How to open and use emoji keyboard on your Mac

Remember back in the day when we could only express ourselves with text-based emoticons like :-) and :-( or even ¯\_(ツ)_/¯. And how much easier life became when emojis became popular? Plain messages can sound a lot less passive-aggressive and inviting friends out has never been easier

How to open the emoji keyboard on Mac

That’s right. I didn’t even know about it until recently, but the Mac actually has a built-in emoji keyboard. And the best part is that you can customize your emoji experience to make it quick and seamless for every purpose. That definitely beats having to use Google every time you need a certain emoji.

Keyboard shortcuts to open emoji keyboard on Mac

I have great news – there’s an emoji shortcut on Mac that can spring up what’s called the Character Viewer in a split second. Here’s how to use the shortcut:

1. Click on a text-based area, like in your Notes app or in a Google search bar.
2. Press Control + Command + Space.

If the app or platform you’re using, such as Google Docs, won’t let you open the Character Viewer, click outside the app, and press fn + E. You can then drag and drop the emoji to where you want it to go or double click the blown-up icon to make it appear where you’ve clicked in a document. If that doesn’t work:

1. Go to System Settings > Keyboard.
2. Choose Show Emoji & Symbols under the Press [fn key’s globe symbol] key to section.

You can use the Mac emoji viewer just like you would the iPhone one, where you can browse by categories. Something unique to Mac, though, is the expand feature, which you can access by clicking the icon next to the search bar in the top right-hand corner of the little window.

After discovering all this emoji stuff on Mac, I decided to go a bit further and create shortcuts for the emojis I use the most. For example, now when I press Control+R, a rolling-eyed emoji appears in the text. I did it using Keysmith – an app that lets you create, customize, and automate keyboard shortcuts on a Mac. Here’s how you can type emojis on Mac with ease.

1. Download and open Keysmith.
2. Press New Macro in the lower left corner.
3. Press the Untitled box and enter a shortcut name.
4. Press Set Hotkey and record the hotkey.
5. Press More... > Add Action > Paste Text.
6. In the box that appears, press Control + Command + Space and select the emoji you want.

This way, you can create shortcuts for just about anything else, like performing a specific action in an app or opening a particular webpage.

How to open the emoji keyboard from the menu bar

If you’re not into using keyboard shortcuts or are having issues with your keyboard, there’s also a simple way to use just your mouse. Here’s how to open emojis on Mac using the menu bar: 

1. Click on Edit in the menu bar.
2. Select Emojis and Symbols at the very bottom of the drop-down menu.

The expanded Character Viewer will pop up, and you can drag and drop any emoji into an area that allows text. Or just click where you want it to go and double-click on the large emoji.

Customizing your Mac emoji experience

If you hadn’t used the Character Viewer in the past, this convenient brand-new emoji selector could already be all you ever wanted. But I’ve got even better news – the Mac emoji experience is customizable too.

Add emoji to Favorites on Mac

For those who frequently use emojis on Mac, especially some that aren’t common smileys found on the first page, Character Viewer allows you to favorite them for easy access. To add specific emoji to your Favorites:

1. Open the Character Viewer by holding Control + Command + Space or fn + E. 
2. Click on your emoji of choice and click Add to Favorites.

You can then access all your Favorites through the sidebar under Frequently Used rather than scrolling through the many options.

Use emojis with Touch Bar

For those who happen to have a Touch Bar (MacBook models from 2016 to late 2023), there’s also the option to access emojis through that. As long as the program or app you’re using lets you type using them, you’ll see a smiley emoji on the left-hand side of your Touch Bar. Once you see it:

1. Tap the emoji icon.
2. Hold your finger down on the Touch Bar and slide from side to side until you find the emoji you want to use.

To search for emojis or browse by category, tap the clock icon on the left of the Touch Bar and either select a category or tap the magnifying glass.

How to change emoji shortcut Mac?

Let’s say the Control + Command + space short isn’t doing it for you – maybe you’re wondering how to get emojis on Mac using a different shortcut. No matter what combination of keys you want to use, you can create a new shortcut to bring up the Character Viewer.

1. Open System Settings.
2. Select Keyboard from the sidebar.
3. Click on Keyboard Shortcuts.
4. Click on App Shortcuts.
5. Click the plus icon, set a menu title, and create a new shortcut.
6. Press Done.

How to use emojis in various Mac applications

The fun part about using emojis is that they can work both for and against you. For example, they can improve your marketing results – great! But, they can also be misunderstood by people from different generations – not so great. Here are some lifehacks and fun facts I came across while diving into the world of emojis.

• Skin tone. Want to change skin colors for people-related emojis? Simply click and hold down on one of them, and you’ll be able to select from a couple of skin tone options.
• Generation gap [attention, marketers]. Millennials and older generations might interpret some emojis more literally. This presents great opportunities when it comes to marketing materials.
• Boost marketing results. If you happen to be in marketing, emojis can even provide crazy benefits for email open rates. Studies show that 56% of brands that use an emoji in their email subject lines receive higher unique open rates. 



• Easy scanning. In more basic apps, emojis can make a bland to-do list much easier to scan through. You could add a bunch of food emojis to a grocery list or separate work and personal items using separate icons. It’s also extremely useful on a calendar to quickly identify what an event is all about.

Use Emojis on Mac for expressive communication

Emojis help give digital communications the dynamism that in-person communications have, mimicking what gestures, expressions, and tones in face-to-face conversation. While emojis are typically associated with text messaging, Macs make accessing and using emojis just as seamless with keyboard shortcuts and the menu bar.

Keysmith, Ulysses, and other apps to make your Mac-based emoji experience more seamless are all available through a 7-day trial period of Setapp – a handy subscription platform that grants you full access to 240+ native macOS and iOS applications that’ll help you get organized, spark your creativity, optimize your device, and more.

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