Rewrite emails in place on Windows
Highlight a draft or an incoming message in any editable field, press Win+Ctrl+R, and Lightphrase works where you already are. Sweep the wheel. Retone rewrites the selection in place. Reply writes a response and copies it so the message you were answering stays put. You stay in the thread.
Retone a draft, or reply to a message
Two jobs. One shortcut. They do not finish the same way. Retone changes text you already wrote. Reply writes back to text you were sent.
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Retone a draft — replaces
Retone replaces the highlighted sentences where they sit. Use it on a draft: the Gmail compose box, an Outlook reply you have started, unsent Slack or Teams text. Sweep to Retone and the selection is rewritten in place, in the tone you have saved. Translate, Summarize, and Fix Grammar follow the same rule: they replace the selection. Your clipboard is snapshotted before Lightphrase copies the text and put back after it pastes.
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Reply to a message — copies
Reply never replaces the selection. Highlight an incoming email or chat, sweep to Reply, and Lightphrase writes a response and copies it. The message you were answering stays put. Paste the copy into the reply field. That is the correct action when the text on screen is not yours to edit. If you Retone a read-only message, Lightphrase cannot paste over it; the rewrite is copied instead, and a notification says so. Reply is the action built for that job.
- Gmail
- Outlook
- Slack
- Teams
Lightphrase does not ship a Gmail mode, an Outlook mode, a Slack mode, or a Teams mode. The shortcut is registered with Windows and runs in whichever editable field is focused. The sections below are that one mechanism in four compose boxes.
Gmail
Gmail’s compose window and the reply box under a thread are editable fields. Highlight the draft, press Win+Ctrl+R, and sweep to Retone to change tone in that same box. Translate, Summarize, and Fix Grammar also replace the selection there.
To answer mail you were sent, highlight the incoming message and sweep to Reply. A response is copied; the original stays on screen. Paste into the reply box. You never leave the Gmail tab, and you do not install a Gmail add-on. Lightphrase is a desktop utility. The wheel opens on your pointer.
Outlook
In Outlook on the web and the Outlook desktop app, the compose and reply fields take the same shortcut. Highlight a draft you have started and Retone replaces it in place. Highlight the mail in front of you and Reply copies a response so the received message is not overwritten. There is no Outlook plugin to deploy.
If the reading pane is not an editable field, a replacement cannot land there. Reply still works, because it copies.
Slack
The input at the bottom of a channel, DM, or thread is the field. Rewrite unsent text with Retone. Someone else’s message is usually not editable; sweep to Reply, then paste the copy into the input. You stay in the conversation.
Slack’s own shortcuts keep working. Lightphrase only takes Win+Ctrl+R, or the shortcut you set in Settings.
Teams
A Teams chat or channel compose box is an editable field like any other. Highlight your unsent draft, press Win+Ctrl+R, sweep, and Retone replaces the selection. Highlight a teammate’s message and Reply copies a response to paste. The Teams window stays focused.
Lightphrase remains in the tray after you close its window. There is no extra Teams app to find, and no need to leave the thread.
Ask for tone
Professional is the default. Casual, Concise, Persuasive, and Academic ship with the app, and you can add your own in Settings. Retone and Reply use the tone you have saved — unless you turn on Ask for tone.
In Settings, turn on Ask for tone. Then picking Retone or Reply pops the wheel again with tones for this rewrite only. That pick does not change the saved default. Off uses the saved tone every time. Quick rewrite — Win+Ctrl+Shift+R — never asks; it retones immediately with the active tone.
Use it when a Gmail draft should be Concise and the Slack reply after it should be Casual, without opening Settings between them.
The same shortcut beyond mail
Mail and chat are four fields among many. The same highlight, press, sweep gesture rewrites selected text in Word, Notion, VS Code, and any browser form — how to rewrite selected text in any Windows app.
Translate pops a second wheel of destinations (English, Spanish, French, German, Portuguese, Japanese, Korean, Chinese Simplified, plus Other). Other names any language for this rewrite only. See translate selected text.
Fix Grammar corrects grammar and spelling and leaves the voice alone. For a desktop tool that does that in the field you are already in, see Lightphrase as a Grammarly alternative on Windows.
Frequently asked questions
Can Lightphrase change the tone of an email in Gmail or Outlook?
Yes. Highlight the draft in the compose or reply field, press Win+Ctrl+R, and sweep to Retone. The selection is replaced in place. Translate, Summarize, and Fix Grammar also replace the selection. You stay in Gmail or Outlook.
How do I write an AI reply in Gmail, Outlook, Slack, or Teams on Windows?
Highlight the incoming message, press Win+Ctrl+R, and sweep to Reply. Lightphrase writes a response and copies it. The selection is left unchanged. Paste the copy into the reply or message field. The same shortcut works in all four apps.
Does Reply replace the message I highlighted?
No. Reply copies a response and leaves the selection unchanged. Retone, Translate, Summarize, and Fix Grammar replace the selection. Use Reply on incoming mail or chat so the message you were answering stays put.
What is Ask for tone?
A setting. Turn it on in Lightphrase Settings. Then picking Retone or Reply pops the wheel again with tones for this rewrite only. Off uses the saved tone. Quick rewrite never asks.
Do I need a Gmail add-on, an Outlook plugin, or a Slack app?
No. Lightphrase is a Windows desktop utility. Sign in once to arm Win+Ctrl+R. The wheel opens on your pointer in whatever app is focused. There is nothing to install inside Gmail, Outlook, Slack, or Teams.
Is Lightphrase free on Windows?
While it is in early access, yes. Every account gets 1,000 rewrites a day, resetting every UTC day. Signing in once arms the shortcut.
Rewriting that happens in the thread, not in another tab.
See how Lightphrase works, or download it for Windows.