How to Pull Up Emojis on Mac (Shortcuts + Picker)

If you’ve ever wondered how to pull up emojis on Mac in the middle of a message, you’re in the right place. Mac makes it pretty simple once you know the shortcut (or the menu path), and you can also customize how it behaves.

Below, you’ll find the main emoji picker methods, what to do on different Mac models/keyboard layouts, and a worked example for picking and reusing emojis faster.

The fastest way: Control + Command + Space

The quickest, most universal shortcut to open the emoji picker on macOS is:

Press Control + Command + Space (at the same time).

What happens after you press it

When the shortcut works, macOS opens the Character Viewer with an emoji/browsing interface. From there you can:

• Browse categories (People, Nature, Food & Drink, Celebration, Activity, etc.)
• Search for an emoji by keyword (try “cat”, “party”, “coffee”, “heart”)
• Insert by double-clicking the emoji

Worked example: find “shrug” quickly

Let’s say you want the classic shrug emoji for a chat.

1. Click in any text box (Messages, Slack, a website comment field—anything that lets you type).
2. Press Control + Command + Space.
3. In the Character Viewer, type “shrug” in the search box.
4. Look for the shrug face (you’ll usually see one or more styles/variants).
5. Double-click the emoji to insert it.

You can repeat the same steps for other requests like “facepalm”, “fire”, “train”, “hands”, or “thumbs up”.

Alternative shortcuts: Fn + E and the Globe key

Some keyboards feel more intuitive with an extra key.

Use Fn + E (common on Mac keyboards)

On many Mac setups, you can open the emoji picker with:

Fn + E

Use the Globe key (newer Mac keyboards)

On newer Mac models, there’s often a 🌐 Globe key that shares the role of Fn for certain pop-ups.

Try:

• Press the 🌐 (Globe) key to bring up the emoji/symbol picker (or emoji suggestions, depending on your settings)

Set it so one key shows emoji/symbols

If your device supports it, you can configure the behavior in macOS settings. Apple’s guide covers this setup under keyboard options:

• https://support.apple.com/guide/mac-help/use-emoji-and-symbols-on-mac-mchlp1560/mac

Use the menu bar: Edit → Emoji & Symbols

If you’d rather not rely on key combinations, macOS also has a menu option.

1. Click inside a text field.
2. In the menu bar, choose Edit → Emoji & Symbols.
3. The Character Viewer opens. Browse, search, then insert.

This is especially helpful if you’re on a keyboard you don’t fully know yet (or you’re using an external keyboard and want the most reliable method).

Customize your emoji shortcut (so it matches how you work)

If Control + Command + Space feels awkward, you can create a custom shortcut that opens Emoji & Symbols.

How to set a custom shortcut on macOS

Follow this path:

1. Open System Settings
2. Go to Keyboard
3. Scroll to Keyboard Shortcuts
4. Select App Shortcuts
5. Click the + button
6. Set the Menu Title to: Emoji & Symbols
7. Assign your preferred key combination
8. Save

After that, the new shortcut should launch the picker whenever your menu target is available.

Tip: Use something that won’t conflict with existing system shortcuts (for example, combinations involving Option/Shift are usually easier to choose safely).

Turn emoji into quick typing (text replacements)

If you often type the same emoji for certain phrases (like typing “brb” then adding ⏳), you can use macOS Text Replacements to speed up your process.

How it works

You set a trigger word, and when you type it, macOS suggests or replaces it with an emoji.

Set up a text replacement using the emoji picker

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard
2. Find Text Replacements
3. Choose the replacement option
4. In Replace, type the short trigger (example: ty)
5. In With, insert an emoji using the emoji picker (press the 🌐 Globe key to access it, if that’s how your system is configured)

Example ideas:

• Replace omw → 🏃‍♂️💨
• Replace thanks → 🙏
• Replace good → 👍
• Replace lol → 😂

Note: Replacements work best in apps that support standard text input. Some fields (or special editors) may behave differently.

Emoji picker basics: search, categories, and favorites

Once you know how to pull up emojis on Mac, the real productivity comes from using the picker efficiently.

Search by keyword (don’t guess the exact emoji name)

Instead of trying to remember the official label, search by meaning:

• “birthday” → 🎉🎂
• “music” → 🎵🎶
• “mood” → 😌🤔🙂
• “pizza” → 🍕
• “angry” → 😠😡

Browse categories when you want to explore

If you’re not sure what you want yet, browsing categories is faster than typing searches.

Common categories you’ll see include:

• People
• Nature
• Food & Drink
• Celebration
• Activity
• Travel & Places
• Objects
• Symbols
• Flags

Add favorites so you don’t re-search

Some versions of the picker let you mark emojis as favorites. The advantage is simple: you’ll be able to insert your go-to emojis in fewer clicks.

Try this workflow:

1. Open the picker.
2. Find a frequently used emoji.
3. Add it to favorites (if the option is shown).
4. Next time, open favorites first and click what you need.

If you use certain emojis constantly (like ❤️, ✅, 😅, 👀), favorites are worth doing.

Common issues (and what to try)

If your shortcut doesn’t work, it’s usually one of these:

1) You’re not in a text field

The emoji picker works best when the cursor is in an editable area. Click in the text box first, then press the shortcut.

2) Shortcut conflicts with another app

If a different app is intercepting the keys, change your custom shortcut or try the built-in one:

• Control + Command + Space

3) Keyboard function behavior differs

On some devices, Fn/globe behavior depends on macOS settings. If Fn + E doesn’t open the picker, try the menu method (Edit → Emoji & Symbols) to confirm the picker is available, then adjust your keyboard settings.

Related: understand emoji meaning so you pick better emojis

Sometimes the real problem isn’t pulling up the emoji—it’s choosing the right one. Two quick reads that help you match emoji meaning to intent:

• Read: what emojis mean and how they’re commonly used: /blog/what-emojis-mean-meanings-examples-common-uses
• Read: how emoji keyboard shortcuts and pickers work overall: /blog/how-to-type-emojis-keyboard-shortcuts-and-pickers

If you’re using hearts a lot, you may also like:

• /blog/what-does-the-white-heart-emoji-mean

Copy/paste-ready examples you can try now

Here are a few commonly used emoji characters you can copy right away. (You can also search for the same keywords in the picker.)

• Thumbs up: 👍
• Check mark: ✅
• Red heart: ❤️
• Laughing: 😂
• Face with raised eyebrow: 🤨
• Party popper: 🎉

Want fancier symbol alternatives too? EmojiCopy has a bunch of Unicode symbols and emoji combos:

• Browse symbols: /symbols

FAQ

How to pull up emojis on Mac using only the keyboard?

Use Control + Command + Space while your cursor is in a text field. That opens the Character Viewer emoji interface, where you can search and insert emojis by double-clicking.

Can I open the emoji picker without pressing Control + Command + Space?

Yes. You can use Edit → Emoji & Symbols from the menu bar, or try Fn + E / the Globe (🌐) key depending on your Mac model and settings.

Why won’t the emoji shortcut work on my Mac?

First, make sure you’re clicking inside an editable text field (a chat box, document, or comment box). If it still fails, your shortcut may be conflicting with another app—try the menu bar method to verify the picker is available.

Can I create a custom shortcut to open Emoji & Symbols?

You can. Go to System Settings → Keyboard → Keyboard Shortcuts → App Shortcuts, click +, set the menu title to Emoji & Symbols, and choose a key combination that you prefer.

How do I add emojis to favorites on Mac?

Open the Character Viewer, find an emoji you use often, and choose the option to add it to favorites (when shown). After that, your favorites appear near the top so you don’t need to search every time.

Can I automatically turn words into emojis on macOS?

Yes, using Text Replacements. Set a trigger word (like thanks) and use the emoji picker to choose what it should replace with (like 🙏). This works in many apps, but not every input field behaves the same.