Dictate mixed Urdu and English into Outlook on Windows

A lot of work email looks like this in your head: mixed Urdu and English in one thought. On a phone you might dictate that in one take. On a Windows PC, Outlook will take the text — but Windows voice typing (Win+H) does not offer Urdu, so the mixed sentence has nowhere to go unless you type it or copy it from your phone.

This guide is the PC-only path: speak the mixed sentence, and have it appear in the Outlook message you already have open.

What you are aiming for

1. The cursor stays in the Outlook message (desktop app or Outlook on the web).
2. You can speak Urdu and English in the same sentence.
3. You can choose how the text is written: Urdu script, Roman Urdu, or English.

Why Win+H is not enough here

Windows voice typing is started with Win+H. Urdu is not in Microsoft's list of supported voice typing languages (checked November 2026). Keep Win+H for languages it supports, and use a separate shortcut for Urdu and mixed speech. The longer note is on Does Windows voice typing (Win+H) support Urdu?

Steps

1. Install and pick an output

1. Install Bolo free from the Microsoft Store (search Bolo.com) or from this website. There is no account to create.
2. On the Languages page, choose Urdu script, Roman Urdu, or English for this email.

2. Open the message and click in the body

1. Open Outlook (desktop or web) and start a new mail, or reply.
2. Click in the body, not the To or Subject field, unless you really want to dictate the subject.
3. For a message in Urdu script, set the paragraph to right-to-left so the text sits correctly. In Outlook, use the Right-to-Left paragraph control (the exact ribbon label varies between Microsoft 365 and older Outlook).

Leave the cursor blinking in the body.

3. Hold the shortcut and speak one thought

1. Hold your Bolo shortcut (you can change it on the Shortcut page).
2. Speak the first sentence the way you would say it to a colleague, mixing languages if that is natural.
3. Let go. The text appears where the cursor is.
4. Read it. If a small Fix last pop-up appears, Bolo was unsure — correct it, or press Esc to hide it.
5. Click at the next place you want text, and do the next sentence. Short chunks are easier to check than a whole page at once.

Optional cleanup, in Bolo's settings, removes filler words such as "umm" and tidies punctuation. That is useful for email.

4. Finish the mail yourself

Bolo only types. It does not send the message, add a signature, or attach a file. Add the subject, recipients and attachments as you normally would, then send when you are happy with the text.

Subject lines, signatures and meeting replies

• Message body: the best place to start. Use right-to-left for Urdu script.
• Subject: keep it short. Switch output to English if your team files mail by English subjects.
• To / Cc: names are easy to get wrong; type them.
• Calendar replies or meeting notes: same as the body — click, hold, speak, check.
• Signature: leave your usual signature; do not overwrite it with dictation.

If the text lands in the wrong place

• Click the Outlook body until the cursor blinks, then try again.
• For Outlook on the web, click the tab, then the body.
• If Urdu script looks disjointed, set that paragraph to right-to-left.
• Do not run Win+H and Bolo at the same time; they can fight for the microphone.

For how this works in WhatsApp and Word, see Urdu voice typing in WhatsApp and Word. For privacy, including that a take is deleted after it is pasted unless you turn on Keep recordings on this PC, and that this website uses analytics, read the privacy policy.

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