How to Add a Custom Keyboard Shortcut for the Emoji Picker on a Mac

Emojis are no longer restricted to informal text messages on your phone; they have become a standard part of professional communication on platforms like Slack, Discord, and Microsoft Teams. While accessing the emoji picker on an iPhone is as simple as tapping a button on the screen, bringing up the equivalent menu on a Mac can feel clunky and slow.

By default, the macOS emoji picker is accessed via the menu bar (Edit > Emoji & Symbols) or through a somewhat awkward keyboard combination: Control + Command + Space. If you use emojis frequently, contorting your hand to hit this specific combination slows down your typing speed. Fortunately, you can remap this function to a much simpler, custom keyboard shortcut.

Creating a Custom Shortcut in System Settings

macOS allows you to override the default system shortcuts and create your own combinations for almost any menu item, provided you type the name of the menu item exactly as it appears.

1. Click the Apple logo in the top-left corner of your screen and open System Settings (or System Preferences on older Macs).
2. Scroll down the left sidebar and click on Keyboard.
3. Look for the Keyboard Shortcuts… button on the right side of the window and click it.
4. A new menu will appear. In the left sidebar of this new menu, click on App Shortcuts.
5. Click the + (plus) button to create a new shortcut.
6. A small popup window will appear. Leave the Application dropdown set to All Applications.
7. In the Menu Title field, you must type the exact name of the menu command. Type: Emoji & Symbols. (Ensure you use an ampersand, not the word “and”).
8. Click inside the Keyboard Shortcut box, and physically press the keys you want to use for your new shortcut (for example, Option + E or Command + /). Make sure you choose a combination that is not heavily used by other applications.
9. Click Done.

Testing Your New Shortcut

Your new custom shortcut is now active across the entire operating system.

1. Open any application where you can type text, such as the Notes app or Messages.
2. Press your new key combination (e.g., Option + E).
3. The macOS Character Viewer (Emoji Picker) should instantly appear next to your cursor.

If the picker does not appear, return to System Settings and double-check that you typed “Emoji & Symbols” exactly as written, including capitalisation and the ampersand. If it still fails, the keyboard combination you chose might conflict with a system-level command, and you should try a different shortcut.

The One-Key Alternative (Globe Key)

If you own a newer MacBook or an Apple Magic Keyboard, you may notice a small globe icon printed on the fn (Function) key in the bottom-left corner.

macOS can be configured to open the emoji picker simply by tapping this single key.

1. Open System Settings > Keyboard.
2. Look for the setting labelled Press fn key to (or “Press globe key to”).
3. Click the dropdown menu and select Show Emoji & Symbols.

Now, a single tap of the globe key will instantly summon the emoji picker without requiring a multi-key shortcut.