![](https://help.apple.com/assets/65A8106E7C69B635140E606E/65A81072C0272B1FFA02DE51/en_US/cf3ba3fdc113331630873abc2db855e3.png)
Use emoji and symbols on Mac
You can insert emoji as you type on your Mac, or use the Character Viewer to search for and enter emoji, symbols, accented letters, and characters from other languages.
Add emoji as you type
You can quickly replace text with emoji suggestions as you type.
Enter a commonly used word or phrase like “heart” or “thumbs up,” then press Fn-E or
-E.
If there are no emoji suggestions for the text you entered, the Character Viewer opens.
Press Return to replace the text with the suggested emoji, or choose another suggestion.
Click the Arrow button
to see additional suggestions and emoji in the Character Viewer.
Tip: You can automatically insert an emoji every time you type certain text (for example, automatically insert 😆 when you type XD). See Replace text and punctuation in documents.
Add emoji and symbols from the Character Viewer
Use the Character Viewer to search for and insert emoji, symbols, characters from other languages, and more.
![The Character Viewer window. Select a category on the left to browse characters or symbols. In the search field, enter a symbol name or code to find a specific character. In the upper-right corner, click to expand or collapse the viewer.](https://help.apple.com/assets/65A8106E7C69B635140E606E/65A81072C0272B1FFA02DE51/en_US/36a67cf058c4f1809c277bf2069549fd.png)
Press Fn-E or
-E, or choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols.
Click a character or symbol to add it to your text (or double-click it if the Character Viewer is expanded).
To quickly find a specific emoji, enter a word or phrase (such as “laughing face”) in the search field.
To see variations of an emoji—like different skin tones—click and hold the emoji in the viewer.
Make an emoji or symbol a favorite
For quick access, a favorite emoji or symbol appears at the top of the Character Viewer (if it’s collapsed), or when you click the Favorites category (if the viewer is expanded).
Press Fn-E or
-E, or choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols.
If the viewer is collapsed, click the Expand button
.
Select an emoji or symbol, then click Add to Favorites.
Change what’s showing in the Character Viewer
You can expand or collapse the Character Viewer, customize which categories are shown in the viewer, change the size of characters, and more.
Press Fn-E or
-E, or choose Edit > Emoji & Symbols.
Do any of the following in the Character Viewer:
Expand or collapse it: Click the Expand or Collapse button
in the upper-right corner of the viewer.
Change which categories appear: Expand the viewer (if it’s collapsed), click the Action pop-up menu
, then choose Customize List. Select or deselect categories, then click Done.
Change the size of emoji and symbols: Expand the viewer (if it’s collapsed), click the Action pop-up menu, then choose Small, Medium, or Large.
Clear frequently used emoji and symbols: Expand the viewer (if it’s collapsed), click the Action pop-up menu, then choose Clear Frequently Used Characters.
You can also set an option so you only need to press the Fn key or the key to get emoji suggestions as you type or open the Character Viewer. To set this option, choose Apple menu
in the sidebar (you may need to scroll down), then set “Press Fn key to” or “Press
key to” to Show Emoji & Symbols.