The Ultimate Custom Slack Emoji How-To: 7 Tips You Need to Know
Free Bonus: 130+ Custom Slack Emoji Download!
In our previous emoji blog post, The Top 100 Custom Slack Emoji You Absolutely, Positively Need, we revealed over 100 of our most-used custom emoji in Revelry’s Slack.
Just when you thought it couldn’t get any better, we’re back with a handy guide on how to:
- Make your own emoji
- Download 130+ custom emoji (and upload to your Slack!)
- Create emoji aliases
- Convey your meaning with emoji: set your status and react to a message
- Download all of your company’s Slack emoji
- Calculate your organization’s most used emoji
So if you love expressing yourself with emoji and you’re thirsty for MOAR EMOJI, you’ll enjoy this guide.
Let’s get to it.
Table of Contents:
- How To Make Your Own Slack Emoji
- Download Our Top 130+ Custom Emoji and Upload to Your Slack
- Find an Emoji Faster Using an Alias
- Use Custom Emoji to Convey Meaning Without Typing
- Save Your Team’s Custom Slack Emoji in a Zip File
- Calculate Your Slack Organization’s Most Used Emoji Reactions
- Breakdown by Category of Our Custom Emoji
1. How To Make Your Own Slack Emoji
Slack has made this pretty simple. In the message field, click the smiley icon to open the emoji library pop up. Click the “Add Emoji” button at the bottom.
A modal will open where you can upload a new emoji: select an image file from your computer and name the new emoji.
Don’t worry about the image size because Slack will now automatically resize your image if the file size is too large. Here’s another great step-by-step on how to add your own emojis to slack.
Optimize Your Custom Emoji
Square images work best, so if you can, use an image editor (like Pixlr, or Preview if you’re on a Mac) to crop your image.
If you’re good at editing photos, create a transparent background by removing all the parts of the image except the part you want for the emoji. We recommend using the magic wand tool in Preview or Photoshop.
2. Download Our Top 130+ Custom Emoji and Upload to Your Slack
- Enter your email below to download the custom Slack emoji file.
2. Unzip the file on your computer.
3. Install this Google Chrome plugin which will allow you to upload ALL of these emoji at one time.
4. Next, visit your Slack’s customization area in Chrome, which you can get to by typing in [insert your channel name here].slack.com/customize/emoji in the URL field of your browser. Or, you can click on the name of your organization in the top left, then click “Customize Slack”. This will open a page in your browser.
5. Use the Chrome plugin to drag and drop all of the emoji from the unzipped folder to the plugin upload area, and it will upload everything to your Slack. (If you don’t want certain emoji uploaded, delete them from the unzipped file first.)
Voilà!
Using Your New Emoji in Slack
When you’re ready to use a new custom Slack emoji, type a colon then the emoji name and the matching emoji will appear:
Or, click the smiley face in the message bar to open the emoji library pop up. Then click the Slack icon in the far right to view all the custom emoji in your organization. You can also use the search bar to search for a specific emoji.
3. Find an Emoji Faster Using an Alias
If you can’t remember how to access your favorite emoji using the keyboard shortcut, you can manually add an emoji alias that is easy for you to remember. The alias will exist in addition to the current emoji name. We found this helpful tip in Top 9 Tips and Tricks for Slack Emojis.
- Click on your name on the top left of the Slack app below the organization name, then click “Customize Slack”.
- Click “Add Alias”.
3. Choose the emoji you want to add an alias for.
4. Enter the alias name and click save. If you run into any issues adding an alias, contact your admin.
4. Use Custom Emoji to Convey Meaning Without Typing
How To Add an Emoji as Your Slack Status
- From a computer, click your name in the top left below the organization name. Or, use the keyboard shortcut shift-command-up arrow-Y. On mobile apps, click the 3 dots.
2. Click “Edit status”.
3. Click the emoji to the left of “What’s your status?” and set your preferred emoji!
4. From this modal, you can also set a time for the status to clear (or not clear!).
React with an Emoji to Respond to a Message Instead of a Thread of Comments
Is Slack becoming too distracting? In this super helpful Slack focus guide, Jory MacKay suggests using a “reacji”, which is an emoji used to react to a message. This declutters channels of written messages while still getting the job done.
Source: RescueTime: blog
You can also use a poll to gather information such as what’s for lunch:
Source: Troops.ai blog
Or your status:
You can also use a custom emoji with a company-wide universal meaning to react to typical workplace scenarios. Here’s one of our own (which is included in the custom download slack emoji pack). It’s called, “heal up bud”, and we use it to bestow best wishes on someone who is sick.
Advanced Slack Emoji Tips and Tricks
Already mastered these emoji tips and tricks? The next section is for all you Slack emoji pros out there!
5. Save Your Team’s Custom Slack Emoji in a Zip File
Do you want to download your team’s entire emoji collection into a zip file to use in another Slack? Good news! If you have a Slack API token, you can easily do this. If you don’t, check out the Slack Help Center for step-by-step instructions. You may need to have your Slack admin authorize your request.
Once you’ve done that, you can use your Terminal to run this Ruby script that will download and zip all of the custom emojis your team has ever uploaded!
6. Calculate Your Slack Organization’s Most Used Emoji Reactions
Curious about what emoji reactions your company uses the most? Slack has an API for that as well. Here’s a Ruby script we used to find our most-used emoji reactions in our #watercooler channel since last year. Make sure you have Ruby installed on your computer and run ruby reactions.rb from the Terminal.
Note: Restrict it to 500 messages per batch since 1,000 will often cause a timeout.
The Ultimate Slack Emoji You Need To Express Yourself at Work
Now that you’re a Slack emoji master, browse through our current favorite Slack emoji. We’ve added over 300 new emoji since our last blog post! And without further ado, here’s the collection of our best Slack emoji. Because how are you even doing business without them?
When You Need to Express Your Level of Thinking
The last edition went heavy on the Party Parrot theme. This time, we’re all about the thinking face. Because let’s face it, we’re all a bunch of pretty hard thinkers, and we need several different emoji to capture the full nuance of all the different modes of thinking we do.
Can you smell what The Rock is thinking?
When you maybe sort of think?
When you maybe sort of think, but not really?
When you really maybe sort of think, but not really?
When you’re thinking, but need a new perspective.
When it’s early, but you still need to think.
When you need a hand thinking.
When your thinking is layered.
When you need to think realistically.
When you think of a problem as a combination of smaller problems.
When you need to think, but you’re feeling cool about it.
When you’re thinking in cirlces.
When you’re thinking in circles, but really fast.
When you’re thinking, but also need a good cry.
When your thinking isn’t constrained by archaic concepts like perspective.
When you’re thinking, and it’s a party.
LGBTQIA+ thinking.
Thinking from the other side.
You fool, I’m not even using 5% of my think.
BEHOLD, MY ULTIMATE AND UNSTOPPABLE THINK
When you’re looking at something and thinking.
When you’re thinking, but also keep it 💯
When thinking “finds a way”.
Kept you thinking, huh?
Excellent, age hasn’t slowed you down one bit.
When you’ve got your thinking pants on.
When your mullet game is strong and you’re thinking.
Oh bother, what was I thinking about again?
When You’re Thinking About Lunch Already
We all have those days when lunch is already on our minds an hour in. Here’s a few emoji to help your taste buds do the talking.
:acaibowl:
Yummy, healthy breakfast or meal
:avo:
Avocado. Lunch. Food.
:bagel:
Bagel sounds yum!
:mcdonalds:
When you’re feeling like some Mickey D’s
:nachos:
My old drinking buddy
:psl:
When it’s time for a pumpkin spice latte
:pizza_love:
For the pizza-sized hole in your heart
:popeyes:
Love that chicken from Popeyes
:fried_chicken_biscuit:
When it’s fried chicken sandwich day
:chicken_nuggz:
When nothing else will do
:cholula:
If you like it extra spicy
:goldfish:
The snack that smiles back
:la-croix:
When water isn’t good enough
:cupcake:
Sometimes you just need one
:waffle:
Chicken and…
When You’re Ready To Celebrate
You can never have enough emoji to help you celebrate your wins or let others know it’s time to party!
:hurray:
Whoop whoop!
:champagne-cheers:
When you’ve got something to celebrate
:micdrop:
When they aren’t ready for the truth
:10-4:
That’s right, partner
:1000:
100×10
:air_punch:
Alright!
:dancing_hotdog:
Remember him?
:fieri-chef-kiss:
Italian chef, but Guy Fieri
:hero:
Did you ever know that you’re my hero?
:lisa-dancing:
Celebrate with Lisa Simpson
:ohyeah:
When it’s exciting enough to bust through a wall
:panda-dance:
Pandas love to dance too
:party_bus:
Hop on the party bus
:party_dead:
Death by party
:party_gopher:
Party like a gopher
:party_k8s:
Kubernetes party time
:party_stub:
I’m at a good stopping point, time to party
:party_wizard:
You are a wizard. And you can party.
:pie-yow:
Pie-Yow Comme Ca! (if you don’t know, Google it)
:yaaaaay:
Yaaaaaaaaaaaaay
When Things Aren’t Going So Well…
It happens to the best of us. Not every day can be sunshine and rainbows, so here’s some emoji to help you be in your feelings.
:ohno:
When something isn’t quite right.
:angry-point:
The client asking when deploy is happening
:cat-salad:
CI taking its dear sweet time
:guillotine:
On the chopping block.
:shifty:
Sure…
:biting_nails:
When you’re on the edge of your seat.
:wah:
Wah!
:old_man_yells_at_cloud:
When you’re angry at the cloud.
:lisa_judging:
What did you just say?
:lolcry:
When something’s ironically funny that it’s actually just sad
:facemelt:
Pretty much explains itself
:coolcry:
When you’re cool but you also need a good cry
:angry_trump:
Point and frown
:healupbud:
Hope you feel better soon!
:rolls_eyes:
Ugh
:mario-question:
Why though
Even MOAR Party Parrot Emoji
We love the party parrots in our office, so of course we’re including more of our favorites (and a few original). You can find EVEN MOAR than these at Cult of the Party Parrot.
:coffee_parrot:
When you’ve had too much cold brew
:deploy_parrot:
Ready to deploy!
:confused-parrot:
When you forgot you’re partying like a parrot
:harry-potter-parrot:
When you’re a Harry Potter… parrot??
:love-parrot:
When you’re in love but have to keep partying
:popcorn-parrot:
Munching on popcorn and partying
:birthday-parrot:
When it’s your birthday and want to party like a parrot
:sushi-parrot:
When you need sushi to party
:dark_mode_parrot:
A party parrot to match your theme
:tiedye-parrot:
Tie-dye and party
When You’re in New Orleans
Our main office is in New Orleans, and we’re proud of our city! Whether you’re located in New Orleans, visiting for Mardi Gras, or just want to express yourself New Orleans-style, here are some great custom Slack emoji for you!
:504:
When you’re from the 504
:beads:
Throw me something mister!
:mardi-gras-parrot:
This parrot is ready to Mardi!
:king-cake:
When someone brings one to the office… :heart-eyes:
:snoball:
Summertime means sweet icy treats
:hurricane:
Don’t have more than one at Pat O’s…
When You’re a Rocker Emoji
If you’d rather be at a Grateful Dead [or any] concert than working, these are for you.
:gd-bear-blue:
:gd-bear-green:
:gd-bear-orange:
:gd-bear-pink:
:gd-bear-yellow:
:phish:
Also works if you fell victim to a phishing scam
:rolling-stones:
I can’t get no!
A Few More Misc. Emoji To Help You Express Yourself
Warning: some of these may be inside jokes. But we hope you find them fun and useful regardless.
:1099:
This work is for the contractors
:aboot:
High five, Canadian style!
:baby-yoda:
The cutest little baby to ever wield the force
:mandalorian:
Sworn to protect :baby-yoda:
:beard:
For Movember and beyond
:blocker:
Blocking and tackling
:brb:
Be Right Back
:eyes2:
Looking, but in the other direction
:frozen:
Either your office is freezing and your fingers are number, or your computer or zoom froze
:furby:
Nostalgia for these creepy toys
:jammin:
Jammin to some good tunes while cranking out work.
:lizzo:
When you’re 100% that bitch
:mindblown:
Woah
:monkas:
Hmmm
:monkey_look_away:
I know nothing…
:no_php:
Nah
:
:paul_giamatti:
When you’re a fan of Sideways and Billions
:pizza-cry:
Diets suck.
:same:
Literally, same
:squiddab:
Dabbing like Squidward
:steve_harvey_pika:
Not creepy at all…
:stretch-cat:
Streeeeeetching
:surprised_pikachu:
Never enough Pikachu emoji
:thankyou:
Self-explanatory. Super useful.
:this-caret:
Used to point at the previous message
:thread:
Starting a thread? Say it with an emoji.
:two-cents:
When you’re giving someone your two cents
:word:
For non-Millennials, this means ‘agreed’
:yw:
You’re welcome. Reference from the Disney movie Moana
Slack Emoji Resources
Can’t find the emoji you’re looking for? Here‘s a cheat sheet for all the standard emoji.
Looking for more custom emojis? Here are a few great sites we found.
- Emojipacks has an extensive collection of custom emojis for purchase (some packs are free!)
- DiscordEmoji has a custom emoji maker.
Now It’s Your Turn
Now that you have all the Slack emoji to express yourself properly at work, get out there and let your coworkers know how you’re feeling!
What’s your favorite Slack emoji? Tell us on Twitter!
And if this post was helpful, would you share it with your team?
More Slack Posts We Think You’ll Enjoy
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Apply to work with us!
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