Insert emojis on your Mac: App and shortcuts for macOS emoji search

Add macOS emojis to text E-mail program Keyboard shortcut Select smileys Mac

Do you want for example Insert an emoji in an email, then there is on the iMac, MacBook and so on with macOS different ways of doing this. Here I want to briefly show you an app and a key combination that is already in the system. Which path you choose depends on your personal workflow and how good you can speak English;)

macOS App Rocket: Select smileys and emojis with hotkey

Within the App named Rocket by Matthew Palmer it is enough if you press a hotkey and enter the search term for the emoji or the desired GIF after that character. The default is the colon. But if you often work with colons, for example, and then don't always want to be annoyed by the emoji overview, you can also set a different key.

Demo of the Rocket App for macOS. Source: matthewpalmer.net
Demo of the Rocket App for macOS. Source: matthewpalmer.net

After the colon or the hotkey you have set, you enter the search term; for example "Rocket" for a rocket. At the beginning it may help to try out all the letters to see the emojis that are listed below. Does that sound like a quick and technically appropriate way for you to insert emojis and smileys? Then you can use the Mac app Rocket download here.

macOS keyboard shortcut for emojis and smileys

Basically, however, it is also possible without an app. If you press the key combination CRTL + CMD + SPACEBAR presses, then you will also get one Emoji overview displayed. If you don't mind using this key combination and you can quickly integrate it into your workflow, then you don't need to install an extra app.

macOS Emoji keyboard shortcut; Keyboard: apple.com, Tags: Sir Apfelot
macOS Emoji keyboard shortcut; Keyboard: apple.com, Tags: Sir Apfelot

This is what it looks like in practice - an overview of the frequently used emojis as well as the standard overview including a search bar (above) and a topic selection (below):

Insert smileys in macOS Write email

Conclusion and your opinion

Which way do you find the best? Using a hotkey and then using search terms to find the right emoji may take some getting used to. The key combination CRTL + CMD + SPACEBAR has to be internalized first. Maybe the mixture of both is the right thing ... what is your opinion?

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4 thoughts on “Insert Emojis on Mac: App and Shortcuts for macOS Emoji Search”

  1. After searching for the rofl emoji several times, the Rocket app is now active on my Mac. It really is a great solution with the input using a colon and a drop-down menu with emojis that match the current input. So the combination of Emoji and Mac OS is finally fun. ???? (<- typed in with Rocket.App!)

  2. In itself a good and practical thing. However, there are now thousands of emojis. Remembering the shortcut of so many emojis is hardly possible. I know the shortcut of those that I use more often - I can think of about 1000 shortcuts quickly.
    I also think that an extra app for emojis is excessive, since most programs already have an emojikey board integrated. However, sometimes these keyboards are out of date and no longer necessarily have the latest emojis.

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In the Sir Apfelot Blog you will find advice, instructions and reviews on Apple products such as the iPhone, iPad, Apple Watch, AirPods, iMac, Mac Pro, Mac Mini and Mac Studio.