Want to spruce up your daily work reports, and events, and add some color to your chat? Then adding custom emojis to Slack is the way to go. This productivity app is convenient for work communication. But, it wouldn’t be that popular without its Easter eggs – more than 2,000 available Slack emojis and the ability to create your own.
Anyone can make a set, and there is no limit to what you can do. It can be a simple design, use a multi-colored base, etc. To make a custom emoji, you would need to be a Slack member, not a Slack guest. This feature is available on Free plans. Plus, adding emojis to Slack is a piece of cake. All you need are just a couple of tips and tricks, and you can show off your emoji arsenal in no time. 🤩
How to Add Custom Emoji
A picture is worth a thousand words – or in this case, replace about 1 to 3 words. There is a whole host of built-in emojis available on Slack. They are useful when you want to save time on daily conversations. They can also make the sentences pop up and the interaction more exciting.
You can make any picture, whether you take it yourself or download it from the internet, and turn it into a custom emoji. To make the best slack emoji, go for a 128x128px image size and use a transparent background. Make sure it is in the right format (PNG, GIF, or JPG) and it isn’t larger than 128KB.
If you are using a GIF, it should have 50 or fewer frames. Once you upload it, it becomes available to everyone in the Enterprise Grid or workspace. To add a custom emoji to Slack, follow the step-by-step guide below.
Step 1: Click on the Emoji Icon
You will notice that in the chat menu, there is an emoji icon right next to the microphone. When there are new emojis available, the icon will have a red dot on the top right angle. Click on the icon.
Step 2: Click on Add Emoji
Once you open up the Emoji panel, you will have access to the currently available Slack emoji list. On the bottom left corner of the panel, click on “add emoji”. If you are looking for inspiration on what kind of custom emoji to make, then you can browse through these options and find the options that fit your style.
Step 3: Click on Upload Image
Now you got access to the “add emoji panel”. Here, you can upload your own emoji by selecting the “upload image” button. If you want to make the emoji stand out, use one that conveys your company’s interest, brand style, or culture. Or, you could get creative and use emojis that your coworkers may find to be funny.
Step 4: Name the Emoji
Give the emoji a name by typing it in the bar just below the “upload image” button. You will notice that the name begins and ends with a colon (“:”) punctuation mark. For example, typing :joy: will show off the 😂face with tears of joy emoji on most of the platforms. Type in the name you want between the punctuation marks. The example below uses the name :drinks:. Click “save” in the bottom right corner when you are done.
How to Remove Custom Emoji on Slack
Did you mess up? Don’t worry! The emojis you added don’t have to stay there forever. You can get rid of them if they don’t look as good as you want them to or you don’t want to use them anymore. Besides, removing a custom emoji on Slack is just as easy as adding it. All you have to do is follow the tips below.
Click on the “emoji icon”, then “add emoji”, just like you did with the first two steps above.
Instead of adding new emoji, you will click on the “emoji packs” tab.
Select the emoji pack you want to remove. Keep in mind that you can remove multiple emoji packs for Slack at the same time. If you change your mind, just deselect the emoji pack by clicking on it a second time.
The tab shows you all the emoji you are going to remove by deleting this pack. When you are ready, just click on the “remove pack” button in the bottom right corner.
To remove a single custom emoji (not a pack), click on your workspace name in the top left corner. Select “Settings & administration”. Then customize your workspace. In the emoji tab, look for your custom emoji, and click on the “X” button right next to it. This will delete the custom emoji.
How to Get Team Using the Emojis After Adding Them
Now that you’ve added these super cool emojis, how do you inspire your team to use them? 🤔 Take it for a spin! That’s right, the more you use it, the sooner others get to see it. It’s best that you let them know that you’ve added these emojis.
You can do that by setting up a channel. It can show an alert whenever there are fresh emojis available. Your coworkers can use your emojis to react to all kinds of messages. Some of them could be meme-worthy, so use them to respond to a conversation.
Here is an extra tip – use one of those new emojis in your slack status. It is a great way of making your creation known. Don’t know how to do that? Take a look at the following images.
Click on your profile setting in the top right corner. It is on top of your profile image.
Write your new status and use the new emoji. Make sure you are using the colon (“:”) when typing it, so the emoji will pop up in the list below. When satisfied with the finished version, click on “save” in the bottom right corner.
Tips for Making the Ultimate Slack Emojis
Want to take your custom emojis to the next level? If you want to hit the mark, there are a couple of features you should go for. Of course, you can always make your own emojis just the way you like them. But, it doesn’t hurt to have a couple of tips that can make your emoji stand out. 😉
Here is how:
- Don’t focus on the details. Slack emojis are very small, exactly 128x128px in size. This means that all those tiny details will be lost the moment you upload them. So, try to use an image that’s easy to see from afar and has a simpler design.
- PNG files are best for transparency. When you need a transparent background, don’t use JPEG files. PNG files are ideal for getting that empty background.
- Increase the picture brightness. If you are using an image of a person, then you might want to increase the image brightness before uploading it. This makes the emoji stand out.
- Don’t make the background too distracting. If you do want to have a background on your image, make sure it adds a nice touch and doesn’t overwhelm the emoji.
- Make a consistent theme. Let’s say you are making an entire pack of emojis. It’s a good idea to use a theme and design the styles to look alike.
Then, there is color. If you want your emojis to convey emotions, rather than using goofy pictures, then you should think about the colors you use. Red is a great color when you want to express more powerful and dominant emotions, such as irritation and sarcasm.
A joyful and happy image can benefit from brighter colors, such as yellow or green. For a more peaceful theme, opt for light or dark blue emojis. They give off a more relaxed vibe that people can resonate with.
Find More Custom Emojis and Enhance Your Culture
Can’t get enough of these cute, nifty little pictures? You are not the only one! People love using emojis as a response to Slack comments and posts. They often add a couple of emojis at a time for the entire staff to use. Having everyone on the team participate with emojis makes the conversation all the more engaging.
If you want to build your Slack emoji arsenal, check out our collection of different emojis. Here, you can find a ton of free custom emojis to use on Slack, Discord, and other platforms. You can even find some of the most popular memes turned into emojis.
Final Thoughts
Slack has probably one of the best custom emoji experiences. It lets you experiment by creating your own and uses excellent graphics that showcase the true impact of the emoji you just created. You can drop them in any conversation, just like you would with other built-in emojis.
Do have in mind, however, that the emojis you add can only be used in Slack – they won’t show up anywhere else. The slack platform offers a simple process of adding your emojis. You click on the emoji icon and select “add emoji.”
Then upload the image and make sure it is below 128 KB. Don’t worry if the image is too big, Slack will resize it for you so it will fit. Then, name the emoji, and you are good to go. The moment you upload it, everyone in the workspace can use it. They can use it as a reaction, drop it into text, etc. You will see your emoji popping up all the time.
