What to know

  • Microsoft plans to add a new emoji button to Windows 11’s taskbar stray area.
  • The feature will provide quick access to emojis, GIFs, and symbols without keyboard shortcuts.
  • Currently, users can only access emojis through keyboard shortcuts (Windows key + period) or the on-screen keyboard.

Windows 11 users might soon see a new addition to their taskbar: an emoji button that will make expressing yourself more convenient than ever before. Microsoft is testing this new feature which will place an “Emoji and more” button right in the system tray area of your taskbar as observed, according to the known leakster, Phantom.

The new emoji button aims to make the panel more accessible, especially for users who prefer mouse clicks over keyboard combinations. This change will benefit tablet users, though it will be visible to all Windows 11 users since the operating system doesn’t have a separate tablet mode.

When you click the new emoji button, you’ll see a panel featuring popular emojis, complete with a search bar at the top for finding specific expressions. The panel will also give you access to GIFs, kaomoji, symbols, and a view of your recently copied items.

This update is part of a larger set of changes coming to Windows 11. Microsoft is also working on introducing smaller taskbar icons and a new recommendations engine that will suggest apps, websites, and snap groups directly around the taskbar area.

While these changes sound promising, don’t hold your breath just yet. These features are still in the testing phase, and we likely won’t see them roll out to stable builds until early next year. As for the much-requested ability to move the taskbar, that remains off the table, with Microsoft citing potential disruptions to the Start menu and related animations as the reason.