How to Get Emojis on Mac: Keyboard & Viewer Guide

You can get emojis on a Mac fast—usually with a single key. If your emoji key doesn’t work, you can switch it on in System Settings and bring up the full Emoji & Symbols picker with a reliable shortcut.

Here’s exactly how to get emojis on macOS, including what to do if you can’t see the emoji window, plus a worked example you can copy for your own workflow.

How to get emojis on mac using the Emoji & Symbols picker

The easiest method is the built-in Emoji & Symbols picker.

Option 1: Press the Globe key (🌐)

On many Mac keyboards, the Globe (🌐) key opens the emoji picker (or suggestions).

• Put your cursor in any text field (Messages, Notes, Slack, etc.).
• Press 🌐.
• Pick an emoji, or search within the picker.

Tip: Some keyboards share the same key with fn. If 🌐 doesn’t do anything, try holding fn and pressing the same key.

Option 2: Use the keyboard shortcut (most reliable)

Use this shortcut to open the picker directly:

• Control + Command + Space

Then:

1. Search by typing keywords like “coffee”, “fire”, “thumbs up”, “heart”.
2. Click an emoji to insert it.
3. Close the picker when you’re done.

Option 3: Turn on the emoji viewer in the menu bar

If you find yourself opening the picker repeatedly, you can enable a permanent viewer.

1. Open System Settings.
2. Go to Keyboard.
3. Find and enable Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar.
4. After enabling, look in the menu bar for the emoji viewer icon.
5. Click it when you want emojis.

This is handy when an app has a flaky text field or when the picker keeps disappearing.

If your emoji key isn’t working: fix Globe/fn key settings

Sometimes the Globe key is set to something else (like switching input sources), so emojis won’t appear.

Set the Globe key to show Emoji & Symbols

1. Go to  Apple menu → System Settings.
2. Choose Keyboard.
3. Look for the setting labeled Press Globe key to.
4. Set it to Show Emoji & Symbols.

Or set the fn key instead

On some Macs, you’ll see a Press fn key to option.

1. In the same Keyboard settings page,
2. Set Press fn key to to Show Emoji & Symbols.

After this, pressing the configured key should bring up emoji suggestions or the emoji viewer/picker—depending on your macOS version.

For Apple’s official walkthrough, see: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-emoji-and-symbols-on-mac-mchlp1560/mac

Search, categories, and picking the right emoji

Once the picker is open, don’t just scroll randomly. Use the controls so you find the exact emoji you want.

Search works best with specific keywords

Try keywords people actually use in conversation:

• “face with tears of joy” (or just “joy”)
• “thumbs up”
• “red heart” / “heart”
• “woman”, “man”, “person” (for gendered options)

You can also browse by category—usually visible in a sidebar/grid—like:

• People
• Nature
• Food & Drink
• Activity
• Travel & Places
• Symbols

Copy-ready examples you can insert

Here are a few common ones you can copy directly from the picker once you find them:

• ✅ Check mark: ✅
• ❤️ Red heart: ❤️
• 😂 Face with tears of joy: 😂
• 🔥 Fire: 🔥
• 🚀 Rocket: 🚀

If you need a specific variant (like a skin tone), look for the small options that appear when you click/tap that emoji in the picker.

Worked example: typing “grats” → inserting 🎉 automatically

If you send a lot of the same messages, a Text Replacement rule can save you keystrokes.

Let’s say you want typing grats to automatically become 🎉.

1. Open System Settings.
2. Go to Keyboard.
3. Click Text Replacements.
4. Create a new replacement:
   • Replace: grats
   • With: click where you can insert text, then open the emoji picker (press 🌐 or use Control + Command + Space) and choose 🎉.
5. Save the change.

Now, whenever you type grats in supported fields, macOS will replace it with:

• 🎉

Note: This doesn’t always work identically in every app, but it’s a great system-wide shortcut in many text boxes.

If you like keyboard workflows, you’ll probably also enjoy our guide on related emoji shortcuts: /tools/fancy-text-generator

Use emoji in apps (what usually works—and what to try)

Emojis usually work anywhere you can type text. Typical places:

• Messages
• Notes
• Mail
• Slack / Teams / Discord
• Browser text fields (Google Docs, web forms, etc.)

If an app seems to “eat” emoji input, try these fixes:

1. Confirm the cursor is in a normal text field (not a title-only field).
2. Use the Control + Command + Space picker, then insert again.
3. If you’re on a Mac model that shows a touch-bar or special picker behavior, try the viewer/menu bar option.

For more troubleshooting and general emoji usage on macOS, Apple’s guide is the best reference: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-emoji-and-symbols-on-mac-mchlp1560/mac

Advanced option: create custom emoji (Genmoji)

If your Mac supports Apple Intelligence, you may be able to create custom emoji called Genmoji.

• Apple’s help page: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/create-your-own-emoji-with-genmoji-dev73add4d3e/mac

This is useful when you want something that looks like a specific person or a custom description, not just a standard Unicode emoji.

Quick reference: best shortcuts to remember

If you only want the essentials, keep these in mind:

1. Control + Command + Space → opens Emoji & Symbols picker
2. Globe (🌐) key → opens picker (if configured)
3. System Settings → Keyboard → switch Press Globe key to / Press fn key to to Show Emoji & Symbols
4. System Settings → Keyboard → enable Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar

Internal resources you might also want

If you’re building a full emoji workflow across devices or formatting text, these guides can help:

• /blog/how-to-do-emojis-on-chromebook-fast-easy
• /emojis
• /symbols
• /tools

FAQ

Why can’t I get the emoji picker on my Mac?

If pressing the Globe key doesn’t show emojis, your keyboard setting may be changed. Go to System Settings → Keyboard and set Press Globe key to (or Press fn key to) to Show Emoji & Symbols.

If that still doesn’t work, use the universal shortcut: Control + Command + Space.

What’s the fastest shortcut to insert emojis on Mac?

The most consistent shortcut is Control + Command + Space. It opens the Emoji & Symbols picker so you can search and insert right away.

If your Globe key is configured correctly, that’s also fast because it requires only one press.

How do I keep the emoji viewer open on my Mac?

Enable the persistent viewer in the menu bar:

1. System Settings → Keyboard
2. Turn on Show keyboard and emoji viewers in menu bar.

After that, you can click the menu bar icon whenever you need emojis.

Can I make my Mac turn certain words into emoji automatically?

Yes—use Text Replacements. Create a replacement where you type a short word (like grats) and With contains an emoji (like 🎉).

This works best in apps that respect system text replacements, but you may find some exceptions.

Do all Mac apps support emoji input?

Most do, especially mainstream messaging and document apps. If an app behaves oddly, try inserting the emoji using Control + Command + Space.

If you’re using a special field (like a title-only input), emojis may not be supported the same way.

Can I create custom emojis on Mac?

If your Mac supports Apple Intelligence, you may be able to create custom emoji using Genmoji. Apple explains the feature and requirements here: https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/create-your-own-emoji-with-genmoji-dev73add4d3e/mac

You’ll be able to describe what you want and generate a new emoji to use in supported apps like Messages.