What is the macOS Character Viewer?
macOS includes a dedicated pop-up panel called the “Character Viewer” that allows you to easily insert emojis, special symbols, and foreign language characters into any text field. By default, Apple binds this panel to the Fn (Function) key (the key with the globe icon) on modern Mac keyboards, or the Control + Command + Space shortcut.
While useful for avid emoji users, placing this shortcut on a single press of the Fn key often results in accidental triggers. If you frequently hit the Fn key by mistake and find the emoji panel constantly popping up and interrupting your typing flow, you can disable the single-key shortcut.
How to Stop the Fn Key from Opening the Emoji Keyboard
You can change the behavior of the Function/Globe key directly within the macOS System Settings.
- Click the Apple Logo in the top-left corner of your Mac’s screen.
- Select System Settings… (or System Preferences).
- Scroll down the left-hand sidebar and click on Keyboard.
- Look at the main panel on the right. Find the section labelled Press [Globe/Fn icon] key to.
- Click the dropdown menu next to this setting (which is currently set to “Show Emoji & Symbols”).
- Select Do Nothing from the list.
Alternative: If you frequently type in multiple languages, you might want to change this dropdown to “Change Input Source” instead of “Do Nothing,” which allows you to swap languages quickly without triggering the visual emoji panel.
Once you make this change, accidentally brushing the bottom-left corner of your keyboard will no longer summon the Character Viewer. (Note: You can still open the emoji panel manually at any time by pressing Control + Command + Space).