How to Open the Emoji Keyboard on macOS.
Unlike the iPhone and iPad, the emoji selection process on Mac computers can be a bit confusing, especially for new users. The steps to open the emoji window in macOS may vary depending on your Mac model and software configuration.
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In this guide, we will show you five different ways to open and use the Mac emoji keyboard.
1. Use the Emoji Keyboard Shortcut
macOS has keyboard shortcuts to access just about every built-in functionality and functionality, including opening the emoji keyboard. To insert an emoji into a text box, place the cursor or insertion point where you want, press Control + Command + Spacebar.
This will open the Emoji & Symbols keyboard. Select the emoji you want to insert, or select the icons at the bottom of the emoji and symbols keyboard to view more emoji categories.
2. From the Menu Bar
Another easy way to open the Mac emoji keyboard is through the Enter menu in the menu bar. But first, you need to add the Emoji & Symbols option to your Mac’s menu bar.
Open System Preferences and select Keyboard.
Go to the “Input Sources” tab and check “Show input menu in menu bar”. Older versions of macOS may not have this option in the Input Sources tab. Instead, go to System Preferences > Keyboard and check “Show keyboard and emoji viewers in the menu bar on the Keyboard tab”.
Advice for professionals. If you have a MacBook Pro with Touch Bar, tap the globe icon on the Touch Bar to open the Input Sources page in System Preferences.
To open the emoji and character keyboard, select the input menu or the Keyboard and emoji viewer icon.
Select Show Emoji & Symbols to open the emoji keyboard on Mac.
3. From the App Menus
Application menus are the options to the right of the Apple menu (for example, File, Edit, View, Tools, Window, Help, etc.). Another quick and easy way to open the emoji keyboard is to use the Edit option in the app menu.
Open the app you want to enter emoji into, select Edit from the Application menu, and select Emoji & Symbols.
4. Use the Function Keys
You can also open the emoji and symbols keyboard by pressing the Function (Fn) key on your Mac keyboard. It’s even faster than the default emoji keyboard shortcut (Control + Space + Command). But first, you need to manually assign responsibility to the Fn key in the Keyboard System Preferences.
Go to System Preferences > Keyboard, select the Keyboard tab, and select Press Fn to.
Select Show Emoji and Symbols.
From now on, pressing the Fn key on your keyboard will open the emoji keyboard.
5. From the Touch Bar
You can also insert emoji into apps and documents from the MacBook Pro Touch Bar. However, please note that the emoji icon only appears on the Touch Bar for Apple apps – Notepad, TextEdit, Stickies, Mail, Safari, Podcasts, Messages, etc.
When entering supported applications, touch the emoji icon on the touchpad. This will instantly display your frequently used emojis.
To access other emoji categories, tap the right arrow icon on the left edge of the touchpad.
Select a category icon to view the emoticons in the category. You can also click the search icon to find the emoji. This will launch a minimized version of the emoji window.
Type Emojis and Customize the Mac Emoji Keyboard
Here are additional macOS emoji features you should know about.
1. Maximize and Collapse the Full Character View
When you open the emoji keyboard, macOS displays a miniature version of the “Character Viewer” by default. You need to expand the Character Viewer to customize the emoji keyboard, mark emoji as favorites, view emoji options, change character size, and customize the emoji list.
To access the full Character Mode, select the Expand icon in the upper right corner.
This will enlarge the emoji keyboard viewport. You will find that the character viewer is divided into four sections. The first section (on the left) introduces the main categories of special characters available on macOS: emoji, symbols, punctuation, and more.
The second section contains subcategories for each main category.
This section may sometimes be empty or missing if the main category has no subcategories. For example, the Math Symbols category does not have a subcategory.
Emoticons and symbols are placed in the third section. Selecting an emoji or character in this section will preview your selection in the fourth section. In addition, in this section you will find a description of the emoji, related symbols and font options. It is also possible to add an emoji or character to the list of favorite characters.
Tap the Minimize icon in the top right corner to minimize the Symbol Viewer window to its default size.
2. Add and remove emoji from favorites
When you add an emoji, the Favorites section appears in the sidebar. Go to the section to view your favorite emoticons and symbols. Select Remove from Favorites to remove the emoji or character from the list.
3. Insert emoji into text fields and apps
In the collapsed version of the emoji keyboard, use a single click or tap on the trackpad to insert emoji into texts and apps. You can also drag and drop emoji into the text box or the target app.
In a minimized (or minimized) window, the emoji disappears every time you paste an emoji. Maximize the character viewer window if you want the window to remain on the screen at all times while you insert multiple emoji or characters. When expanded, you can either double-click or drag an emoji to insert it into your document.
4. Search for emojis and symbols
There is a search bar in the upper right corner of the Character Viewer. Select the search bar and enter the keyword that best describes the emoji or character you are looking for.
Have Fun With Emojis
Remapping the function key (fn) to “Show emoji and symbols” is the fastest way to open the emoji picker in macOS. The default emoji keyboard shortcut (Ctrl+Command+Spacebar) is also a quick alternative. However, you can use other methods and see which one works for you.
How to Open the Emoji Keyboard on macOS
How to Open the Emoji Keyboard on macOS