An emoji button is coming to the Windows 11 Taskbar, and you'll be able to choose from 4 different versions

Microsoft is developing a new feature for Windows 11 that will make it easier for users to access the emoji panel. The company is adding an emoji button to the taskbar, as @phantomofearth first reported on X (formerly known as Twitter).

The button is hidden in the latest Windows 11 preview build for Beta Channel users, 22635.4580. It doesn’t appear enabled by default, but you can turn it on by downloading a ViveTool tool and running a command in the Command Prompt, using the following command:

vivetool /enable /id:48504539

Just make sure to restart your PC after typing the command.

The emoji button appears to be Microsoft’s latest attempt to make the Windows 11 emoji picker more discoverable. Currently, the emoji panel can be accessed by pressing Win + ;, but unless you know that, you might not realize the powerful panel exists.

The emoji panel in Windows 11 provides access to emoji, GIFs, ASCII art, special symbols, and clipboard history, and Microsoft has been working to make it even more useful. A recent update, for example, added the ability to search for emoji by keyword.

Update: It seems the Redmond-based tech giant is experimenting with different icons on the Windows 11 taskbar for this new capability. Once again, the tech enthusiast @phantomofearth managed to find no less than 4 versions of the new emoji icon in the latest Insider build to the Dev/Beta channels.

For now, these new versions of the emoji icon are hidden, but they can be uncovered using the third-party ViveTool, and some special commands.

What do you think about this new Emoji button coming to Windows 11?

Photo credits: @phantomofearth