How to Use Emojis on Mac (macOS)
Discover how to trigger the Apple Character Viewer, search by keyword, customize the Globe key, and insert emojis into any Mac application.
To open the emoji picker on any Mac (MacBook Pro, MacBook Air, iMac, Mac Studio, Mac Mini):
The Character Viewer appears instantly next to your text caret.
Step-by-Step: Typing Emojis on macOS
Select Any Text Box
Click where you want to insert the emoji (e.g. Safari, Mail, Messages, Slack, Notes, Google Docs, or Terminal).
Trigger Character Viewer
Press Control + Command + Space. If using an Apple Magic Keyboard with a Globe icon, tap the Globe key.
Search or Browse Categories
Type the emoji name in the search bar or scroll through categories: Smileys, People, Animals & Nature, Food & Drink, Travel, Activities, Objects, Symbols, and Flags.
Click to Insert
Click any emoji to insert it directly into your text. You can also double-click emojis when in expanded viewer mode. Press Esc to dismiss.
Apple Character Viewer Features
Compact Popover
Default compact popover hovers directly over your cursor and closes automatically once an emoji is selected.
Expanded Viewer
Switch to full-window mode to browse technical symbols, pictographs, font variations, and add emojis to your Favorites list.
Globe Key & Touch Bar
One-tap Globe key toggle, plus predictive emoji suggestions on older MacBook Pro models equipped with the Touch Bar.
In virtually any Mac app, you can also navigate to Edit > Emoji & Symbols in the top menu bar to open the viewer with a mouse click.
Copy emojis online in 1 click
Access our web-based emoji keyboard with sequence collection and full Unicode 17.0 support.