Typing emoji on a Mac or MacBook takes one shortcut: Control + Command + Space bar. If your MacBook has a Globe key (the key bottom left with the world symbol), you can also use that one key. This article explains both, how to find the right emoji quickly and what to do when the emoji window does not appear.
Blue Apple repairs MacBooks in Amsterdam. If the Control, Command or Globe key does not respond, the keyboard may be the cause; more at the end.
Method 1: Control + Command + Space bar
- Click where the emoji should go, for example in a message or document.
- Press Control + Command + Space bar.
- A small window with emoji appears. Type a word to search, such as "heart" or "laugh", or browse the categories.
- Click the emoji, or select it with the arrow keys and press Return.
Method 2: the Globe key
Newer MacBooks have a key bottom left with "fn" and a world symbol. Press it once and the emoji window opens. If something else happens, look in System Settings, Keyboard at "Press 🌐 key to" and choose "Show Emoji & Symbols".
Method 3: via the menu
In most programs you find Emoji & Symbols at the bottom of the Edit menu. It opens the same window.
More symbols: the full Character Viewer
Click the icon top right in the emoji window to make it bigger. You then get the full Character Viewer, with not only emoji but also arrows, maths symbols, currency signs and letters from other languages. The search field quickly finds, for example, ✓, → or ©. Double-click a character to insert it, and click Add to Favourites for characters you use often.
Skin tone and variants
For emoji of people and hands you can pick a skin tone. Hold the mouse button on the emoji (or click it longer) and choose the variant. The Mac remembers your choice for next time.
Making emoji appear automatically
If you use certain emoji a lot, create a text replacement. Go to System Settings, Keyboard, Text Replacements and add, for example, ":thumb" with 👍 as the replacement. When you then type ":thumb" and a space, the emoji appears by itself. Also read handy MacBook keyboard shortcuts.
The emoji window does not open
- You are not in a text field. Click somewhere you can type first.
- Another app uses the same shortcut. Try the Edit menu. If that works, find the app that takes over the shortcut.
- The Globe key is set differently (see above).
- The window freezes: restart the Mac.
- You see an empty square instead of an emoji: the recipient or the app does not know that emoji yet, usually because the system is older. That is not your Mac.
The keys themselves do not respond
If Control, Command, the Space bar or the Globe key do not work or only sometimes, test them in TextEdit. If they do not respond properly there either, there may be dirt under them or the keyboard is damaged. Read MacBook keyboard not working and how to clean your MacBook keyboard.
What we do at Blue Apple in Amsterdam
For keys that do not respond, we check whether cleaning is enough or whether a key or the keyboard needs replacing. You hear beforehand what it will be. More on our page about MacBook repair in Amsterdam.
Frequently asked questions
What is the emoji shortcut on a Mac?
Control + Command + Space bar. On newer MacBooks also the Globe key.
Do Mac emoji also work on Windows and Android?
Yes, emoji are standard characters. They do look a little different on other systems.
How do I type an emoji in a file name?
The same way: click the name to edit it and open the emoji window.
