How to enter emoji on Mac

Entering emoji on a Mac is not as simple as on an iPhone because the physical keyboard does not have a dedicated emoji key. But it's still pretty easy once you know how to do it. And you have many options. Let's see!

1. Use the built-in emoji picker

If you're a longtime Mac user, you probably know about the built-in emoji picker. When the cursor is active in the text field, simply press and hold the Function (Fn)/Globe key, this will bring up the emoji picker where you can select and enter any emoji you want.

All the emojis are sorted by category and you'll see the frequently used section at the top. You can expand this section by clicking the icon in the upper right corner of the pop-up window to see more categories and different symbols. This is the easiest method to insert and use emojis across multiple apps on your Mac.

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If you've reassigned the Function (Fn)/Globe key to another action, you can still open the emoji picker with the keyboard shortcut Cmd + Ctrl + Space .

To remap the Function (Fn)/Globe key to open the emoji picker, go to System Settings > Keyboard and set the Press Globe key to option to Show Emojis & Symbols . Now, pressing the Fn key will automatically open the emoji picker, allowing for easy emoji insertion.

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If you want an on-screen shortcut instead of using a dedicated key, follow these steps:

1. Go to System Settings > Keyboard .

2. Click the Edit button next to Input Sources in Text Input .

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3. Turn on the Show Input menu in menu bar option .

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4. Now you can open the emoji picker by clicking the input menu icon on the menu bar and selecting Show Emojis & Symbols .

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While this is a convenient way to enter emoji, you may want to explore other methods that may be faster or offer more options. So let's discuss some additional options.

2. Search on Emojipedia

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For those who didn't grow up with emojis, Emojipedia is a savior. As the name suggests, this is an emoji encyclopedia. It lists every emoji known to man and provides a handy shortcut to copy an emoji.

When you open the website, you can choose emojis from various categories or search for a specific symbol. After selecting the emoji, just click the Copy button and then paste the emoji anywhere you want.

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You can also combine any two emojis to create a new emoji, but keep in mind that they will be sent as images and not standard characters in most apps.

It's really easy to search for unknown emojis on Emojipedia using descriptive terms. When writing or chatting, Emojipedia often provides better and faster results than other options.

3. Use Rocket to enter emoji quickly

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Many messaging apps like Slack or Discord make it easy to insert emojis by typing a colon (:) followed by a descriptive keyboard shortcut for the emoji. You can enable this method across all your apps using a third-party tool like Rocket, which allows emoji to be entered the same way in any app.

After downloading the setup, install it like any other DMG file and follow the onscreen instructions. Once installed, you can start using Rocket by entering an emoji followed by a colon (:). For example, entering :thumbsup will give you the "like" emoji.

The free version of this app is a bit limited. But if you pay $10, you'll unlock full emoji search and a GIF pack. More importantly, you'll also have the ability to add custom keyboard shortcuts for emoji and GIFs, so you don't have to conform to Rocket's nomenclature. You can also use the Rocket button on the menu bar to easily search and insert emojis anywhere.

4. Use the Text Replacements shortcut

If you don't want to install a third-party app like Rocket, you can use the built-in Text Replacements feature to achieve the same result. The Text Replacements feature allows you to expand shortcuts into long text phrases, which can save a lot of time. We can use the same feature for emoji.

To set up emoji shortcuts, follow these steps:

1. Go to System Settings > Keyboard and click the Text Replacements button under Text Entry.
2. Now click the ( + ) button.
3. In the Replace section , enter the shortcut text, and in the With section , paste the emoji (for example, you can find emoji on Emojipedia).

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The next time you enter that shortcut, macOS will replace it with an emoji. Repeat the above steps for emojis you often use.

For example, to use :wave: for the waving emoji, enter :wave: in the Replace section and paste the waving emoji in the With section .

While typing emoji on a Mac may seem more complicated than on an iPhone, there are plenty of options to explore. Rocket is the fastest method because it is ready to use immediately after installation. However, the built-in emoji picker may be a better choice if you prefer a more intuitive interface.

Kareem Winters

Update 01 August 2024