Without a doubt, one of the most popular apps on smartphones – any smartphone really – is the messaging app. Billions of sentence-long messages go back and forth between our iPhones and our device running Google’s Android operating system each year. Although a smaller number, millions of additional messages are traded through chat apps like iMessage, Hangouts, and Skype. Emoji are not just for your smartphone; Windows desktops, laptops, and tablets also have Emojii.
Even if you don’t know what an emoji is, you probably do. The tiny characters come in different colors with different expressions, allowing you to show all the emotions. In a way, it’s a special kind of code, a shorthand way to let people know how you’re feeling and what you’re thinking at the moment.
Software manufacturers began adding direct Emoji support to their products years ago. They noticed how popular custom Emoji keyboards for iPhone and Android had become. Since then, their use has spread rapidly. Microsoft added support for lowercase characters to Windows with the Windows 7 update. Windows 10 and Windows 10 Mobile have the best Emoji support Microsoft has ever offered. Both have a custom Emoji keyboard that supports the latest standards.
Here’s how to use Emoji in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 10.
Using Emoji in Windows 10
Using Emoji in Windows 10 is incredibly easy. You do not need to purchase a special software keyboard from the Windows Store or install a special application.
If you’re using a tablet or 2-in-1 touchscreen device, you should have access to the Windows touch keyboard in your Taskbar. Look for the icon in the corner of your screen just to the left of your watch and today’s date. It even looks like a small keyboard.
Unfortunately, devices without touchscreens do not have an icon for the Windows touch keyboard in the Taskbar. It has to be added manually. You can do this by selecting the option that says “” on the arrow on the Taskbar and in the drop-down menu.
Go to the messaging or email app where you want to send your emoji. Tap or click where you want the emoji to appear.
Tap or click this Touch Keyboard button.
The Windows Touch Keyboard should protrude from the bottom edge of your screen. Despite the name, you can also interact with the touch keyboard and mouse. Remember not to type from your physical keyboard when Touch Keyboard is on. If you do, Windows will automatically turn off the touch keyboard because it thinks you don’t need it.
On the Windows Touch Keyboard, tap or click the face to the left of the space bar and to the right of the Ctrl button.
You can now select the Emoji you want to use.
Do not hurry. Windows 10 has hundreds of Emojis. The arrows on the left edge of the touch keyboard are for navigating through the different character pages. Some of the emojis will look similar but include a minor change or two.
Symbols on the bottom edge of the keyboard underline how many characters are in the operating system. The first page holds the faces. Second, it keeps hinting characters in times and dates. Third, it concerns facial expressions. Fourth, it focuses on enhanced characters. The fifth category is for world events, outings and celebrations. Windows 10 has 9 different Emoji categories in total.
Clicking or tapping on the curved frame lets you decide what color some Emojis will appear. By default, human-centered Emojis are yellow, but you can change skin tones with this option. There are six different skin tones in total.
Once you have added all the Emojis you want, simply turn off the Windows touch keyboard. You can do this manually by tapping or clicking the X in the upper right corner of the keyboard. You can also have the keyboard automatically turn itself off by tapping a letter on your keyboard.
Things to Know About Using Emoji in Windows 10
Emojis sent to two devices of the same type should be fine to display, but be aware that you may run into problems if you’re using Windows 10 and the person you’re sending the message to isn’t. This is because both the sender and receiver must support the same expression. Otherwise, the recipient will only see a black box or question mark. As emojis matured, this was no longer a problem.
Windows 10 was the first operating system to support the middle finger at Microsoft’s launch. Some older operating systems on devices running Android still do not support this Emoji.
Using Emoji in Windows 7
Using emoji in Windows 7 is very different from other versions of Windows. This is because Microsoft did not initially launch the operating system with support for them. Instead, it added them with a later update. You need to go to Control Panel and make sure you have installed all pending upgrades in Windows Update.
After installing each update, you should be able to see and use Emoji just fine in Windows 7. To take a look at the characters that Windows 7 supports, use Internet Explorer to browse. here.
Windows 7’s Touch Keyboard has no built-in Emoji, but you can still see them.
Note that when using this Emoji in Windows 7, you will not be able to access some of the new characters that more modern operating systems do.
Using Emoji in Windows 8
Using emojis in Windows 8 is very similar to using them in Windows 10. The difference is how you access the Touch Keyboard. Windows 8 didn’t dynamically change the way things work and look depending on whether you have a touchscreen or not.
You’ll want to add a keyboard button to your Taskbar by right-clicking anywhere and hovering over the Next selection in the menu. Remember to use Internet Explorer when trying to send emojis.
You should now have a Touch Keyboard button in your Taskbar. Just click this button and you can access Emoji in Windows 8.
Note that this also works with Windows 8.1 Update.
Good luck using Emoji on Windows.
