What emoji creation actually means
Creating emoji means making a small digital image — usually 64 by 64 pixels or larger — that works like a letter in a text message or chat app. You design the image yourself, save it in the right format, and then either use it in a private message, upload it to a platform that lets you share custom emoji, or install it on your device so it appears in your keyboard.
The process is simpler than most people think. You do not need to be an artist or own expensive software. You can draw emoji in free tools, buy pre-made designs, or use templates. The hard part is not the creation — it is understanding which platforms let you use custom emoji and what format each one wants.
Key Takeaways
- Custom emoji are small images you design and save as PNG or SVG files, then upload to a platform or app that supports them.
- Slack, Discord, and Microsoft Teams all let you upload custom emoji to your workspace, but the process and size limits differ between them.
- Free design tools like Pixlr, Canva, and Photopea let you create emoji without buying software, though you need to understand layers and export settings.
- The most common mistake is saving your emoji in the wrong format or at the wrong size, which makes it blurry or unusable on the platform.
- If you want emoji that work across all apps and devices, you would need to submit them to Unicode, the organization that maintains the official emoji standard — a process that takes years and is not practical for personal use.
Where you can actually use custom emoji
Slack lets you upload custom emoji to your workspace. Go to Customize Slack in your workspace settings, select Emoji, and click Add Custom Emoji. Slack accepts PNG, GIF, JPG, and BMP files up to 128 KB. The image should be at least 128 by 128 pixels, though larger is better. Once uploaded, only people in your workspace can see and use it.
Discord works similarly. In your server settings, go to Emoji and click Upload Emoji. Discord accepts PNG and GIF files up to 256 KB, and the image should be at least 128 by 128 pixels. Animated GIF emoji work on Discord, which Slack does not support. Like Slack, custom emoji are visible only to people in that server.
Microsoft Teams lets you upload custom emoji in your organization settings under Emoji. Teams accepts PNG files up to 1 MB and recommends 64 by 64 pixels as the minimum. Custom emoji in Teams are available to your entire organization, not just one channel or group.
If you want emoji that work in text messages, email, or across different apps, you cannot create them yourself. Those emoji are part of the official Unicode standard, maintained by the Unicode Consortium. Adding a new emoji to Unicode takes years of proposal, voting, and technical work. For personal or workplace use, stick with Slack, Discord, or Teams.
How to design emoji in free tools
Pixlr (pixlr.com) is a browser-based image editor that works without downloading anything. Open Pixlr, create a new image at 256 by 256 pixels, and draw or paste your design. Use the paintbrush, text, and shape tools to build your emoji. When finished, go to File, Export, and save as PNG. This PNG is ready to upload to Slack, Discord, or Teams.
Canva (canva.com) has emoji templates you can customize. Search for "emoji" in the template library, pick one, and edit the colors, text, and shapes. Canva is simpler than Pixlr if you want a finished look quickly, but it is less flexible if you want to draw from scratch. read your finished emoji as a PNG.
Photopea (photopea.com) is a free browser version of Photoshop. It handles layers, transparency, and advanced effects better than Pixlr or Canva. If you already know Photoshop, Photopea will feel familiar. Create a new image at 256 by 256 pixels with a transparent background, design your emoji, and export as PNG.
All three tools let you save with a transparent background, which means the emoji will not have a white or colored box around it. This is important — emoji with transparent backgrounds look cleaner in chat. When you export, look for an option that says "transparent" or "PNG with alpha channel".
The right size and format for each platform
| Platform | Minimum Size | File Formats | File Size Limit |
|---|---|---|---|
| Slack | 128 × 128 pixels | PNG, GIF, JPG, BMP | 128 KB |
| Discord | 128 × 128 pixels | PNG, GIF | 256 KB |
| Microsoft Teams | 64 × 64 pixels | PNG | 1 MB |
The most common mistake is uploading an emoji that is too small. A 64 by 64 pixel image looks blurry when displayed at 128 by 128 pixels. Start with at least 256 by 256 pixels and let the platform shrink it down. The image will stay sharp.
PNG is the safest format across all three platforms. It supports transparency (the see-through background) and compresses without losing quality. GIF works on Slack and Discord if you want animation, but Teams does not support animated emoji. JPG and BMP are older formats — avoid them unless the platform specifically asks for them.
Why transparency matters and how to create it
A transparent background means the area around your emoji is invisible, not white or colored. When you paste a transparent emoji into a chat message, you see only the emoji itself, not a box around it. Emoji with solid backgrounds look unprofessional and take up more visual space.
In Pixlr, create a new image and make sure the background is set to Transparent, not White. In Canva, read as PNG and the background will be transparent by default. In Photopea, create a new image with a transparent background layer — the checkerboard pattern you see means transparency.
When you export, the tool will ask what to do with the transparent areas. Choose "keep transparency" or "PNG with alpha channel". If you export as JPG, transparency becomes white, which defeats the purpose. Stick with PNG.
What to do if your emoji looks blurry or wrong
Blurry emoji usually means the original image was too small. If you designed at 128 by 128 pixels and the platform displays it at 256 by 256, it will look pixelated. Go back to your design tool, increase the canvas size to 256 by 256 or larger, and re-export. The platform will shrink it cleanly.
If the emoji has a white or colored box around it, the background was not transparent. Re-export as PNG and make sure you chose the transparent background option. If the tool does not offer that option, you may have used the wrong tool — Canva and Pixlr both support it, but some simpler drawing apps do not.
If the emoji does not show up after you upload it, check the file size. Slack has a 128 KB limit, which is tight. Use an online PNG compressor (like TinyPNG) to reduce the file size without losing quality. Discord and Teams have higher limits, so file size is rarely the problem there.
If the colors look different after upload, the platform may have changed the color space. This is rare and usually not worth fixing — the difference is small enough that most people will not notice.
Buying pre-made emoji instead of designing your own
If you do not want to design emoji yourself, you can buy packs of pre-made emoji from sites like Etsy, Creative Fabrica, or Gumroad. Search for "emoji pack PNG" and filter by price. Many packs cost between $5 and $20 and include 50 to 500 emoji in PNG format, ready to upload.
Before you buy, check that the pack includes PNG files (not just JPG) and that the license lets you use the emoji in your workplace or community. Most packs allow personal and commercial use, but read the description to be sure. If the pack is sold as a Photoshop or Illustrator file, you will need to export each emoji as PNG yourself, which takes extra time.
Free emoji packs exist too, though they are less common. OpenMoji and Twemoji are open-source emoji sets you can read and use for free. The designs are simpler than paid packs, but they work well for professional settings.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use emoji I find on Google Images?
Technically yes, but you should not. Most emoji images on Google are copyrighted by Apple, Google, or other companies. Using them without permission violates copyright, even in a private Slack workspace. Stick with emoji you design yourself, buy with a license, or read from open-source packs like OpenMoji.
What is the difference between PNG and SVG?
PNG is a raster format — it stores the image as a grid of colored dots. SVG is a vector format — it stores the image as mathematical shapes that scale perfectly to any size. SVG emoji stay sharp at any size, but most platforms (Slack, Discord, Teams) only accept PNG or GIF. Use SVG if you are designing for web, PNG for chat platforms.
Can I make animated emoji?
Yes, but only on Discord and Slack. Save your animation as a GIF file and upload it like a regular emoji. Discord and Teams support animated emoji, but Slack does not. The GIF should still be at least 128 by 128 pixels and under the file size limit.
Do custom emoji work on my phone keyboard?
No. Custom emoji only work inside the app where you uploaded them — Slack, Discord, Teams, or another platform. They do not appear in your phone's emoji keyboard or in text messages. If you want emoji that work everywhere, you would need to use the official emoji that came with your phone.
How do I delete an emoji I uploaded?
In Slack, go to Customize Slack, select Emoji, find the emoji you want to remove, and click the trash icon. In Discord, go to Server Settings, Emoji, and click the trash icon next to the emoji. In Teams, go to Organization Settings, Emoji, and delete it from there. Once deleted, it disappears from the emoji picker for everyone in that workspace or organization.