How to add Emoji in Outlook: A Step-by-Step Guide

Introduction

In today’s digital age, email communication has become an essential part of our professional lives. With the ongoing global pandemic, remote work has become the new norm, making it even more important to use effective communication tools to convey your messages. Adding emoji in your emails can be an excellent way to put a fun spin on communication and add an emotional dimension. In this article, we will provide you with a complete guide on how to add emoji in Outlook, the built-in options, and best practices for using emoji in email communication.

Why use emoji in Outlook

In any business environment, clear and effective communication is essential. Adding emoticons to emails conveys a message’s tone and intention clearly and concisely. Emoticons can play a vital role in business environments. In emails, the tone isn’t vital as body language and context is the primary mode of communication. However, with emoticons, you can create the tone and also the purpose behind the message. Many people respond positively to a message with emoticons, as it evokes an emotional response.

How to enable emoji in Outlook

Before we delve into various ways to add emoji in Outlook, we need to make sure your Outlook settings are up to date and emoji symbols are enabled. Follow these simple steps to enable emoji in your Outlook:

1. Launch Outlook on your computer and click on ‘File’
2. Select ‘Options,’ then ‘Mail,’ and choose ‘Editor Options’
3. In the Editor Options, select the ‘Proofing’ tab
4. Click on the ‘AutoCorrect Options’ button and select the ‘Emoji’ option
5. Check the box next to ‘Show emoticons in messages,’ and click ‘OK’
6. Click ‘OK’ again to close the editor options window

By following these steps, you should now be able to see and use a wide range of emoji and emoticons in your email messages.

Adding emoji in Outlook using the built-in options

How to add emoji in the subject line

To add an emoji in the subject line of your email message in Outlook, follow these simple steps:

1. Open Outlook and click on ‘New Email’ to compose a new message
2. Type your subject line, where you want to add an emoji
3. Place the cursor where you want to add an emoji and click on the smiley face icon next to the subject line
4. Select the emoji you want to use from the drop-down emoji selector, and it will be added to your subject line

How to add emoji in the email body

To add an emoji in the email body of your Outlook message, you can either use the built-in emoji selector or type in the shortcut codes manually.

How to add emoji from the built-in emoji selector

Once you have enabled emoji on your Outlook, adding an emoji in the email body is a breeze. Simply follow these steps:

1. Compose a new message and place your cursor where you wish to add an emoji
2. Click on the smiley face icon located in the formatting options bar
3. A new window with a range of emoji options will appear, select the desired emoji by clicking on it
4. The selected emoji will now appear in the email body, and you can repeat the process for additional emoji

Using emoji from other platforms in Outlook

In addition to the built-in Emoji selector, you can also add Emoji characters from other platforms to your Outlook message. You can easily copy and paste a wide range of emoji symbols from platforms like Windows Emoji or third-party keyboards in Outlook. Here is how you can do this:

How to copy and paste emojis from other platforms

Once you have found the desired emoji on another platform, you can copy it to your clipboard and paste it into Outlook. Follow these steps:

1. Find the desired emoji on another platform, highlight it, and copy it (Ctrl+C on Windows, Command+C on Mac)
2. Go back to your Outlook message, place your cursor where you want the emoji to appear, and paste (Ctrl+V on Windows, Command+V on Mac)

How to use an emoji keyboard to add the desired emoji in Outlook

Using an Emoji keyboard is also another way to add the desired Emoji in Outlook. Here is how you can enable Emoji keyboard:

1. Go to your computer’s system settings
2. Select the keyboard option
3. Click on ‘Add a Keyboard’ and choose ‘Emoji Keyboard’

Once the Emoji keyboard is enabled, you can use it to add Emoji directly into your Outlook message by clicking on the Emoji keyboard icon on your screen.

Best practices for using emoji in Outlook communication

While emoji is fun, it’s crucial to use them professionally, too. Here are some ways to use emoji in Outlook communication without compromising professionalism:

How to keep the use of emoji professional and appropriate for the workplace

• Use emoji sparingly
• Use emoji when appropriate and the message warrants it
• Don’t use emoji in a communication with someone for the first time
• Use common and widely accepted icons
• Always know the target audience and consider if it’s appropriate to use them in the message
• Ensure the emoji tone and emotion matches the message
• Don’t overuse or overcompensate with emoticons to make a lackluster message sound better

How to use emoji to enhance your message

• Use emoji to convey humor, sarcasm, or playful tone
• Use emoji as a tool to make a direct point in a conversation or comment
• Use emoji to make your message stand out
• Use emoji to express support, agreement, or encouragement

Conclusion

Adding emoji to your Outlook email messages can be an excellent way to make your communication stand out and convey the right tone and emotion. With the step-by-step guide provided in this article, you should now be able to enable and start using emoji in Outlook messages. With this guide, you can use emoji in a professional and appropriate way that enhances your messages and does not detract from them.