How to Open the Emoji Keyboard on macOS

Sometimes, words alone don’t cut it. Whether you’re texting a friend, writing an email, or posting on social media, emojis add personality and clarity to your message. If you’re using a Mac, pulling up the emoji keyboard is fast and easy—once you know the shortcut.

The Quick Shortcut

The fastest way to open the emoji keyboard on macOS is this:

Control + Command (⌘) + Spacebar

Press those three keys together, and boom—the emoji picker pops up wherever your cursor is.

When to Use It

This shortcut works almost anywhere you can type:

• In Messages or Mail
• In web browsers (like Chrome or Safari)
• In notes, documents, or social media posts

Just make sure your text cursor is active in a text field.

Browsing and Searching Emojis

Once the emoji picker appears, you can:

• Scroll through categories like smileys, animals, symbols, and more
• Type keywords to search (e.g., type “pizza” and 🍕 shows up)
• Click the emoji to insert it directly into your text

Bonus: Add Emojis to the Menu Bar

If you want even quicker access:

1. Go to System Settings > Keyboard
2. Click Edit next to “Input Sources”
3. Enable “Show Emoji & Symbols in menu bar”

Now you’ll see a tiny icon in the top-right corner of your screen. Click it anytime to open the emoji picker.

Wrapping Up

Emojis help you express more with less. And on macOS, accessing them is just a quick shortcut away. Try it out: Control + Command + Spacebar—and spice up your typing with the perfect emoji.