Do you know Windows 11 has a feature that lets you insert emoji into any text field? In fact, the feature also works within some games. You can access it with the keyboard shortcut (Win + “.” or Win + ;). But some of us do not remember this shortcut when we really need to insert the emojis.

It’s not just about emojis. How often do you need to insert a symbol or currency, and you head to Google/Bing to copy the symbol? These characters, symbols, and emojis are already baked into a Windows 11 clipboard menu, which can also be accessed via a third keyboard shortcut: Win + V.

Windows Latest recently reported that Microsoft is working on adding a new emoji button, and it looks like the idea is already live in a recent preview update, Build 22635.4580 (KB5046733).

As shown in the above screenshot, Microsoft has added a new feature called “Emoji and more.”

The taskbar page under personalization has a toggle to turn on Emoji and more, which according to Microsoft, will show the emoji and more panel icon in the system tray.

You can turn off the “Emoji and more” button on the taskbar or make it show always, which would be the default option. But there’s another interesting toggle called “While typing”.

What it means is that the “Emoji and more” icon will show on the taskbar only when you’re typing in a text field, so you can easily tap on the icon to insert an emoji, kaomoji, symbol, characters, or access the Windows 11’s Clipboard history.

While some people are going to hate it because it could be another clutter on the taskbar, I like the idea. Having an emoji and more panel on the taskbar is quite useful if you like to insert symbols or emojis quickly or are unaware of the keyboard shortcut to do that, especially when using the touch keyboard.

The “Emoji and more” button doesn’t work at the moment, but I tried creating a mockup of how the feature could look like:

When you click on the button, it will automatically expand and open the emoji and other panel:

Is that bad? I don’t think so. It’s a nice addition, and if you don’t want the emoji button on the taskbar or the system, you can always hide it permanently.

I wouldn’t really call it bloatware because it’s completely optional. You can even tweak how it works, such as the emoji button showing up only when you’re typing is a nice idea.

Microsoft is still testing the “Emoji and more” button on Windows 11, which will arrive in 23H2 and 24H2.

In addition to a dedicated emoji button, the taskbar will recommend apps, websites and snap layouts.

Thanks, @Phantom on X, for the heads up!

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