Emojis Not Showing Up on MacBook, How-To Fix

Some users are having challenges in getting their Emojis to work on their MacBook after updating to macOS Mojave.  Users have reported that emojis are either not showing up while they type or are totally missing from their MacBook.

Emojis are a very common way to add character to our communication. Although many users use Emojis on their iPhone or iPad, many users are unaware that you can easily use emojis on your MacBook without the need of a third party emoji keyboard.

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How To Fix the Missing Emoji Issue on Your MacBook

If you are experiencing missing emoji issue, here are some tips that should help you fix this issue. We highly recommend trying the ‘Restoring font Book’ process if you have already done some basic troubleshooting around this issue.

• Try holding down Ctrl + Command + SpaceBar together to check if the keyboard shortcut is able to launch the Emoji and symbols window (character viewer pop-up window)
• If the problem started happening immediately following a macOS upgrade, restart your MacBook in Safe Mode
• Start or restart your Mac, then immediately press and hold the Shift key. The Apple logo appears on your display. Release the Shift key when you see the login window. Now you will be in Safe Mode.
• Exit out of the Safe Mode by restarting your MacBook normally. Once it is up and running, check and see if you are able to use Emojis
• Most Emoji related problems are directly related to the Font book on your MacBook. Follow the steps to restore your Font Book.
• Open the Finder app and search for ‘Font Book’ 
• Double click to launch the Font Book Application
• Next, Click on File at the Top menu and choose ‘Restore Standard Fonts’ 
• Restart Your MacBook

Now you should be able to locate emojis and should not see any missing emojis on your MacBook.

Emoji Issue on MacBook with TouchBar Functionality

There is one caveat to the above sequence of steps. This is only relevant for users who are using MacBook Pro with TouchBar.

Apple has suggested that MacBook pro users with Touchbar feature should check and see if they are using Webroot. It is a known issue that Webroot can interfere with emoji use and accented characters.

As per Apple, You will need to perform these steps in order to start using emojis.

Follow these steps to fix the issue:

1. Click the Webroot SecureAnywhere icon in the menu bar.
2. Choose Pause Secure Keyboard Entry. 
3. Once you have paused the secure keyboard entry, you should be able to use emojis again on your MacBook.

We hope that you found this short article helpful. Please let us know in the comments below if you have any questions or if you would like to share a favorite tip around using emojis on your MacBook.

SK( Managing Editor )

Obsessed with tech since the early arrival of A/UX on Apple, Sudz (SK) is responsible for the editorial direction of AppleToolBox. He is based out of Los Angeles, CA.

Sudz specializes in covering all things macOS, having reviewed dozens of OS X and macOS developments over the years.

In a former life, Sudz worked helping Fortune 100 companies with their technology and business transformation aspirations.