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Best Emojis

How to Type Emoji on Any Device

Every computer and phone sold today has an emoji picker built in, but each one hides it behind a different key. The short version: Windows key + period on Windows, Fn or Globe + E on a Mac, Search + Shift + Space on a Chromebook, Ctrl + period in most Linux apps. Below are the exact steps for each system, taken from the vendors' own documentation, and the tricks for typing an emoji when no picker is available.

Finding the shortcut for your deviceโ€ฆ

Every system at a glance

The last column comes from our own dated record of vendor emoji updates. It shows the newest emoji set we have confirmed reaching that keyboard, which tells you whether this year's new emoji will show up in the picker.

SystemOpen the pickerNewest emoji set we have on record
Windows 10 and 11Windows key + . (period)Emoji 17.0 in Windows 11 26H2 (27 August 2026)
MacFn (or ๐ŸŒ) + E, or Control + Command + SpaceNo dated record yet
ChromebookSearch (or Launcher) + Shift + SpaceNo dated record yet
Linux (GNOME and KDE)Ctrl + . in GNOME apps, Meta + . on KDE PlasmaNo dated record yet
iPhone and iPadTap ๐Ÿ˜€ or ๐ŸŒ on the keyboardEmoji 17.0 in iOS 26.4 (24 March 2026)
AndroidTap the ๐Ÿ˜€ key on your keyboardEmoji 17.0 in Samsung One UI 8.5 (25 February 2026)

Windows 10 and 11

Windows key + . (period)

  1. Click into any text box, such as a chat, an email or the address bar.
  2. Press the Windows key and the period key together. The emoji panel opens next to the cursor.
  3. Start typing a word, such as 'heart', to filter the list, or click a category at the bottom.
  4. Click an emoji, or press Enter to insert the first match. The panel stays open so you can add several.

On Windows 11 the same panel also has tabs for GIFs, kaomoji and symbols. Windows' own emoji font has no country flags, so ๐Ÿ‡ฏ๐Ÿ‡ต shows as the letters JP in most Windows apps; see why on our flag page. Why flags show as letters on Windows

Mac

Fn (or ๐ŸŒ) + E, or Control + Command + Space

  1. Put the cursor where you want the emoji.
  2. Press Fn + E (the Fn key is marked ๐ŸŒ on newer keyboards), or Control + Command + Space. You can also choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols from the menu bar.
  3. Type to search, then click an emoji. Click the button at the top right to expand the full Character Viewer with every symbol.
  4. To open it with a single press, go to System Settings > Keyboard and set 'Press ๐ŸŒ key to' (or 'Press fn key to') to Show Emoji & Symbols.

If a single press of ๐ŸŒ switches your keyboard language instead, that is the same setting: it can only do one job at a time.

Chromebook

Search (or Launcher) + Shift + Space

  1. Click into a text field.
  2. Press the Search key (or the Launcher key on newer keyboards) together with Shift and Space.
  3. Type to search or browse the categories, then click an emoji to insert it.
  4. In many apps you can also right-click inside a text field and choose Emoji from the menu.

Chromebooks draw emoji with Google's Noto design, the same family Android uses.

Linux (GNOME and KDE)

Ctrl + . in GNOME apps, Meta + . on KDE Plasma

  1. In GNOME and other apps built with GTK, click into a text field and press Ctrl + . (period) or Ctrl + ; (semicolon) to open the emoji chooser inside that app.
  2. On KDE Plasma, press Meta + . (the Windows key and period) to open the Emoji Selector, or search for 'emoji' in the launcher.
  3. In some Plasma versions, picking an emoji copies it to the clipboard rather than inserting it; paste it with Ctrl + V.
  4. If emoji appear as empty boxes, the system has no colour emoji font. On Debian and Ubuntu, install the fonts-noto-color-emoji package and log in again.

Shortcuts vary between desktops and apps. A Qt app on GNOME, or a GTK app on KDE, may ignore the other desktop's shortcut.

iPhone and iPad

Tap ๐Ÿ˜€ or ๐ŸŒ on the keyboard

  1. Start typing anywhere: a message, a note, a search box.
  2. Look at the bottom left of the keys and tap ๐Ÿ˜€. If you use more than one keyboard language, the button shows ๐ŸŒ instead; tap it until the emoji appear.
  3. Swipe through the categories, or type a word into the search box above the emoji to look one up. Touch and hold a people or hand emoji to choose a skin tone.
  4. No ๐Ÿ˜€ button at all? Open Settings and go to General > Keyboard. Under Keyboards, tap Add New Keyboard and pick Emoji.

Apple has added new emoji in a spring '.4' update for several years running, so a brand new emoji usually reaches iPhone about six months after Unicode approves it. When the newest emoji reach each phone

Android

Tap the ๐Ÿ˜€ key on your keyboard

  1. Start typing in any app so the keyboard slides up.
  2. In Gboard, tap the ๐Ÿ˜€ key. Depending on your settings it sits next to the space bar, or appears when you touch and hold the comma or Enter key. Samsung Keyboard shows a ๐Ÿ˜€ button in the toolbar above the keys.
  3. Tap the search icon to look one up by name, and touch and hold a people emoji for skin tones.
  4. In Gboard, tap a smiley and it suggests Emoji Kitchen stickers made from it, just above the keyboard.

Which new emoji you see depends on two things: your keyboard app and your phone's system font. A new keyboard on an old phone can offer an emoji the phone still draws as a box.

Typing an emoji by its code

Useful when there is no picker, such as in a remote desktop, a terminal or a locked-down work computer. Every method needs the emoji's code point, which our converter shows for any emoji. ๐Ÿ˜€ is U+1F600.

WhereHow
Microsoft Word and Outlook on WindowsType the code without 'U+' (1F600), then press Alt + X. Word replaces the code with the emoji. Press Alt + X again with the cursor after an emoji to turn it back into its code.
Linux (GTK and IBus apps)Press Ctrl + Shift + U, type 1F600, then press Space or Enter.
Mac with the Unicode Hex Input sourceAdd Unicode Hex Input in System Settings > Keyboard > Text Input, switch to it, then hold Option and type the code. Emoji above U+FFFF have to be typed as two halves, so ๐Ÿ˜€ is Option + D83D then Option + DE00.
Windows Alt codesHolding Alt and typing a number on the keypad only reaches old text symbols, such as Alt + 3 for โ™ฅ. It cannot produce colour emoji; use Windows key + period instead.

Typing an emoji by name in chat apps

Slack, Discord and GitHub turn a name between colons into an emoji: type :fire: and you get ๐Ÿ”ฅ. We checked all 652 shortcodes we publish against Slack's and GitHub's own lists; 99 of them are spelled differently on at least one of the three, which is why :joy: works everywhere but some longer names do not.

All 652 shortcodes, with the ones that differ

When the shortcut does nothing

Almost always, the cursor is not in a text field. The pickers on Windows, Chromebook and in GTK apps only open where you could type a letter, so click into the box first. On a Mac, check the ๐ŸŒ key setting above. On Windows with a non-English keyboard, the period key may sit somewhere else; use the key that types '.' on your layout. And if the picker opens but shows boxes or letters, the problem is the font, not the shortcut.

Faster than the picker: text replacement

If you send the same emoji every day, set up a replacement so a short word turns into it. On iPhone, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement and add a phrase such as ':shrug' for ๐Ÿคท. On a Mac the same list lives in System Settings > Keyboard > Text Replacements, and it syncs between the two through iCloud. Gboard has a personal dictionary that works the same way on Android.

Find the code for any emojiSlack, Discord and GitHub shortcodesWhich emoji your device can showCopy and paste any emoji

Typing emoji: questions

What is the keyboard shortcut for emoji on Windows?

Press the Windows key and the period key (.) together while the cursor is in a text field. Microsoft documents it for both Windows 10 and Windows 11; on Windows 11 the panel also has GIFs, kaomoji and symbols.

How do I type emoji on a Mac keyboard?

Press Fn + E, or Control + Command + Space, with the cursor in a text field. Apple lists both shortcuts. You can also make a single press of the ๐ŸŒ key open the picker in System Settings > Keyboard.

How do I get emoji on a Chromebook?

Press Search + Shift + Space, or Launcher + Shift + Space on newer keyboards, in any text field. Google lists this in its Chromebook keyboard shortcuts. In many apps, right-clicking a text field and choosing Emoji works too.

Can I type an emoji using its Unicode number?

Yes, in some apps. In Word on Windows, type 1F600 and press Alt + X. On Linux, press Ctrl + Shift + U, type the code and press Space. Ordinary Windows Alt codes cannot produce colour emoji.

Why can't I find the newest emoji on my keyboard?

New emoji only appear after your system or keyboard app updates. As of our records, the newest set to reach any major keyboard is Emoji 17.0; Emoji 18.0 is approved but not on any phone yet.