This post explains how to insert emojis in Microsoft Excel. If you’re looking to insert emojis in Excel, you’ll probably have a good reason for it. Emojis or similar symbols are sparingly used in business documents, but in casual documents, they can serve several purposes.
For example, they can add a visual representation to your data (a smiley face emoji can be used to indicate positive results, whereas, a sad face emoji can be used to indicate negative results). Similarly, emojis can highlight specific trends in a spreadsheet (a fire emoji can be used to draw the reader’s attention to a particularly significant data point). This post will help you explore different ways of inserting emojis into Excel spreadsheets.
How to Insert Emojis in Excel
You may use the following methods to insert emojis in Excel on a Windows 11/10 PC:
- Insert emojis using the Emoji Picker
- Insert emojis using Symbols
- Insert emojis using Icons
- Insert emojis using the UNICHAR function
- Insert emojis using Alt codes
Let us have a detailed look at these methods.
1] Insert emojis using the Emoji Picker
Windows 11/10 comes with a built-in Emoji Picker which is pretty easy to use. Here’s how to use it to insert emojis into an Excel cell:
Place the cursor in the cell where the emoji needs to be inserted. Then press Windows key + period (.) or Windows key + semicolon (;) on your keyboard.
The above shortcuts will launch the Emoji Picker tool. Click on the desired emoji to insert it into the spreadsheet data. Exit the Emoji Picker using the cross icon available in the top-right corner.
2] Insert emojis using Symbols
Another way of inserting emojis in Excel is using the Symbols option.
Place the cursor within the desired cell and switch to the Insert menu on top. Then click on the Symbol option in the extreme right corner. Within the Symbol window, select a Font that contains the emoji symbols (for example, Segoe UI Symbol or Wingdings). In the set of characters available within the font, locate the desired emoji and click on it. Then click on the Insert button at the bottom. The emoji will be inserted into the selected cell. Click on the Close button to close the Symbol window.
3] Insert emojis using Icons
Similar to Symbols, there’s an Icons option in Excel that helps you insert emojis into your spreadsheets.
Click on the Insert menu at the top of your spreadsheet. Then click on the Icons option under the Illustrations section. Insert Icons window will appear. Select Faces from the left panel. In the right panel, click on the desired emoji and then click on the Insert button at the bottom. The emoji icon will appear as an image. Resize the emoji using your cursor and place it at the desired location in your spreadsheet.
4] Insert emojis using the UNICHAR function
The Unicode values of the emojis can be used within the UNICHAR function to insert emoji graphics in Excel. The function takes the Unicode decimals as an argument and returns the corresponding emoji character in results. The Unicode decimals are available on various online resources, such as w3schools.com.
Place your cursor on the desired cell and type ‘=UNICHAR’ followed by the Unicode value of the desired emoji in decimal format. For example, to insert a grinning face with smiling eyes, type the following formula:
=UNICHAR(128513)
When you press Enter, the smiley will be inserted in the selected cell.
5] Insert emojis using Alt codes
Another easy method to insert emojis in Excel is using the Alt keyboard. This method works only for keyboards that have a numeric keypad. The numbers in the top row of the keyboard won’t work for this method.
To use this method, place your cursor in the desired cell and press the Alt key followed by the emoji code keyboard shortcut (1, 2, 3, and so on). For example, to insert a smiley face, press Alt+1. Or to insert a heart emoji, press Alt+3.
Apart from the above, you may simply copy-paste the emoji in Excel from the internet. That’s how you can insert emojis in Microsoft Excel. I hope you find this useful.
Read: How to insert the Degree symbol on a Windows PC.
Where do I put symbols in Excel?
Symbols can be found within the Insert menu in Microsoft Excel. The menu has a Symbols section that has options to insert Equations and Symbols. The Symbol option opens up a window that enables you to insert various symbols available within different Font styles supported by Microsoft Excel.
Read Next: How to create a keyboard shortcut for Emoji in Office apps.
