For one reason or another, more and more people are starting to use and rely on emoji when sending messages. Whether it’s to add a bit of flair to the message, or just to provide a response, there are tons of emoji that can be used. And while it’s pretty easy to do so from your iPhone thanks to the dedicated icon on the keyboard, the same can’t be said if you want to use emoji on Mac.

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The issue is further compounded for those who don’t rely on Apple’s own keyboards when using a Mac. For example, if you built or purchased a mechanical keyboard, chances are, you won’t have a “Globe” or “Fn” key to use. Today, we’re going to take a look at the different ways you can use emoji on Mac.

How to use emoji on Mac

As we alluded to previously, the easiest way to use emoji on Mac for MacBook owners is via the Globe key. This is found in the bottom left corner, doubling as the Fn key when needed.

1. Open the app that you want to type an emoji in.
2. Place your mouse cursor in the text block.
3. Press the Globe key on your MacBook or Apple Keyboard.

Apple also offers a much-more convoluted way to look at the different emoji that are available. But instead of needing to have your cursor placed in a text field, you can view and use emoji on Mac from anywhere.

1. Click your cursor on the desktop if any other apps are open.
2. In your Mac’s Menu Bar, click the Edit button.
3. From the drop-down menu, select Emoji & Symbols.

This lets you browse the entire catalog of emoji that are at your disposal. And whenever new options are made available, they arrive on your Mac via a software update, the same as your iPhone or iPad.

Set emoji picker on non-Apple keyboards

While there are a couple of Apple-branded keyboards available, along with a slew of third-party solutions, not everyone uses those. For example, I’m using a custom-built mechanical keyboard that doesn’t have a Globe key, meaning that I have to access the emoji picker in other ways.

Thankfully, as long as your keyboard is recognized by your Mac, there’s a quick solution.

1. Open the app that you want to type an emoji in.
2. Place your mouse cursor in the text block.
3. On your keyboard, press CTRL + CMD + Space.

The same emoji picker will appear, allowing you to search for (and insert) emoji into the text field.

What About Older Macs?

When it comes to wanting to use emoji on Mac, what can you do if you have a Mac that doesn’t have a Globe key? Well, there’s a nifty little tool available within System Preferences that allows you to create custom keyboard shortcuts. There are other workarounds too, as you can use something like Keyboard Maestro or Karabiner Elements to assign and create custom macros that you can use.

But if you want to use emoji on Mac by creating a custom keyboard shortcut, here’s how you can do it:

1. Open the System Preferences app on your Mac.
2. Click Keyboard from the list of options.
3. Click the Keyboard Shortcuts… button.
4. In the sidebar, select App Shortcuts.
5. Below All Applications, click the + icon.
6. Click the drop-down if you only want this to apply to a specific application. Otherwise, leave the selection as All Applications.
7. Enter Emoji & Symbols for the Menu Title.
8. Click within the empty box next to Keyboard Shortcut.
9. Press the key combination that you want to use. For example, you could press CTRL + CMD + E.
10. In the bottom right corner, click the Done button.

Now, whenever you press that keyboard combination, the emoji picker will appear. While you can’t just tap to insert the emoji as you would with newer Macs, you are able to just drag and drop the emoji into the text field and it will be “entered.”

Andrew Myrick

Andrew is a freelance writer based on the East Coast of the US.

He has written for a variety of sites over the years, including iMore, Android Central, Phandroid, and a few others. Now, he spends his days working for an HVAC company, while moonlighting as a freelance writer at night.