Why Use Emojis in Email
Emojis in email subject lines can increase open rates by standing out in a crowded inbox. A single well-chosen emojiEmoji
A Japanese word (็ตตๆๅญ) meaning 'picture character' โ small graphical symbols used in digital communication to express ideas, emotions, and objects. acts as a visual anchor โ โ๏ธ for a travel newsletter, ๐ฅ for a sale, ๐
for a calendar reminder. They also convey tone at a glance, making the subject line feel warmer or more urgent.
In the email body, emojis can break up long text, highlight key points, and reinforce your brand's voice. This guide covers how to insert emojis in all major email clients, how they render across platforms, and what to avoid.
Method 1: Copy and Paste (Works Everywhere)
The most reliable method for any email client is to copy an emoji from a reference site and paste it into your subject line or body.
- Find the emoji you want โ use EmojiFYI's Emoji Keyboard or search on your phone's emoji picker
- Copy it to your clipboard
- Open your email compose window
- Paste with
Ctrl + V(Windows/Linux) orCommand + V(Mac)
This works in Gmail, Outlook, Apple Mail, Yahoo Mail, Thunderbird, and virtually every webmail interface because all modern email clients support UTF-8UTF-8
A variable-width Unicode encoding that uses 1 to 4 bytes per character, dominant on the web (used by 98%+ of websites). text.
Method 2: Using Your OS Emoji Picker
Gmail in a Browser (Mac)
Press Control + Command + Space to open the macOS Character Viewer, then click any emoji to insert it at your cursor position inside the Gmail compose window.
Gmail in a Browser (Windows)
Press Windows + . (period) or Windows + ; (semicolon) to open the Windows emoji picker, then click to insert.
Gmail in a Browser (Linux)
Use Ctrl + Shift + E (GNOME/IBus) or the UnicodeUnicode
Universal character encoding standard that assigns a unique number to every character across all writing systems and symbol sets, including emoji. hex input method (Ctrl + Shift + U โ hex code โ Enter).
Outlook Desktop App (Windows)
- Place your cursor in the subject line or body
- Press
Windows + .to open the emoji picker - Click an emoji to insert it
Alternatively, go to the Insert tab โ Symbol โ More Symbols, then set the font to Segoe UI Emoji and browse the character map.
Apple Mail (Mac)
Click in the subject or body field, then press Control + Command + Space to open the Character Viewer.
Method 3: HTML Email and Emoji Entities
If you are sending HTML-formatted email via an ESP (Email Service Provider) like Mailchimp, Klaviyo, or HubSpot, you can embed emojis using UTF-8 characters or HTML numeric entities.
Direct UTF-8 in HTML Templates
<h1>๐ฅ Flash Sale โ 50% Off Today Only!</h1>
<p>Don't miss out โฐ โ offer expires at midnight.</p>
Ensure your HTML email template includes the UTF-8 charset declaration:
<meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=UTF-8">
HTML Entities as a Fallback
If your template editor strips non-ASCII characters, use hex entities:
<h1>🔥 Flash Sale โ 50% Off Today Only!</h1>
| Emoji | Hex Entity | Description |
|---|---|---|
| ๐ฅ | 🔥 |
Fire (urgency/sale) |
| โ | ✅ |
Check mark (confirmation) |
| ๐ง | 📧 |
|
| โญ | ⭐ |
Star (featured) |
| ๐ | 🎉 |
Party popper (celebration) |
| ๐ | 📅 |
Calendar (event) |
| โ๏ธ | ✈️ |
Airplane (travel) |
| ๐ | 🛒 |
Shopping cart (e-commerce) |
Emoji Rendering in Email Clients
Emojis in email are rendered using the recipient's operating system emoji fontEmoji Font
A digital font file containing color emoji glyph designs, using technologies like COLR, CBDT, SVG, or sbix for rendering., not a font you specify. This means the same emoji can look noticeably different across clients:
| Client | Emoji Font | Visual Style |
|---|---|---|
| Apple Mail / iOS Mail | Apple Color EmojiColor Emoji Full-color emoji rendered using bitmap images or color vector graphics, as opposed to monochrome text-style rendering. |
Rounded, glossy |
| Gmail (Android) | Noto Color Emoji | Flat, colorful |
| Outlook (Windows) | Segoe UI Emoji | Windows-native style |
| Samsung Email | Samsung EmojiSamsung Emoji Samsung's custom emoji designs shipped with Samsung Galaxy devices, historically known for dramatically different interpretations. set |
Slightly different shapes |
For business emails, check how your chosen emojis look on the platforms your audience uses. Emojis that look friendly on Apple devices may appear flat or different on Windows. Stick to universally understood emojis like โ , โญ, ๐ฅ, and โค๏ธ rather than obscure ones whose appearance varies significantly.
Best Practices for Email Subject Lines
Dos
- Place the emoji at the start or end of the subject line:
๐ฅ Summer Sale Starts NoworSummer Sale Starts Now ๐ฅ - Use one emoji maximum in most subject lines โ two at most for promotional emails
- Match the emoji to the tone: ๐ for celebrations, โ ๏ธ for warnings, ๐ฃ for announcements
- Test in multiple clients before sending to your full list
Don'ts
- Do not use emojis in every email โ they lose impact quickly
- Avoid emoji strings like
๐ฅ๐ฏ๐ฏโจโ looks spammy to both humans and spam filters - Do not use emojis whose meaning is ambiguous or platform-inconsistent as the primary message signal
- Do not rely on an emoji alone to convey critical information (it may not render)
Subject Line Examples by Category
E-commerce / Sales
๐ฅ Last chance: 40% off ends tonight
โณ Only 3 hours left โ Flash Sale
๐ Your cart misses you
Newsletters / Content
๐ฐ This week in tech: AI takes over everything
๐ 5 books we loved this month
๐ How this city changed its transportation forever
Transactional / Notifications
โ
Your order has shipped!
๐ฆ Your package is out for delivery
๐ Your account password was changed
Events / Invitations
๐
You're invited โ join us on March 15th
๐ It's almost time! Your event starts tomorrow
โ๏ธ Travel reminder: Check-in opens in 24 hours
Handling Clients That Don't Render Emojis
A small percentage of email clients โ some older Outlook versions and corporate mail clients โ may not render emojis at all, showing a square (โข) or nothing. To handle this gracefully:
- Write subject lines that work even without the emoji:
๐ฅ Sale ends tonightstill reads asSale ends tonightif ๐ฅ is dropped - Do not use an emoji as the only indicator of meaning โ always include text
- Place emojis at the beginning or end where their absence is least disruptive
Testing Your Emails with Emojis
Before sending, test how your emoji-rich email renders across clients:
- Send a test to yourself and open it on iOS, Android, and a Windows PC
- Use email preview tools like Litmus or Email on Acid to see renders across 90+ clients
- Check your spam score โ too many emojis can raise spam filter flags
Explore More on EmojiFYI
- Use the Emoji Keyboard to browse and copy emojis for your email campaigns
- Convert descriptive text to emojis with Text to Emoji
- Search for the perfect emoji by keyword at EmojiFYI Search
- Learn how emojis render differently across platforms with the Platform Comparison Tool