How to type emoji by name on Mac
Type :fire and pick 🔥 from a small list by the cursor, the way Slack and GitHub work — in every app.
macOS has an emoji viewer you open with a key. MacFixes adds Slack-style :name emoji to every app.
Free in MacFixes.
What macOS gives you
Press Fn/Globe-E or ⌃⌘Space to open the Character Viewer, where you can search emoji by name. Slack, GitHub and some other apps have their own :name shortcodes, but only inside those apps.
How MacFixes fixes it
- 1Turn on the fixOpen MacFixes Settings → Keyboard and turn on “Emoji by name” (or type its name into Search for a fix).
- 2Allow AccessibilitymacOS asks for Accessibility permission so MacFixes can follow what you type and show the list by the cursor.
- 3Type : and a wordA colon at the start of a word and two or more letters, like :fire. ↑↓ chooses, Return or Tab inserts, Esc closes.
Permissions, and turning it off
“Emoji by name” needs macOS’s Accessibility permission. macOS asks you, and you allow it once.
- Accessibility lets an app see and work the windows, menus and buttons of other apps, and click or type for you. You can see it, and take it back, in System Settings → Privacy & Security → Accessibility.
To stop using it, open MacFixes Settings → Keyboard and use the switch on the “Emoji by name” row.
Questions
Will it pop up when I type a time or a link?
No. Times like 10:30 and links like https: are left alone; only a colon at the start of a word opens it.
Does it download emoji lists?
No. The names come from Unicode itself, built into macOS, plus a short list of nicknames people type.
More fixes macOS doesn’t give you
One of 47 fixes and 10 apps in MacFixes. Every fix · Every app · Something else your Mac won’t do? Request it.
Type emoji by name with MacFixes
MacFixes has 47 fixes for things macOS gets wrong or leaves out. Add only the ones you want. This one is free. macOS 14 Sonoma or later.