Add Emojis
🐘 How to Add an Icon (Emoji) to a Mastodon Post
✨ What Is an Icon in Mastodon?
In Mastodon, an icon is an emoji. This can be:
- A standard emoji (Unicode)
- A custom emoji provided by your Mastodon server
Both can be used in any post.
📝 Step 1 — Open the Composer
Open Mastodon and click New Post / Compose.
You will see a text field where you can write your message.
😀 Step 2 — Open the Emoji Picker
Click the smiley icon near the text field.
This opens the emoji (icon) selector.
⭐ Step 3 — Choose an Icon
Option A — Standard Emoji
- Scroll or search (e.g.
star,fire,camera) - Click an emoji to insert it
Example: 🚀 Launch day!
Option B — Custom Server Emoji
- Custom emojis are unique to your server
- They appear as
:emoji_name: - Click to insert them into your post
Example: Welcome to Mastodon :server_logo:
✍️ Step 4 — Place the Icon Anywhere
Icons can be placed:
- At the beginning
- In the middle
- At the end of your text
Examples: 🎉 Big announcement today New feature released 🚀 Thanks for reading ❤️
🚀 Step 5 — Publish
- Select post visibility
- Add a content warning if needed
- Click Post
Your icon will appear immediately.
💡 Tips
- Use 1–3 icons for clarity
- Custom emojis only display on servers that support them
- Emojis enhance tone but should not replace text
📌 Quick Reference
| Action | Result |
|---|---|
| Click 😀 | Open emoji picker |
| Search emoji | Find icons quickly |
| Click icon | Insert into post |
| Post | Icon is published |