How to Get Emojis on Desktop [2024 Complete Guide]

Written By Farhan Max

Emojis are a great way to add spice to your texts and messages. It breaks the monotonous tone of most messages and can convey emotions much better. 

Although most people know how to use emojis on their smartphones, as it is included with most smartphone keyboards, many users do not know how to use emojis on their desktops.

how-to-get-emojis-on-desktop

If you do not know how to get emojis on your desktop, then you are not alone. I also did not know how to open the emojis option. I have brought you the different ways on how to do this.

Read the full article to know how to get emojis on a desktop PC.

How to get emojis on a desktop easily

Windows, macOS, and Linux are the most popular desktop PC platforms. So, written below you will find the methods for opening the emojis menu for the platforms mentioned earlier.

On Windows, it is very simple to open the emojis menu. You need to press the Start menu button and “.” button at the same time. The list of available emojis will be displayed to you. Click on the one you want to use and it will be used in the text field of your choice.

Here are the ways you can use emojis on desktop:

1. For Windows

It is so easy to open the emojis menu on Windows, that even a child can open it in my honest opinion. You just need to use a keyboard shortcut. The steps on how to open the emojis menu on Windows are given below.

Here are the steps to get emojis on Windows:

  • Go to the text field you want to type in. 
  • Press the Start Menu button and “.” button at the same time on your keyboard. A small menu including the emojis will be displayed to you.
  • Click on the emoji you want to use and it will be displayed in the text field.

If you click on an emoji and do not see it, click again on the text field and reopen the Emojis menu. Try using an emoji and see whether it works or not.

If you want to know how to use emojis on macOS, read the steps given below.

Also check our exclusive tutorial on Make Discord Emojis Bigger.

2. For Mac

Other than Windows, macOS is another popular platform used by desktop users. Just like windows, it is very easy to access the emojis menu on macOS.

emoji-mac

Here are the steps to use Emojis on a Mac:

  • Click on the spot where you want to type.
  • Press the Control, Command, and Spacebar keys at the same time. You will see the Character Viewer pop up.
  • Click on the button at the top right of the Character Viewer.
  • Select the emoji you want to use.

If for any reason you do not see any emojis, click on your desired spot again and reopen the Character Viewer using the Control+Command+Spacebar keyboard shortcut.

If you want to know how to use emojis on other platforms, read the rest of the article.

3. For Linux

Ubuntu 18.04 LTS and above supports the use of emojis from the start. You need to just click on a text field and select the Insert Emoji option to use an emoji. 

It is a reasonably simple process consisting of a couple of straightforward steps.

emoji-linux

Here are the steps to use and Emoji on Linux/ubuntu:

  • Click on any text field. Click on a space where you can type.
  • Right-click on the text field. 
  • Select the Insert Emoji option.
  • Select the Emoji you want to use.

If you want to access the Insert Emoji option directly, then press the Ctrl and “.” buttons at the same time.

How to add emoticons to my keyboard?

Emoticons are more primitive versions of emojis. Instead of an icon or a small drawing, emoticons are typed by using symbols available on your keyboard.

Using emoticons is excellent as they will save time in many social media apps where emoticons are automatically converted to emojis. In other words, emoticons are like shortcuts for emojis in popular social media apps.

If you type 🙂 by using the : and ) symbol on your keyboard, it will be automatically converted to the smiley emoji on Messenger, the most popular messaging app on the planet. So knowing a few emoticons will always be helpful for you.

On Windows, it is straightforward to use emoticons. You can type in the emoticons by using their respective symbols or you could open the emojis menu by using the keyboard shortcut.

Click on any text field and press the Windows and “.” keys at the same time. You will see a menu will pop up. Select your desired emoji from that menu. If, by any chance you do not see the emoji after clicking on it, close the emoji menu and click on the text field again.

Reopen the emoji menu by using the keyboard shortcut and try using the emoji again.

The other desktop platform where you would like to use emoticons is most probably macOS

Like Windows, using emoticons on macOS will result in emojis being displayed on popular social media apps. If you want to open the emoji menu instead, do not worry, as it is very simple to do so.

Similar to Windows, there is a keyboard shortcut on Mac as well. Press the Control, Command, and Spacebar keys at the same time to open the emoji menu. After that, select the emoji you want to use.

On Android, the emojis are part of the keyboard that you use. Press on the smiley face icon on your keyboard. You will see all the emojis that are available on your Android device. The most used emojis will be displayed at first to you.

emoji-android

If your default keyboard app does not have the smiley face icon or any emojis men, download the Gboard app by searching for it on the Google playstore app or your internet browser.

On iOS, the emojis are included with the default keyboard, so it is very easy to access emojis. Open your keyboard and tap on the smiley face icon. A list of the available emojis will be displayed to you. Tap on the emoji you want to use and it should be displayed on the text field.

How to make emojis on computer keyboard Windows 7

Unlike Windows 10, Windows 7 does not have a built-in Emoji menu. You need to download and install additional software to use emojis easily.

Here are the steps to use emojis on Windows 7:

  1. Go to your internet browser.
  2. Search for Emoji 2.0.
  3. Download and install Emoji 2.0 by following the on-screen prompts.
  4. Launch Emoji 2.0 and use the emojis.
  5. Click on any text field.
  6. Use Emoji 2.0 to insert your desired Emojis.

Conclusion

Emojis make our boring texts more exciting and it is very rare to see people not using emojis nowadays. I hope this article was helpful to you and that you are now using emojis blazingly fast. All the methods I have written here are simple to follow, so I hope you will use this new knowledge for your own benefit.

About The Author
Farhan Max is a tech geek with a particular interest in computer hardware. He's been fascinated by gaming since childhood and is now completing his undergraduate studies while researching and testing the latest tech innovations. Alongside his love for all things geeky, Farhan is also a skilled photographer.

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