How to Make Emoticons With a Mac

You can insert one of the OS X emoticons into any application.

While communicating via email or any text-based communication medium, it can be difficult for users to effectively convey their emotions without the use of emoticons. If the application or client you are using does not provide you with a set of emoticons to use, this problem becomes even more apparent. If you find yourself in this sort of situation while using a Mac computer, you can utilize the simple emoticons that come with the OS X operating system.

Instructions

1. Click the "Apple" icon in the computer's menu bar and select the "System Preferences..." option from the Apple menu.

2. Click the "Language & Text" option beneath the "Personal" heading. Click the "Input Sources" tab and place a check mark next to the "Keyboard & Character Viewer" option.

3. Place the computer's text cursor where you would like to insert the emoticon.

4. Click the "Keyboard & Character Viewer" icon in the computer's menu bar and select the "Show Character Viewer" option from the menu.

5. Click the "Miscellaneous" option and select the emoticon you would like to insert. Click the "Insert" button to insert the emoticon into the application.