Discord has become one of the most popular platforms for online communication, especially among gamers and young people. With its fun and casual atmosphere, emojis have become an essential way for Discord users to express themselves and liven up their conversations.
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Using Built-In Emojis
Discord comes packed with a wide selection of default emojis that you can access by clicking on the smiley face icon to the right of the message composition box. You’ll see categories of emojis like “people”, “nature”, and “food & drink” that you can scroll through to find the perfect emoji to react to a message or spice up your own texts.
Some tips for using default emojis:
- On desktop, you can press the Windows key + period (.) or Command + Control + Space on Mac to pull up your operating system’s emoji keyboard.
- On mobile, you can access your phone’s regular emoji keyboard from within the Discord app.
- You can also type a colon : followed by a keyword for the emoji you want to use and Discord will suggest matching emoji results. For example:
- 🙂
- :thumbsup:
Adding Custom Emojis
Discord also allows you to upload your own custom emoji images to use exclusively on your servers. To do this:
- Open Server Settings and go to the Emoji tab
- Click Upload Emoji
- Select your image and crop if needed
- Save the emoji and start using it!
Requirements for custom emojis:
- Image must be under 256 KB in size
- Must be a transparent image (no white squares)
- Image will be cropped to a square
Tips for custom emoji success:
- Stick to a consistent art style
- Use emojis relevant to your server topic
- Keep filenames organized
With Nitro, you can use other servers’ custom emojis and have more emoji slots available on your server.
Using Emojis for Reactions
Another way to use emojis on Discord is by reacting to messages. Reactions appear under the message and are a quick way to respond with an emoji without having to send a formal message.
To react to a message:
- Hover over a message
- Click the Add Reaction button (smiley face icon)
- Select an emoji reaction to add
Reactions can indicate agreement, humor, or quick acknowledgment without disrupting the flow of conversation.
Formatting Emojis With Markdown
Since Discord uses markdown syntax, you can format emojis using markdown as well. Here are some formatting tips:
- Surround an emoji with asterisks to make it italicized emoji
- Use two asterisks to make an emoji bold
- Combine formatting for bold italic emojis
Markdown formatted emojis are great for adding emphasis to reactions or adding some flair to emoji-filled sentences!
The Importance of Emojis on Discord
Emojis have become an essential communication tool across all digital platforms, but especially so on Discord. Since conversations happen rapidly in Discord channels, emojis allow users to quickly convey tone and react in the moment.
The casual, expressive, community-based nature of Discord makes it the perfect match for the vibrant visual language of emojis. Whether you’re a gaming server coordinating multiplayer matches or a hobby group chatting over shared interests, emojis bring users together through shared expressions and reactions.
So bring some color and personality to your messages with built-in and custom emojis! They help facilitate conversations, liven up communities, and allow self-expression in a fun way true to the spirit of Discord.
