Emoji Keyboard Missing on iPhone? How to Get It Back
If the emoji button disappeared from your iPhone keyboard, start by checking whether the built-in Emoji keyboard is still enabled. In most cases, you can restore it without installing an emoji app, deleting messages, or resetting the whole phone.
The important first step is to identify what is actually missing. The Emoji keyboard may have been removed from the keyboard list, hidden behind the globe button, unavailable in one specific text field, or working normally while only predictive emoji suggestions are absent. Each symptom has a different fix.
The fastest fix
After adding it, open Notes or Messages, tap a text field, then tap the emoji face or globe button. If several keyboards are enabled, touch and hold the globe button and choose Emoji from the list.
Choose the symptom that matches your iPhone
Emoji is not listed in Settings
Add the built-in Emoji keyboard again. This is the most direct fix and does not require a separate app.
The globe button is visible, but the emoji face is not
Touch and hold the globe button. The Emoji keyboard may still be enabled and available in the keyboard switcher.
Emoji works in Notes but not in another app
The iPhone keyboard is probably working. Check the affected app, its text field, and whether the app is responding normally.
The emoji keyboard opens, but emoji suggestions are gone
This is a predictive text issue, not a missing Emoji keyboard. Review the Predictive setting instead of reinstalling keyboards.
1. Add the Emoji keyboard back to iPhone
Apple includes an Emoji keyboard in iOS. If it is missing from the enabled keyboard list, follow these steps:
- Open the Settings app.
- Tap General.
- Tap Keyboard.
- Tap Keyboards to view the enabled keyboards.
- Tap Add New Keyboard.
- Choose Emoji.
- Open Notes, Mail, or Messages and tap a normal text field.
- Tap the emoji face or globe button to open the Emoji keyboard.
Expected result: Emoji now appears in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards, and the emoji picker opens in a standard text field.
2. If Emoji is already in the keyboard list
When Emoji is already listed, do not keep adding keyboards. First test whether it is simply hidden behind the keyboard switcher.
- Open Notes and create a blank note.
- Tap the note so the onscreen keyboard appears.
- Look for an emoji face or globe near the lower-left area of the keyboard.
- Touch and hold that button instead of tapping it quickly.
- Select Emoji from the keyboard menu.
Apple uses the same keyboard-switching control for the Emoji keyboard and additional language keyboards. The icon can therefore look different depending on how many keyboards are enabled and which one is active.
3. Remove and re-add Emoji without resetting the phone
If Emoji is listed but cannot be selected in a normal text field, you can rebuild that one entry before trying a broader reset.
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
- Tap Edit.
- Remove Emoji, then tap Done.
- Tap Add New Keyboard.
- Add Emoji again.
- Test it in a new note before returning to the original app.
This changes the enabled keyboard list. It does not erase your photos, conversations, contacts, documents, or installed apps.
4. Test whether only one app is blocking or hiding the keyboard
A keyboard problem that appears in one app but not another is usually not solved by changing the entire iPhone. Compare two ordinary text fields before doing anything destructive.
If the affected app is frozen or not responding, Apple recommends closing and reopening it. Do not make a habit of force-closing every app when nothing is wrong; use this step for the app that is actually unresponsive.
5. Understand why a third-party keyboard may disappear
Users sometimes describe the problem as a missing emoji keyboard when the missing item is actually Gboard, SwiftKey, or another custom keyboard. iPhone can temporarily show the system keyboard instead of a third-party keyboard in secure text fields and certain phone-number fields. An app can also choose not to allow third-party keyboards.
| What you see | Likely explanation | What to test |
|---|---|---|
| Apple keyboard appears on a password screen | Secure fields use the system keyboard. | Test the third-party keyboard in Notes or a normal message field. |
| Third-party keyboard is missing in one app | The app may disallow custom keyboards. | Check whether it appears in another app. |
| Built-in Emoji is missing everywhere | Emoji may not be enabled in the keyboard list. | Add Emoji under Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards. |
The built-in Emoji keyboard and a third-party keyboard are separate. Reinstalling a third-party keyboard app is not required when only the Apple Emoji keyboard is missing.
6. Emoji keyboard works, but predictive emoji does not
Predictive emoji appears above the keyboard while you type words that iPhone may replace with an emoji. It is not the same feature as opening the full Emoji keyboard.
If the full picker opens normally but no emoji suggestions appear, touch and hold the emoji or globe button, tap Keyboard Settings, and review Predictive. You can also go to Settings > General > Keyboard. Turning Predictive on affects typing suggestions; it does not add a missing Emoji keyboard to the enabled keyboard list.
7. Restart the iPhone after the keyboard list is correct
Restarting is useful after you confirm that Emoji is enabled but the keyboard interface still does not update. Use a normal restart unless the iPhone is frozen or unresponsive.
- On a current Face ID model, press and hold a volume button and the side button until the power-off slider appears.
- Drag the slider and wait for the iPhone to turn off.
- Press and hold the side button until the Apple logo appears.
- Open Notes and test the Emoji keyboard again.
Button instructions differ on older models, so use Apple's restart instructions for your exact iPhone if the side-button method does not match your device.
8. Check for an iOS update
If the keyboard list is correct and the problem continues across several apps, check Settings > General > Software Update. Apple says updating iOS to the latest available version does not change your data and settings, though backing up before an update remains a sensible precaution.
Do not install an unknown profile, keyboard cleaner, or repair utility just to restore the built-in Emoji keyboard. The normal Settings path, an app test, a restart, and an official software update are safer first actions.
9. Do not start with Reset All Settings
Use the narrowest fix first: Reset All Settings affects much more than the Emoji keyboard, including network and privacy-related settings. Reset Keyboard Dictionary is also not an add-keyboard command; Apple says it erases words added to the keyboard dictionary.
Neither reset should be the first response to a missing emoji button. Add Emoji, choose it from the globe menu, remove and re-add that one keyboard, test another app, restart, and update iOS before considering broader settings changes.
A 60-second final check
- Emoji appears in Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards.
- A normal text field is open, not a number-only field.
- You tested both a quick tap and a long press on the globe button.
- The Emoji keyboard works in Notes or Mail.
- The issue is not limited to one unresponsive app.
- You separated predictive emoji suggestions from the full emoji picker.
- You identified whether the missing keyboard is Apple's Emoji keyboard or a third-party keyboard.
- You restarted after correcting the keyboard list.
- You checked for an official iOS update.
- You avoided a broad reset unless simpler steps failed.
Builder's note: During mobile layout testing for Mojitap, the quickest way to separate a keyboard problem from an app problem is to use the same keyboard in a blank Notes document. If Emoji opens there, the keyboard exists and the next check belongs to the original app or text field.
Use Mojitap while checking the keyboard
When you need an emoji immediately, Mojitap can help you search and copy one without depending on the iPhone's recent list. Mojitap uses browser-based keyword and context rules to suggest relevant emojis for text. Paste a sentence, review the suggestions, adjust their placement, and copy the final result.
Mojitap does not repair iOS settings or guarantee that a specific app will accept every emoji. The copied result should still be reviewed in the destination app before sending.
Official references
This guide was reviewed on July 30, 2026 using current Apple support and developer documentation. Menu wording can vary slightly by iOS version, language, region, iPhone model, and the keyboard or app being used.
- Apple Support: Use emoji on your iPhone, iPad, and iPod touch
- Apple Support: Add or change keyboards on iPhone
- Apple Support: Restart your iPhone
- Apple Support: Update iOS on iPhone
- Apple Support: Close an app on your iPhone or iPod touch
- Apple Developer: Configuring a custom keyboard interface
- Apple Support: Reset iPhone settings to their defaults
Related Mojitap guides
The most reliable order is simple: confirm that Emoji is enabled, open it from the globe menu, test it in Notes, and then troubleshoot only the app or keyboard that still fails. That restores the missing keyboard in many cases without deleting unrelated settings or data.