Windows 11 comes with the emoji panel that lets you quickly insert emojis, symbols, kaomoji (face characters), and GIFs into any application, document, social media, or other services on the web.
Emojis play an important role in how we communicate emotions, situations, or ideas, and even though virtually every platform has access to this feature, Windows 11 ships with a new (2D) emoji system using a modern design.
In this guide, you will learn the easy steps to insert emojis in documents, text files, emails, and social media posts on Windows 11.
Insert emojis on Windows 11
To insert an emoji on Windows 11, use these steps:
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Open an app.
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Use the Windows key + . (period) or Windows key + ; (semicolon) keyboard shortcut to open the emoji panel.
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Click the Emoji tab.
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Select the emoji you want to insert.
Quick tip: If you can’t find the emoji, use the search box. You can also use the navigation on the top to
Once you complete the steps, the emoji will appear in the document, and as you use them, the most frequently used will appear in the “most recently used” tab to make it even easier to select them the next time.
If you use the virtual keyboard, you can access the emojis panel by clicking the button in the top-left corner of the keyboard.
The ability to change the skin tone for emoji groups (family members, couples with hearts, kissing, and people holding hands) is expected to be available with the release of Windows 11 22H2.
Mauro Huculak is a Windows How-To Expert who started Pureinfotech in 2010 as an independent online publication. He has also been a Windows Central contributor for nearly a decade. Mauro has over 15 years of experience writing comprehensive guides and creating professional videos about Windows and software, including Android and Linux. Before becoming a technology writer, he was an IT administrator for seven years. In total, Mauro has over 21 years of combined experience in technology. Throughout his career, he achieved different professional certifications from Microsoft (MSCA), Cisco (CCNP), VMware (VCP), and CompTIA (A+ and Network+), and he has been recognized as a Microsoft MVP for many years. You can follow him on X (Twitter), YouTube, LinkedIn and About.me. Email him at [email protected].