

Dictate a short phrase into Outlook to confirm. If it works, the original issue was a temporary communication glitch between the apps.

Does Flow preserve my clipboard when dictating?

Yes. Flow automatically restores your clipboard contents after dictation. Large clipboard items like PDFs, audio files, rich text documents, and copied files may not be restored.

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 environments with MDM policies may restrict clipboard access or third-party app behavior. If Flow consistently fails in corporate Outlook, check with your IT team.

Can I use Hands-free mode for long emails?

Yes. Press Fn + Space (Mac) or Ctrl + Win + Space (Windows) to start Hands-free mode, then press your hotkey to stop. This is ideal for longer emails where holding a key is uncomfortable.