Use Voice in Gmail

This feature is available with Voice for Google Workspace accounts managed by your work or school. Sign in to your Google Workspace account.

You can make, receive, and transfer calls using Google Voice directly from the Gmail tab in a browser on your computer.

Before you begin

Step 1: Check if your system can run Voice in Gmail

Before you use Google Voice, be sure your device meets these requirements:

Compatible operating systems

Google Voice is compatible with the current release and 2 previous major releases of these operating systems:

Chrome OS
Apple Mac
Microsoft Windows
Android (latest 2 versions)
Apple iOS (latest 2 versions)
Limited functionality may be available on other platforms.

Compatible web browsers

Google Voice is compatible with the current release and 1 previous major release of these browsers:

Chrome Browser
Microsoft Edge
Mozilla Firefox (Windows and Mac)
Safari

Step 2: Set up your audio permissions

You will need to allow Gmail to use your microphone before you can use Voice in Gmail.

On your computer, go to Gmail.
On the left of the URL bar click Lock .
If the Microphone setting appears, set it to Allow.
Click Lock to close the window.
Click Reload .

For more information read, Use your camera & microphone.

Allow sound from your internet browser

Chrome

Paste chrome://settings/content/sound into your address bar.
Turn on Allow sites to play sound.
Then, next to “Allow,” click Add.
In the pop-up window, enter mail.google.com.
Click Add.

Firefox

Go to Gmail.
On the left of the web page address, click the lock .
Click Show connection details.
Click More Information.
Click the Permissions tab.
Under “Autoplay,” uncheck the box next to “Use Default.”
Click Allow Audio and Video.

Safari

Go to Gmail.
In the top left, click Safari Settings for this website.
Next to “Auto-Play,” choose Allow All Auto-Play.

Step 3: Assign your microphone

If you have multiple microphone inputs, you can assign which ones you want Voice to use.

On your computer, go to Gmail.
On the right, click Voice .
On the top right, click Headset .

Microphone

Next to Microphone, click the Down arrow and select the microphone.
The list shows devices connected to your computer.
To test the microphone, start talking. The No audio changes to Audio and indicates the volume of sound produced.

Ringing

Next to Ringing, click the Down arrow and select the speaker you want to hear ringing for incoming calls from.
The list shows devices connected to your computer.
Click Test to confirm your speaker is playing properly.

Speakers

Next to Speakers, click the Down arrow and select the speaker you want to hear calls from.
The list shows devices connected to your computer.
Click Test to confirm your speaker is playing properly.

Make a phone call in Gmail

On your computer, go to Gmail.
On the right, click Voice .
If the person is in your recent calls, point to their name and click Call .
Or, at the top, click Make a call. Then use one of these methods:
- Suggestions—Select the person from the suggestions/contacts shown.
- Search—In the Enter name or number field, enter the person's name or phone number. From the list of contacts that displays, select the person.
- Dial—Use the keypad to dial the number, and then click Call .
  To show the keypad, in the bottom, click Show keypad .
To hide the right sidebar, at the top right, click Close .

Answer a call in Gmail

While you're in Gmail, you can answer a call to your Google Voice number in one of these ways:

In the notification that opens, click what you want to do:
- Accept—You're connected to the caller.
- Decline—Call forwards to your Google Voice voicemail. Learn how to check your voicemail.
If you have the Voice sidebar open in Gmail, click Accept or Decline .
If you also have voice.google.com open in a tab, you can respond to the call from there.

Transfer a call in Gmail

When you answer or place a call, you can transfer the call to another number. However, you can't transfer a call to emergency services or directory assistance (for example, 411).

Answer the call.
When ready, click Transfer .
From your list of contacts, find the person you want to transfer the call to.
If the person isn't a contact, enter their number instead.
When ready, click the person's name or number to transfer the call to them.
Voice connects the 2 people.
Click Close.

Send feedback

If something isn’t working right or you have a feature request or suggestion, we want to hear from you. Sending feedback is the best way to help us prioritize features and identify problems.

In the Voice sidebar, at the bottom left, click Information .
Click Feedback.
Enter a detailed description of the problem or suggestion.
(Optional) To add a screenshot, check the Include screenshot box.
At the top right, click Send .