How to Use Emojis on a Mac: A Comprehensive Guide

Emojis have become an integral part of modern communication, adding a splash of color and personality to your digital interactions.

If you’re a Mac user, you’ll get several convenient ways to incorporate emojis into your messages, documents, and social media posts, and even add emojis and gifs for more expression. You can also use a little-known keyboard shortcut for quick access.

In this guide, we’ll explore how to use Emojis on a Mac for easily expressing yourself, including little-known shortcuts and more efficient ways to use emojis.

How To Add and Use Emojis on Mac?

Follow this step-by-step guide to add Emojis and learn how to use Emojis on your Mac.  

1. Use Keyboard Shortcut For Emojis

One of the quickest and most efficient ways to access emojis on your MacBook is by using the keyboard shortcut or configuring keyboard settings. This is somewhat similar to mobile devices with Emoji buttons that you can easily access.

Here is what to do on your macOS:

• Press Command + Control + Space simultaneously.
• Soon, you should see the Emoji picker appear on your screen. You can add emojis to their messages quickly, and they will appear in your text.
• From there, you can browse through the extensive collection of emojis and select the one that best suits your needs.

Also Read: How To Turn Off Safari Notifications on Mac?

2. Use the Taskbar Icon To Add Emojis

Another easy method is to add the Emoji keyboard to your Mac’s taskbar for quick access by using the Taskbar icon. 

To do this, follow these steps:

• Go to System Settings then select Keyboard.
• Then select All Input Sources to add the emoji keyboard icon to your desktop or mobile devices where emoji buttons are available. This helps to access the emoji menu with ease and choose the Emoji of your choice.
• Now check the box next to “Show input menu in menu bar”.

• Once enabled, you’ll see a new icon in your top left taskbar that you can click to open the emoji picker.

3. Add Emoji and symbols from the Character Viewer

Here is how to add and use Emojis and symbols from the Character Viewer on Mac:

• Press Fn-E or Control-Command-Space to use the emoji keyboard shortcut. You can also go to Edit, then Emoji & Symbols, to type emojis more easily.
• Click the Emoji or symbol you want to add by using the Emoji keyboard shortcut in your keyboard settings.
• To find a specific emoji, type a word or phrase like “happy face” or “laughing face” in the search field.
• If the viewer is collapsed, you can click on the Expand button for more options.
• If you want to choose from different skin tone variations, click and hold the Emoji and explore your keyboard settings or use emoji buttons and keyboards for more options.
• Click Add to Favorites on your macOS device to favorite an Emoji or symbol for quick access. 

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• You can customize the Character Viewer to show your preferred categories. From here you can change the size of characters, and clear frequently used items. This will save your time and make it easier to use custom emojis.
• To access the Character Viewer customization options, open the Character Viewer and click the Action pop-up menu.

Also Read: How To Delete Messages and Conversations on Mac?

4. Text Replacement

Setting up automatic text replacement can save time and effort for those who frequently use certain emojis or combinations of specific emojis.

To do that, navigate to System Settings, then select Keyboard.

Then click on Text Replacements.

Click on the ‘+’ and type the word you want to replace.
Press the Globe button to get the Character Viewer. Then, choose the emoji you want to replace it with and double-click to add it.
Once done, click on the Done button.

After doing so, when you type the specific phrase or word, your Mac should automatically replace it with the corresponding Emoji or set of Emojis.

Emoji Suggestions

As you type certain words or phrases, Mac suggests some relevant Emojis that can instantly replace the Text.

This is a great way to add a touch of emotion or imagery to your messages, emails, or documents using emoji buttons and keyboards on your Mac or even emojis and GIFs.

For example, if you type “happy” or “:),” Mac may suggest emojis like 😊 or 😄.

If you type “love” or “<3”, Mac may suggest emojis like ❤️ or 💘.

This feature can save you time and add some fun to your digital communication. It also makes the message easy to understand.

So, next time you want to add a little flair to your messages, consider using emojis on your Mac to bring your words to life! 

Here’s how it works on macOS: –

For more precise options, start typing a common emoji keyword in the text field where you’d like to add an emoji to your message, and use the cursor to select the emoji.

This could be anything that typically has an associated emoji, like “happy,” “sad,” “party,” “birthday,” “good job,” “travel,” or even food items like “pizza” or “coffee.”

As you type, watch for a small Emoji suggestion box to appear next to the word you type. This usually pops up after a few letters are typed using the touch keyboard.

Press the Return key if the suggested Emoji is precisely what you want. It will instantly replace the Text you typed with the Emoji.

Benefits of Emoji Suggestions

Emoji suggestions on MacOS are a good way to save time and effort, allowing you to quickly add an emoji to your Text using the Mac emoji keyboard. Here are the advantages of Emoji suggestions:

You don’t need to hunt for the perfect Emoji in the Character Viewer; use Emoji by typing the corresponding keyword, helping those who regularly use emojis. So, it saves your precious time when using the touch keyboard to type emojis, mainly if you regularly use them in conversations.

Suggestions help you express emotions effectively – quickly add a touch of feeling to your communication.

Emojis can visually break up Text and make it more engaging. It improves readability, especially when you type emojis, as there’s probably an emoji you’d like to add to enhance your message.

While Emoji suggestions are a great starting point, you can still access the full Character Viewer for a more comprehensive selection of Emojis and symbols, including emojis to boost your social interactions. Press Fn-E or Control-Command-Space to open it up using the emoji keyboard shortcut or type emojis directly, and the Emoji you’d like will appear in your Text.

Wrapping Up

So, whether you prefer the speed of keyboard shortcuts, the convenience of taskbar icons, or the comprehensive options of the Character Viewer, we’ve got an emoji method that suits your needs.

So, keep on experimenting with these techniques and express yourself through your messages using emojis from Mac and Windows.