How to Use Gmail Emoji: Insert Smileys and React to Emails (2026)

Want to add a 😊 or ❤️ to your emails? Gmail has built-in Gmail emoji you can insert while writing, and you can even react to messages with an emoji. When Gmail rolled out more than 1,000 emoticons in its new compose window in 2013, just before Valentine’s Day, it felt overwhelming. Today emoji are standard everywhere, and Gmail makes them easy on the web and in the app. Here’s how.

Quick answer: On a computer, open Compose and click the smiley-face Insert emoji icon in the bottom toolbar (you may need to click the three dots first). In the Gmail app, use your phone keyboard’s emoji button. You can also react to an email with an emoji using the smiley icon below a message, or press Win + . (Windows) or Ctrl + Cmd + Space (Mac) to open the system emoji picker.

How to add Gmail emoji on a computer

1. Click Compose (or reply to an email).
2. In the formatting toolbar at the bottom, click the smiley face icon. If you don’t see it, click More options (three dots) or widen the window.
3. Browse categories or search for an emoji, then click to insert it.
4. Insert several at once by clicking more than one before closing the panel.

Use your keyboard’s emoji picker

• Windows 10 and 11: press Win + . (period) or Win + ; anywhere you type.
• Mac: press Ctrl + Cmd + Space or the Globe/fn key.
• Chromebook: press Search + Shift + Space, or right-click and choose Emoji.

Add emoji in the Gmail app

On Android and iPhone, tap the emoji or smiley key on your keyboard while writing. Gboard and the iPhone keyboard let you search emoji by name.

React to an email with emoji

Gmail lets you respond to a message with a quick emoji reaction instead of a full reply. Open an email, click the smiley-face Add emoji reaction icon (next to Reply), and pick one. Reactions may not be available for some messages, such as large group emails, emails with many recipients, or when you’re using a work account that has them turned off.

Tips for using emoji in email

• Keep emoji for friendly or informal messages; use them sparingly in work email.
• Emoji in subject lines can stand out, but some readers and spam filters dislike overuse.
• Emoji look different on different devices, so avoid relying on them for important meaning.

Sending love notes? See our collection of love text smileys and kiss emoticons, and try Gmail tabs to keep promotional emails out of your main inbox.

FAQ

Where is the emoji button in Gmail?

In the Compose window’s bottom toolbar, shown as a smiley face. It may be under the three-dot menu on smaller screens.

Can I react to emails with emoji in Gmail?

Yes, with the Add emoji reaction button under many messages on the web and in the app.

Why do my emoji look different to the recipient?

Each device and app draws emoji in its own style, so they can look slightly different.