Windows has three built-in emoji pickers you can use without installing anything

The fastest way to insert an emoji on Windows is the emoji picker that comes built into Windows 10 and Windows 11. Press Windows key + period (the key with a dot on it), and a popup window appears with hundreds of emojis organized by category. You can search by typing the name of what you want — type "smile" and you get all the smiling faces, type "heart" and you get hearts in every color. Click the emoji you want and it pastes into whatever you were typing.

If that keyboard shortcut does not work, your Windows version may be older or the feature may not be enabled. You have two other built-in options: the Character Map process that comes with Windows, or the on-screen keyboard. Both take a few more steps but work on older versions of Windows too.

Key Takeaways

  • Windows 10 and Windows 11 have a free emoji picker built in — press Windows key + period to open it.
  • If the keyboard shortcut does not work, open Character Map by typing "charmap" in the Windows search box and search for emojis by name.
  • The on-screen keyboard (search for "osk") also displays emojis in a dedicated tab and works on any Windows version.
  • Emojis you insert this way work in email, messaging apps, social media, and documents — they are just text characters.

Using the Windows emoji picker with the keyboard shortcut

On Windows 10 version 1909 or later and all versions of Windows 11, the emoji picker is the simplest method. Hold down the Windows key (the key with four squares on it, usually between Ctrl and Alt on the left side of your keyboard) and press the period key at the same time. A window pops up showing emojis organized into tabs: smileys, people, animals, food, travel, activities, objects, symbols, and flags.

You can browse by clicking each tab, or you can search. Type any word related to what you want — "cat" shows cat faces and cat-related emojis, "party" shows balloons and confetti, "thumbs" shows thumbs up and thumbs down. Click the emoji you want and it inserts into whatever text field or document you had open. The picker closes automatically after you select one.

If Windows key + period does nothing, check that you are on Windows 10 version 1909 or later. Open Settings, go to System, then About, and look for the version number. If you are on an older version, use Character Map or the on-screen keyboard instead.

Finding emojis through Character Map

Character Map is a Windows process that shows every character your computer can display, including emojis. Open it by clicking the Windows search box (or pressing Windows key alone), typing "charmap", and clicking the Character Map result. A window opens showing a grid of characters.

In the top right, there is a search box that says "Search for". Type the name of the emoji you want — "smile", "heart", "star", "fire" — and the grid updates to show only matching characters. Click the emoji you want, then click the Copy button. Go back to your email, document, or message, and paste it with Ctrl + V.

Character Map works on all versions of Windows and does not require any updates. The downside is that it shows results one at a time rather than in organized categories, so searching by name is faster than browsing.

Using the on-screen keyboard to access emojis

The on-screen keyboard is a visual keyboard that appears on your screen. Open it by clicking the Windows search box, typing "osk", and clicking On-Screen Keyboard. A keyboard window appears showing all the keys you would see on a physical keyboard.

Look for a button labeled with a smiley face — it is usually in the top right corner of the keyboard window. Click it and the keyboard switches to show emoji categories. You can click through different tabs to browse smileys, people, animals, food, travel, and other categories. Click the emoji you want and it inserts into whatever you were typing.

The on-screen keyboard is useful if you prefer clicking to typing, or if you want to see all the emoji categories laid out visually. It works on all Windows versions and does not require any special settings to be turned on.

Where emojis work and where they might not

Emojis are just text characters, so they work anywhere you can type text: email, messaging apps like Slack or Teams, social media like Facebook or Twitter, word processors like Microsoft Word, and web forms. When you paste an emoji, the receiving device displays it — though the exact appearance varies slightly between Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android.

A few older systems or specialized software may not display emojis correctly. If you send an emoji to someone and they see a box or a question mark instead, their device does not support that particular emoji, but the emoji itself was sent correctly. This is rare on modern devices and software.

Customizing your emoji picker on Windows 11

Windows 11 lets you customize the emoji picker to show your most-used emojis at the top. After you use the emoji picker a few times, a "Recents" tab appears showing the emojis you have used most often. This saves time if you use the same few emojis repeatedly.

You can also change the skin tone of people emojis. When you hover over a people emoji in the picker, a small menu appears showing different skin tone options. Click the one you want and it inserts that version of the emoji.

Installing third-party emoji apps if you want more options

The built-in emoji picker covers the standard emojis that work on all devices. If you want access to newer emojis, animated emojis, or custom emoji packs, you can install third-party apps from the Microsoft Store. Search the Store for "emoji" and you will see several free and paid options.

These apps are optional — the built-in picker has thousands of emojis and covers nearly all common use cases. Third-party apps are useful only if you need features the built-in picker does not have, like animated emojis or the ability to create custom emoji combinations.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why does Windows key + period not work on my computer?

This feature requires Windows 10 version 1909 or later. Check your version in Settings > System > About. If you are on an older version, use Character Map or the on-screen keyboard instead. The shortcut may also be disabled if your keyboard layout is set to a non-English language — try changing it temporarily to English US.

Can I use emojis in Microsoft Office documents?

Yes. Open Word, Excel, or PowerPoint, click where you want the emoji, and press Windows key + period. The emoji picker opens and works the same way. The emoji inserts as a character and prints or exports normally with your document.

Do emojis look the same on Windows and iPhone?

No. The same emoji looks slightly different on each device — Windows, Mac, iPhone, and Android all have their own designs. When you send an emoji to someone on a different device, they see their device's version of it, not yours. The meaning stays the same even though the appearance changes.

What if I want to use an emoji that is not in the built-in picker?

The built-in picker includes all standard emojis that work across devices. Newer emojis are added when Windows updates. If you need very new emojis or custom designs, search the Microsoft Store for third-party emoji apps, though these are rarely necessary for everyday use.

Can I make an emoji bigger or change its color?

Emojis are text characters, so you can make them bigger by increasing the font size in your document or message, just like you would with regular text. You cannot change the emoji's color — the design is fixed. If you need a different color, you may need to use a graphics program to create a custom image instead.