What emoji are and where you can use them
Emoji are small digital pictures — usually faces, objects, or symbols — that you can insert into text messages, emails, social media posts, and documents. They started as a way to add tone to written words when you can't hear someone's voice. A smiley face emoji can turn "ok" into something that feels friendly instead of annoyed.
You can use emoji almost everywhere you type on a phone, tablet, or computer. Text messages, email, social media platforms like Facebook or Instagram, Google Docs, Word documents, and chat apps like WhatsApp or Slack all support them. Some older systems or very formal work email servers might strip them out, but that's rare.
The emoji you see on your screen come from your device's operating system — iPhone, Android, Windows, or Mac — not from the app you're using. That's why the same emoji might look slightly different on an iPhone than on a Samsung phone, even though they mean the same thing.
Key Takeaways
- On phones and tablets, you access emoji through a dedicated keyboard button or by long-pressing the space bar, depending on your device type.
- On computers, Windows has a built-in emoji picker you open with Windows key + period, while Mac users can press Control + Command + Space.
- You can search for emoji by typing what you want — typing "heart" will show you all heart variations — instead of scrolling through hundreds of options.
- Emoji skin tone modifiers let you adjust the appearance of people emoji to match different skin tones by holding down on the base emoji.
Adding emoji on iPhone and iPad
On an iPhone or iPad, look for the emoji keyboard button in the bottom left of your keyboard — it looks like a smiley face. Tap it and you'll see a grid of emoji organized by category: smileys, animals, food, travel, activities, objects, symbols, and flags. Swipe left or right to move between categories, or tap the category icons at the bottom to jump directly to what you want.
If you don't see the emoji button, you may need to add it first. Go to Settings, then Keyboard, then Keyboards, then Add New Keyboard, and select Emoji. Once it's added, you can switch to it from any text field by tapping the globe icon on your keyboard until you reach the emoji option.
The fastest way to find a specific emoji is to use the search box at the top of the emoji keyboard. Type what you're looking for — "coffee", "thumbs", "party" — and the keyboard will show you matching options. This saves you from scrolling through dozens of screens.
Adding emoji on Android phones
Android keyboards vary depending on which keyboard app you use — Google's Gboard is the most common. Open any text field and look for the emoji button, which usually looks like a smiley face and sits near the space bar. Tap it to open the emoji picker.
Like iPhone, Android emoji are organized by category with icons at the bottom. You can also search by typing in the search field at the top. If you don't see an emoji button on your keyboard, you may need to enable it in your keyboard settings. Go to Settings, then Apps, then Keyboard (or Gboard), then Preferences, and make sure emoji are turned on.
Some Android keyboards let you long-press the space bar to quickly access emoji without switching keyboards. Try holding down on the space bar — if your keyboard supports it, a menu will appear.
Adding emoji on Windows computers
Windows 10 and later have a built-in emoji picker. Press the Windows key and the period key at the same time (Windows + .) and a panel will open showing emoji organized by category. You can search by typing — just start typing what you want and the picker will filter results. Click or tap the emoji you want and it will be inserted into whatever you're typing.
The emoji picker also includes kaomoji (text-based faces like ¯\_(ツ)_/¯) and special symbols. You can browse by category or use the search box. Once you've used an emoji, it appears in a "recent" section at the top, so your most-used emoji are always one click away.
If Windows + period doesn't work, make sure you're on Windows 10 or later. On older versions, you'll need to copy and paste emoji from a website or use a third-party emoji app.
Adding emoji on Mac computers
On a Mac, press Control + Command + Space to open the emoji and symbols picker. A window will appear showing emoji in a grid. You can browse by category using the icons at the top, or search by typing in the search box. Click the emoji you want and it will be inserted into your document or message.
The Mac picker also includes a "recently used" section and lets you adjust the skin tone of people emoji by clicking and holding on the base emoji. If the keyboard shortcut doesn't work, go to System Preferences, then Keyboard, then Input Sources, and make sure "Show Input menu in menu bar" is checked.
Skin tone modifiers and emoji variations
Many emoji that show people — faces, hands, people in activities — come with skin tone options. On phones, long-press or hold down on a people emoji and a menu will appear showing different skin tone variations. On computers, the process is similar: right-click or click and hold on the emoji in the picker, and you'll see the options.
Some emoji also have variations that aren't about skin tone. For example, the heart emoji comes in different colors, and the thumbs-up emoji can point up or down. These variations usually appear when you long-press or hold down on the base emoji. The system will show you what's available.
Copying and pasting emoji from websites
If your device doesn't have a built-in emoji picker or you prefer browsing online, websites like Emojipedia.org let you search and copy emoji. Find the emoji you want, click the copy button, and paste it into your message or document using Ctrl + V (Windows) or Command + V (Mac).
This method works on any device and any app, even older systems that might not have emoji support built in. The downside is it's slower than using a keyboard picker, so it's most useful when you're looking for a specific emoji you can't find through your device's normal method.
Frequently Asked Questions
Why do emoji look different on my phone than on my friend's phone?
Each device maker — Apple, Google, Samsung, Microsoft — designs emoji slightly differently. The smiley face emoji looks a little different on iPhone than on Android, even though they mean the same thing. You're both sending the same emoji code; your devices just display it with their own style.
Can I use emoji in work emails?
Most modern email systems support emoji without any problem. However, some older corporate email servers or very formal workplaces may have filters that remove them. If you're unsure about your workplace culture, it's safer to skip emoji in professional emails unless you know your colleagues use them.
What if I can't find the emoji I'm looking for?
Use the search function in your device's emoji picker — type the word that describes what you want. If that doesn't work, try Emojipedia.org, which has a searchable database of every emoji and explains what each one means. You can copy it from there and paste it into your message.
Do emoji work the same way in all apps?
Yes. Once you insert an emoji using your device's keyboard or picker, it works the same in text messages, email, social media, and documents. The emoji itself is the same; only the visual style changes based on your device.
Can I make my own emoji?
You can't create official emoji, but many phones let you create custom stickers or reactions in specific apps like iMessage or WhatsApp. These work similarly to emoji but are custom to that app. Some apps also let you upload your own images as stickers.