In this article, learn how to fix Emoji panel keyboard not working on Windows 10.
With Windows 10, Microsoft added the Emoji Panel, which allows you to add emojis to any document or location where you type text. Simply hit the Win + period (Win +.) or Win + semi-colon (Win + shortcut keys on your keyboard to bring up the built-in Emoji Panel. The emoji panel will now display on the screen, allowing you to select your favorite emoticons to include in the document.
*Note: To open the Emoji Panel, make sure the mouse cursor is active in the page when pressing the shortcut keys.
Nevertheless, some users have reported that using Win + period (Win +.) or Win + semicolon (Win + shortcut keys does not bring up the Emoji Panel. In brief, the Emoji Panel keyboard shortcut in Windows 10 has stopped working. While rebooting your computer may occasionally assist, it usually does not. As a result, we’ve come up with a few workarounds that could be able to help you fix the Emoji Panel keyboard shortcut not working on your Windows 10 PC.
Table of Contents
Method 1: Change Region and Language to United States
Initially, the Emoji Panel could only be used with the United States EN keyboard input language. You can now use it for all other keyboard input languages, thanks to recent improvements. If you still haven’t updated to the latest Windows 10 version that supports the current Emoji Panel update and are having trouble with the keyboard shortcuts for the Emoji Panel, adjust your keyboard’s input language to en-US (English – United States). Nonetheless, if you are still having problems with the latest version, you might try the following way to see if it helps:
Case 1 – For Windows 11
1 -In Windows search, type Language Settings and click on it.
2 – Select United States as your region.
Make sure English (United States) is on the list of languages in your preferred language.
If it isn’t already listed, select Add a Language.
3 – Type English (United States) into the search box, then click Next after selecting English (United States) from the search results.
4 -After it has been installed, simply click on the three horizontal dots to the right of it and select Move Up to move it to the top.
Case 2 -For Windows 10
Step 1: To launch the Settings app, press the Win + I keys on your keyboard together.
Step 2: Select the Time & Language option in the Settings window.
Step 3: Next, click Region on the left side of the pane.
Step 4: Now, on the right side of the window, select United States as the Country or Region.
Step 5: On the left side of the pane, select Language.
Step 6: Next, under the Windows display language section on the right side of the window, select English (United States) from the drop-down menu.
*Note: If your Windows display language is set to something other than English (United States), follow the procedures below to add English (United States):
Step 1: Select Add a language from the Preferred languages box.
Step 2: Look for English (United States) in the Choose a language to install window, select it, and then hit Next.
Step 3: Next, select the Text-to-speech, Speech Recognition, and Handwriting options before pressing Install.
Step 4: The language pack will now appear in the Preferred languages area.
Step 5: Simply expand Newly Installed English United States by clicking on it.
Then, using the top arrow, drag it to the top to make it the default language.
You may now use the keyboard shortcut to open the Emoji Panel.
Method 2: Run CTFMon.exe Manually
When Ctfmon.exe stops functioning in Windows, the keyboard shortcut for the Emoji Panel may also cease working. This can cause the Windows operating system to malfunction, resulting in this error. In certain circumstances, manually executing Ctfmon.exe may resolve the problem. Let’s have a look at how:
Step 1: To open the Run command window, press the Win + X shortcut keys and select Run.
Step 2: In the Run command search area, copy and paste the following text and press OK:
C:\Windows\System32\ctfmon.exe
Now that it’s been manually run, you may try launching the Emoji Panel with the keyboard shortcut, which should work.
*Note: Using the Run command to run Ctfmon.exe is a workaround; if you want it to fix the problem permanently, you may have it start automatically with Windows by adding an entry for the.exe file to the registry editor. Follow the instructions below:
Step 1: To launch the Run command box, press the Win + R keys on your keyboard together.
Step 2: Type regedit into the search area and press Enter to open the Registry Editor window.
Step 3: Navigate to the following path in the Registry Editor window:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Run
Now, go to the window’s right side and right-click on an empty area.
To make a new string, pick New and then String Value.
Step 4: Double-click on the new string and rename it ctfmon.
Step 5: Change the Value data field in the Edit String to C:\Windows\System32\ctfmon.exe.
To save your changes, click OK, and then exit.
*Note – Before editing the Registry Editor, create a backup of the registry editor data so that you can restore it if you lose any data throughout the process.
Restart your computer after closing the Registry Editor window. It should now continue to run in the background, allowing you to use the emoji panel keyboard shortcut as usual.
Method 3: Enable the Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service
Because the Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service is not active, the keyboard shortcut for the emoji panel may stop working. As a result, you can try enabling the service to see whether it fixes the problem:
Step 1: To open the Run command window, right-click on the Start menu and select Run.
Step 2: To open the Service Manager, type services.msc in the Run command search box and press Enter.
Step 3: In the Services window, look for Touch Keyboard and Handwriting Panel Service under the Names column on the right side of the pane.
Double-click it to activate it.
Step 4: Go to the Startup type section of its Properties window, under the General tab, and change it to Automatic.
To save the changes and exit, select Apply and then OK.
Close the services window, restart your computer, and the Emoji Panel keyboard shortcut should now operate properly.
Method 4: Edit the Registry Editor Settings
Changing the registry editor settings might sometimes solve the problem. However, before making any changes to the Registry Editor settings, create a backup of the registry editor data so that if any data is lost during the process, you can simply retrieve it.
Step 1: To open the Run command, press the Win + R keys.
Step 2: Type regedit into the search field and press OK to open the Registry Editor window.
Step 3: In the Registry Editor address bar, copy and paste the following path and press Enter:
HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Input\Settings
Navigate to the pane’s right side, right-click on an empty spot, pick New, and then DWORD (32-bit) Value.
Step 4: Double-click on the new DWORD value and rename it EnableExpressiveInputShellHotkey.
Step 5: Go to the Value data field in the Edit DWORD (32-bit) Value and set the field to 1.
To apply the changes and quit, press Apply and then OK.
Exit the Registry Editor and restart your computer. You can now check to see if the problem has been resolved.
Method 5: Install any Pending Windows Update
If you forget to install a critical Windows update, it might cause problems with your system’s functionality, one of which being the Emoji Panel keyboard shortcut not working. You resolve the problem, be sure to install any pending Windows updates.
Step 1: Select Settings from the Start menu by right-clicking on it.
Step 2: In the pop-up Settings window, select Update & Security.
Step 3: You’ll be taken to the Windows Update page right away.
If you see any pending updates on the right side of the window, click the Download & Install button.
The update will now be downloaded by Windows. It will also automatically install the update.
After you’ve finished, restart your computer to see the changes take effect. Try tapping the shortcut key again, and the Emoji Panel should open normally.
In this video, we are gonna show you how to fix the Emoji Panel keyboard shortcut not working on Windows 10 PC:
That’s about it.
