You can dictate into Slack, Gmail and Notion on a Mac with Whisperer: hold Fn, speak, release, and press ⌘V to paste. The speech-to-text runs on your Mac. What changes between apps is how you talk and which cleanup you use, because a Slack reply, a client email and a Notion page want different shapes of text.
This guide covers what works in each app and how to switch tone without fiddling with settings every time.
The same voice, three kinds of writing#
- Slack wants short, casual messages. One or two sentences, light punctuation.
- Gmail wants full sentences, a greeting, paragraphs and a sign-off.
- Notion wants structure: headings, bullets, short blocks you can scan.
The trick is mostly in what you say. Whisperer's Fast Polish handles punctuation, removes "um" and "uh", and breaks long dictations into paragraphs. For the more formal jobs, an AI mode can reshape the text after you speak.
How dictation works in each app#
Every app gets the same flow:
- Click into the message box, email body or Notion block.
- Hold Fn (or your own shortcut) and speak.
- Release. The text is copied and a Copied ⌘V toast appears.
- Press ⌘V to paste.
Because the result goes through the clipboard, it works anywhere you can paste: Slack, Gmail in Safari or Chrome, Apple Mail, Outlook, Notion, Obsidian, Google Docs.
Slack#
Talk the way you'd talk to the person. Voice already comes out conversational, so Slack needs the least help. Keep Fast Polish on so fillers disappear.
“hey just pushed the fix for the login bug can you take a look when you get a minute”
Hey, just pushed the fix for the login bug. Can you take a look when you get a minute?Tips for Slack:
- Dictate one message at a time. Short bursts read more naturally than one long paragraph.
- Say names clearly. If a teammate's name keeps coming out wrong, add it to the personal dictionary.
- Huddles are calls. With Pro, Whisperer can take notes on a Slack huddle the same way it does for Zoom. See meeting notes.
Gmail and other email#
Email is where an AI mode pays off. In Workspace, open AI Modes and set the post-process mode to Email while you work through your inbox. You speak the content, and it comes back with a greeting, paragraphs and a sign-off.
“hi Sarah wanted to follow up on the pricing discussion I think we should go with option B because it's simpler and the team already knows it let me know if you want to talk it through on Thursday”
Hi Sarah,
Wanted to follow up on the pricing discussion. I think we should go with Option B. It's simpler and the team already knows it.
Let me know if you want to talk it through on Thursday.
Best,Tips for email:
- Say the point first, then the details. It makes the AI's job easier and the email shorter.
- Switch the mode back to plain dictation when you go back to Slack, or the AI will tidy your casual messages too.
- For long replies, use toggle mode (press once to start, once to stop) so you don't hold Fn for a minute.
More in the email dictation guide.
Notion#
For Notion, the Format mode turns a spoken brain dump into Markdown-style structure, which Notion renders when you paste. Speak in the order you want the page to read: "Heading, launch checklist. Then a list: confirm pricing, update screenshots, write release notes."
Tips for Notion:
- Dictate one block or section at a time and paste it where it belongs.
- Plain dictation is fine for meeting notes and journals. Use Format when you want lists and headings.
- If your Notion page is notes from a call, let Whisperer write them instead: with Pro it produces decisions, action items and open questions after the meeting.
Switching tone without per-app settings#
Whisperer changes one thing based on the app in front: with Match the app you're writing in on (the default), one-line messages in chat apps like Slack skip the final full stop. Everything else is your choice. You pick the cleanup, and it stays until you change it. More in per-app dictation. In practice that's simple:
| Task | What to use |
|---|---|
| Quick Slack or iMessage replies | Plain dictation with Fast Polish |
| A batch of emails | Email AI mode |
| Notion pages, outlines | Format AI mode |
| Anything you'll edit heavily | Plain dictation |
Most people leave plain dictation on and switch to Email only for an inbox session.
Which AI does the rewriting#
AI modes use the AI you choose on the LLM page. The default is Qwen3.5 4B, which runs on your Mac and works offline. You can also use your Claude, ChatGPT or Gemini plan, or an API key. If you pick a cloud AI, only text goes to it. Your audio stays on the Mac. See bring your own AI.
Apps people dictate into most#
| Kind of app | Examples |
|---|---|
| Chat | Slack, Microsoft Teams, Discord, Telegram, WhatsApp, Messages |
| Gmail on the web, Apple Mail, Outlook, Spark, Superhuman | |
| Writing and notes | Notion, Obsidian, Bear, Apple Notes, Google Docs, Craft |
| Anything else | If you can paste into it, you can dictate into it |
Related: Dictation for email, Filler word removal, all dictation features. Whisperer is $2.99 on the Mac App Store; see pricing.