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Writing emails with AI: Gmail, Outlook and ChatGPT step by step

How to draft and improve emails with Gmail’s “Help me write”, Copilot in Outlook or a free chatbot, which plan you need in Spain and what to check before sending.

By Cognenza editorial team · Updated · 3 min read · Sources cited

Writing emails is one of the tasks where AI saves the most time: it turns four notes into a clear message or softens a difficult reply. There are three routes, depending on what you have.

Option 1: Gmail with “Help me write”

According to Gmail’s official help, this feature is available:

  • With an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan: worldwide, in several languages.
  • With a personal account and no plan: only in the US.

So in Spain, with a regular free Gmail account, you won’t have it. If you have the plan:

  1. On your computer, click Compose (or reply to an email).
  2. Type what you want in the prompt bar at the bottom. If you don’t see it, click Help me write.
  3. Click Create. Then use options such as Formalize or Shorten, or ask for something like “Mention the deadline is Friday”.

Google notes the feature uses details from your other emails and Drive files to personalise the draft; the Sources button shows which ones.

Option 2: Outlook with Copilot

Microsoft’s help explains that in new Outlook you choose Draft with Copilot, type your request and click Generate. Then adjust tone and length and click Keep it. On mobile there is also Coaching by Copilot, which reviews a message of yours of at least 100 characters. If you don’t see it, it depends on your licence: at work, ask your IT team.

Option 3: any free chatbot

Use this page’s prompt in ChatGPT, Gemini or Copilot, copy the result and paste it into your email. It works with any email provider.

Before you click Send

  • Check every detail. OpenAI acknowledges its models can invent facts and dates with full confidence (more on hallucinations).
  • Remove personal data before pasting someone else’s email into a chatbot (what not to paste).
  • Make it sound like you: change phrases you’d never say.

Ready-to-copy template: Saying no politely

Frequently asked questions

Is Gmail’s “Help me write” free in Spain?

According to Gmail’s official help, with a personal account it’s only available in the US; elsewhere you need an eligible Google Workspace or Google AI plan.

What if I have no paid plan?

Draft the email in a free chatbot (ChatGPT, Gemini, Copilot), then copy and paste it into your email. Always check the result.

Can I paste a client’s email into a chatbot?

Remove names, ID numbers, phone numbers and bank details first. See which data not to paste.

Glossary · By task

Keep reading

Sources

Official sources are linked in their original language.

  1. Redactar borradores de correos con Gemini en Gmail — Google
  2. Crear un borrador de un mensaje de correo electrónico con Copilot en Outlook — Microsoft
  3. Does ChatGPT tell the truth? — OpenAI

Change log

  • : First published with the official Gmail and Outlook help as checked that day.

Educational content, prepared with the help of AI tools, with sources cited. It is not a substitute for professional advice. Tools change fast: if you spot something out of date, write to us at contacto@cognenza.com. How we work.