Emoji Keyboard Shortcut: Windows, Chromebook, Phones
Press the Windows logo key + . (period) on Windows 11 or 10, Search + Shift + Space on a Chromebook, and Fn/Globe-E or Control–Command–Space bar on a Mac. On an iPhone, iPad or Android phone, tap the emoji key on the on-screen keyboard instead. That’s the emoji keyboard shortcut for each device, from Microsoft’s, Google’s and Apple’s help pages.
Below are the steps for each one, including the GIFs and kaomoji Microsoft describes for Windows 11 and a second Chromebook route called Quick Insert. To check what an emoji means before you send it, look it up in our emoji meanings dictionary.
Table of Contents
- What is the emoji keyboard shortcut on each device?
- What is the emoji shortcut key on Windows 11 and 10?
- How do you type emoji on a Chromebook?
- Which emoji shortcut does a Mac use?
- How do you open the emoji keyboard on an iPhone or iPad?
- How do you get emoji on Android?
- Do emoji count as two characters on X?
- Frequently Asked Questions
What is the emoji keyboard shortcut on each device?
Every desktop system has its own emoji hotkey, and phones replace it with a button on the on-screen keyboard. The table gives each shortcut with the help page it comes from and the date it was checked. On Windows and Chromebooks, both makers’ steps start with your cursor in a text field, so click into one before you press the keys.
| Device | Emoji shortcut | Official source |
|---|---|---|
| Windows 11 and 10 | Windows logo key + . (period) | Microsoft Support, Windows keyboard tips and tricks, checked |
| Mac | Fn/Globe-E or Control–Command–Space bar | Apple Support, Mac User Guide: Use emoji and symbols on Mac; Apple Support, Mac keyboard shortcuts, checked |
| Chromebook | Search + Shift + Space or Quick Insert key (or Launcher + f / Google + f) | Chromebook Help, Find emojis, symbols, emoticons & GIFs; Chromebook Help, Use Quick Insert to add & create content, checked |
| iPhone and iPad | Emoji button or Next Keyboard (globe) key | Apple Support, iPhone User Guide: Add emoji, Memoji, and stickers with the iPhone keyboard, checked |
| Android | Gboard: tap Emoji | Gboard Help, Use your keyboard (Android), checked |
Microsoft’s list of Windows keyboard shortcuts gives a second combination for the same panel, Windows key + ; (semicolon), under both Windows 11 and Windows 10 (checked 3 October 2026).
What is the emoji shortcut key on Windows 11 and 10?
Put your cursor in a text field and press the Windows logo key + . (period): the emoji panel opens, and you can click an emoji or keep typing to search for one. That’s the Windows emoji keyboard shortcut Microsoft documents for both Windows 11 and Windows 10, and Windows key + ; (semicolon) opens the same panel.
- During text entry, press Windows key + . (period). The emoji keyboard appears.
- Select an emoji with the mouse, or keep typing to search the available emoji.
- Select Symbols in the same panel for punctuation, accented characters and other symbols.
- Microsoft documents the same shortcut for Windows 11 and Windows 10.
- On Windows 11 Microsoft says the panel also offers GIFs and kaomoji; the Windows 10 section does not mention them.
Checked against Microsoft Support, Windows keyboard tips and tricks.
The versions differ in what Microsoft says the panel holds. Its Windows 11 section is headed “Insert emojis, GIFs, and symbols with the emoji panel”, adds that you can choose from GIFs and kaomoji too, and is where the Symbols step above comes from. The Windows 10 section covers emoji only, and for symbols it describes Alt codes instead: hold Alt and type a four-digit code on the numeric keypad, which Microsoft says doesn’t work with the row of numbers along the top of the keyboard (Windows keyboard tips and tricks, checked 3 October 2026).
How do you type emoji on a Chromebook?
Press Search + Shift + Space in a text field, or right-click the field and select Emoji. Google’s picker has Emoji, Symbols, Emoticons and GIFs to the right of its search bar, so one shortcut covers all four.
- In a text field, press Search + Shift + Space, or right-click the text field and select Emoji.
- Choose Emoji (10 categories, from Smileys & Emotions to Flags), Symbols, Emoticons or GIFs to the right of the search bar.
- Or type a name in the search bar, for example "Ice cream".
- GIF search is powered by Tenor, per Google's page.
Checked against Chromebook Help, Find emojis, symbols, emoticons & GIFs and Chromebook Help, Use Quick Insert to add & create content.
Quick Insert, the second Chromebook route
Quick Insert opens a menu that you search by typing, and it can add emojis, emoticons, symbols and GIFs. To open it, press the Quick Insert key (or Launcher + f / Google + f).
- Press the Quick Insert key. If your keyboard doesn't have one, press Launcher + f or Google + f.
- From the menu that opens, begin typing; Quick Insert can add emojis, emoticons, symbols and GIFs.
- Highlight the item and press Enter to insert it.
- Which key you press depends on whether your Chromebook keyboard has a Quick Insert key.
Checked against Chromebook Help, Find emojis, symbols, emoticons & GIFs and Chromebook Help, Use Quick Insert to add & create content.
Google’s Quick Insert page also explains how to make another key your Quick Insert key: select the time at the bottom right, open Settings, choose Device, then Keyboard and inputs, then Customize keyboard keys, select the key and pick Quick Insert from its menu (checked 3 October 2026).
Which emoji shortcut does a Mac use?
On a Mac, press Fn/Globe-E or Control–Command–Space bar to open the Character Viewer, Apple’s panel of emoji and symbols. Type a word such as “heart” first and Fn/Globe-E suggests an emoji to swap in instead. Apple documents more routes, from the Edit menu to a one-key setting, and our guide to every way to type emoji on a Mac walks through each of them.
Checked against Apple Support, Mac User Guide: Use emoji and symbols on Mac and Apple Support, Mac keyboard shortcuts.
How do you open the emoji keyboard on an iPhone or iPad?
Tap a text field, then tap the Emoji button or Next Keyboard (globe) key to switch to the emoji keyboard; tap ABC to get your letters back. On a phone, that key is the emoji shortcut. Apple’s support article on using emoji on iPhone and iPad covers iPhone and iPad together and says the emoji keyboard works in any app that uses the standard keyboard, such as Mail or Messages (checked 3 October 2026).
- Tap a text field, then tap the Emoji button or the Next Keyboard key to switch to the emoji keyboard.
- Swipe left or right to browse, tap a symbol below the keyboard to jump to a category, or search in the "Search Emoji" field.
- Tap an emoji to add it. To pick a skin tone, touch and hold the emoji, then drag to the variation you like and release.
- Tap ABC to return to the regular keyboard.
- Read on the iOS 27 edition of the iPhone User Guide; earlier iOS versions can label things differently.
- The "Search Emoji" field and the clock (recently used) icon are described in Apple's separate article Use emoji on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch.
- If there is no emoji keyboard: Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards > Add New Keyboard > Emoji (Apple article 102507).
Checked against Apple Support, iPhone User Guide: Add emoji, Memoji, and stickers with the iPhone keyboard.
How do you get emoji on Android?
On Android, the emoji shortcut is a key on the keyboard itself: in Gboard, Google’s keyboard, tap Emoji, tap the emoji you want, then tap ABC to go back to letters. If your phone came with a different keyboard, its buttons may not match, as the note under these steps explains.
- Open any app where you can write, like Gmail or Keep, and tap where you can enter text.
- Tap Emoji, then tap one or more emojis to insert them (or tap GIF to choose a GIF).
- Tap ABC to go back to entering letters.
- These are Gboard's steps. Android phones can ship with a different default keyboard (for example a manufacturer's own), whose buttons may differ.
Checked against Gboard Help, Use your keyboard (Android).
Do emoji count as two characters on X?
Yes. X counts each emoji as 2 characters toward its 280-character limit, while most Latin letters count as 1, so 140 emoji fill a whole post. Every link counts as 23, whatever its length, and X Premium subscribers can write longer posts of up to 25,000 characters. Source: X Developer Platform: Counting characters, verified 27 September 2026.
Before you post, paste the draft into our free Twitter character counter, which applies the same weighting to emoji and links.
Writing the caption around your emoji? Our TikTok caption generator drafts captions with hooks, hashtags and calls to action, and the emoji faces guide explains what each smiley usually signals.
Write and schedule your next post in Outfeed AI
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the keyboard shortcut for emojis?
It depends on the device. On Windows 11 and 10, press the Windows logo key + . (period) while typing in a text field; Microsoft also lists Windows key + ; (semicolon). On a Chromebook, press Search + Shift + Space. On a Mac, press Fn/Globe-E or Control–Command–Space bar. Phones have no key combination: on iPhone and iPad, tap the Emoji button or the globe key on the keyboard, and in Gboard on Android, tap Emoji.
How do I open the emoji keyboard on Windows 11?
Click into a text field, then press the Windows logo key + . (period); Microsoft’s keyboard shortcuts list also gives Windows key + ; (semicolon) for the same panel. Pick an emoji with the mouse, or keep typing to search. Microsoft says the Windows 11 panel also offers GIFs and kaomoji, and a Symbols section with punctuation marks, accented characters and more.
Why is Windows + period not working?
Microsoft’s steps start during text entry, so put the cursor in a text field first, such as a document, a chat box or a search bar, then press the keys. You can also try Windows key + ; (semicolon), which Microsoft lists for the same emoji panel. If you’re looking for GIFs or kaomoji on Windows 10, Microsoft describes those for Windows 11 only; its Windows 10 steps cover emoji.
What is the emoji shortcut on a Chromebook?
Press Search + Shift + Space, or right-click a text field and select Emoji. You can then choose Emoji, Symbols, Emoticons or GIFs, or type a name in the search bar. Google also documents Quick Insert: press the Quick Insert key, or Launcher + f or Google + f if your keyboard doesn’t have one, start typing, then highlight an emoji and press Enter.
How do I type kaomoji and symbols on Windows?
On Windows 11, press the Windows logo key + . (period) during text entry: Microsoft says the panel offers GIFs and kaomoji as well as emoji, and you can select Symbols in the same panel for punctuation marks, accented characters and more. Microsoft’s Windows 10 steps don’t mention kaomoji; for symbols there, it describes holding Alt and typing a four-digit code on the numeric keypad.