What you can actually change about emoji colors
Most emoji come in a single fixed color that you cannot change — a yellow smiley face stays yellow, a red heart stays red. However, you can change the color of certain emoji that are designed to work that way: skin tone modifiers on people emoji, and color-changing emoji like hearts and circles that let you pick from a palette.
The method depends on what device you use and which emoji you want to change. On phones, you usually add a modifier right in the keyboard. On computers, your options are more limited and depend on whether you are using a Mac or Windows.
If you want to change the color of an emoji that is already in a message or document, you will need to delete it and replace it with a different version — you cannot recolor an emoji after you have typed it.
Key Takeaways
- Skin tone modifiers on people emoji are added by holding down the emoji in your keyboard and selecting a skin tone from the menu that appears.
- Color-changing emoji like hearts and circles appear in your emoji keyboard with multiple color options you can tap to choose between.
- On Windows computers, the emoji panel does not offer color options, so you must use your phone keyboard or copy emoji from a website instead.
- Once you have typed an emoji into a message or document, you cannot change its color — you must delete it and type a new one.
- Different apps and websites may display the same emoji in slightly different colors, even if you do not change anything.
Changing skin tones on people emoji on iPhone and Android
People emoji like the waving hand, thumbs up, and person shrugging come with skin tone options built in. To access them, press and hold the emoji in your keyboard until a menu pops up showing the available skin tones.
On iPhone, open any app where you can type (Messages, Notes, Mail, or any social media app). Tap the emoji keyboard button (the smiley face icon). Find the people emoji you want — for example, the waving hand. Press and hold it with your finger. A menu will appear showing the same emoji in five different skin tones. Tap the one you want.
On Android, the process is nearly identical. Open your keyboard and tap the emoji button. Find the people emoji you want and press and hold it. A row of skin tone options will appear above or below the emoji. Tap your choice. The emoji will be inserted in that skin tone.
If you do not see a skin tone menu when you hold down an emoji, that emoji does not have skin tone options — only people-related emoji support this feature.
Choosing between color variations on phones
Some emoji come in multiple colors by design: hearts in red, orange, yellow, green, blue, and purple; circles in different colors; and flags that change based on which country you select. These are not the same emoji recolored — they are separate emoji in your keyboard.
On iPhone, open your emoji keyboard and search for the color you want. For example, type "heart" and you will see red heart, orange heart, yellow heart, and so on listed separately. Tap the one you want to use.
On Android, the process depends on your keyboard app. Most Android keyboards organize emoji by category. Tap the hearts category and you will see all available heart colors in a row. Tap the color you want. If your keyboard has a search function, you can also search for a specific color — for example, "blue heart" — and it will show you that emoji directly.
Changing emoji colors on Mac
Mac computers have an emoji picker built into the keyboard, but it does not offer color selection for most emoji. You can still access skin tone modifiers for people emoji, but color-changing emoji like hearts appear in only one color in the picker.
To use skin tones on Mac, press Control + Command + Space to open the emoji picker. Find a people emoji and click on it. A small menu will appear showing skin tone options. Click the skin tone you want and the emoji will be inserted with that tone applied.
For color-changing emoji on Mac, you have two options: use your iPhone or iPad keyboard to type the emoji you want and copy it to your Mac, or visit a website that displays emoji in different colors and copy the emoji from there. The second option is slower but works if you do not have another Apple device nearby.
Changing emoji colors on Windows
Windows computers have an emoji panel you can open by pressing the Windows key + period (.) or Windows key + semicolon (;). However, this panel does not include color options for any emoji — you cannot select skin tones or color variations from it.
If you need a specific emoji color on Windows, your best option is to use your phone keyboard to type the emoji, copy it, and paste it into your Windows document or message. Open your phone, type the emoji you want in the color you want, select it, copy it, and then paste it into your Windows computer.
Alternatively, you can visit a website that displays emoji with color options — such as emojipedia.org — find the emoji you want, and copy it directly from the website into your document.
Why emoji colors sometimes look different across devices
Even when you do not change anything, the same emoji may appear in slightly different colors on different devices. A red heart on iPhone might look slightly more orange on Android, or a yellow smiley face might appear more golden on a Mac. This happens because each device maker designs emoji slightly differently.
This is normal and expected. The emoji you send is the same emoji, but how it displays depends on the device receiving it. You cannot control how someone else's device renders the emoji you send — you can only control which emoji you choose to send.
Replacing an emoji you have already typed
If you have already typed an emoji and want to change its color, you must delete it and type a new one. There is no way to edit an emoji in place once it has been inserted into a message or document.
On phones, tap and hold the emoji to select it, then tap delete or backspace. Then open your emoji keyboard again and type the new color version. On computers, click the emoji to place your cursor next to it, then use backspace or delete to remove it, and type the new emoji.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I change the color of emoji that are not people or hearts?
Most emoji come in a fixed color and cannot be changed. Only specific emoji like hearts, circles, and people have color options. If an emoji does not have a color menu when you hold it down on your phone, that emoji does not support color changes.
Why does the skin tone menu not appear when I hold down an emoji?
That emoji does not have skin tone options. Only people-related emoji — like hands, faces doing actions, and body parts — support skin tones. Objects, animals, and symbols do not have skin tone modifiers.
If I send a colored emoji to someone, will they see the same color?
They will see the same emoji, but it may display in a slightly different color depending on their device. You cannot control how their device renders it. The emoji itself is the same — the visual appearance just varies by manufacturer.
Can I change emoji colors in email or documents?
No. Emoji are characters, not images, so you cannot recolor them the way you would recolor a picture. You can only choose which emoji to use. If you need a specific color, you must select that color version from your emoji keyboard.
What if my keyboard does not show emoji options?
Make sure your keyboard app is up to date. On iPhone, go to Settings and check for iOS updates. On Android, open your keyboard settings and make sure emoji support is turned on. If you still do not see options, try a different keyboard app from your app store.