Hi Gerald,
To use the graphic emoji supported by WordPress, go to Settings > Writing in your WP Admin dashboard, and enable the checkbox next to: Convert emoticons like :-)
and :-P
to graphics on display.
Then, you can simply type the text equivalent (for example: :)
for a smiley face) and WordPress will automatically convert that text into the corresponding emoji.
Here's a list of the emoji that are supported using this method.
But, you can also just use the default method for adding an emoji that is supported by your device. For example, Mac users can insert an emoji by selecting: Command + Control + Space while in any text field, which will pop up the emoji selector.
Windows users on version 8 or newer have a similar special touch keyboard with emoji support.
Hope this helps! ????
Thank you for your reply.
Unfortunately, it appears I don’t have that form control in settings/writing. Do I need a plugin?
No, you don’t need a plugin to enable this functionality. It’s a default setting in WordPress. Here’s a screenshot of that setting in WordPress 5.5.1…
Weird. My screen doesn’t show that.
The first two controls on the settings/writing form are “Default Post Category” and “Default Post Format”. “Formatting” doesn’t appear on the page.
From Dashboard I’m selecting the “Settings” option (under “Tools”), then “Writing” from the submenu.
Apologies, am having trouble getting a screenshot inserted.
To clarify, I mean I’m selecting the “Writing” option that is positioned below the “Tools” option, not any option under the “Tools” submenu.
Then it’s possible someone has disabled emoticons for your website. This can be done with a plugin, or a code snippet. (Read: “How to Disable Emojis in WordPress”)
If your site was created by someone else, they may have disabled emoticons for some reason.
But again, you can also just use the standard keyboard shortcuts — the same ones you can use in any app — to insert emojis. The option I mentioned above is only pertinent if you want to have WordPress automatically swap out the text equivalents with an emoji when the page or post is rendered. If you just use the keyboard shortcuts, you can insert any emoji you like. ????
It’s really weird: this is a new site I just created to learn WordPress. But no guarantee someone didn’t hack into it somehow. (I’m the only client user as far as I know.)
Thank you for the extra tip re: keyboard shortcuts. I’ll get them burned into my brain eventually.
Thank you again for taking the time to help me out!
OK, a little more searching and I found this: https://www.webnots.com/how-to-insert-emoji-in-wordpress/. For Win10, if you press the Win logo and a period (Win + .) at the same time, a panel of available emojis pops up. Gave it a shot, seems to have worked. Still not sure why the “Formatting” control isn’t showing up for me under Settings/Writing.
Apologies. Seems I was just being lazy in searching for an answer. Definitely appreciate your taking the time to help me out!