Chrome is removing the Windows Emoji menu from its address bar after eight years amid a UI refresh

Google is removing the Windows Emoji menu option from Chrome’s address bar years after adding it. The change is part of GlowUp, Google’s initiative to refresh Chrome’s desktop UI. Chrome is also dropping other Omnibox context menu items such as Writing Direction, Look Up, and Autofill.

Chrome originally added the Emoji menu item in 2018. The feature gave users a quick way to open the Windows emoji panel directly from editable text fields, including the address bar. At the time, it served as a convenient shortcut for users who preferred using a mouse instead of the Win + . keyboard shortcut.

Current preview builds already show the address bar right-click menu without the Emoji option. Standard editing actions such as copy and paste remain available, but the dedicated emoji shortcut is gone.

A Chromium commit describing the cleanup states:

“[GlowUp] Remove unnecessary menu items from the Omnibox context menu. This CL removes the emoji, writing direction, look up, and autofill menu items from the omnibox context menu.”

The shortcut made more sense when it first arrived because emoji access was still relatively new on Windows, and many users were unfamiliar with the operating system shortcut.

Over time, however, the Omnibox entry became harder to justify. Many web apps and social platforms now include their own emoji pickers, while Windows already exposes the emoji panel system-wide through Win +.

Google rarely removes long-standing interface options without data behind the decision. While the company has not shared any metrics publicly, the cleanup suggests the Omnibox Emoji entry may no longer see enough use to justify keeping an extra menu item inside the address bar.

Recently, we reported that Google introduced several Chrome desktop UI changes across Windows, Mac, Linux, and ChromeOS. Some of the work already includes dynamic theme colors in Settings, and a renamed AI section inside Chrome.

For Windows users, the practical impact is minimal because emoji input still works through the operating system shortcut and app-level emoji pickers.

Chrome is also working on a new PWA install dialog that looks like native Windows app installs and could soon notify users when products come back in stock.