How to turn off the fn (🌐) emoji picker on Mac

To stop the fn (🌐) key from opening the emoji picker, open System Settings → Keyboard and set Press 🌐 key to to Do Nothing. That's it. You can still open emoji any time with fnE.

On recent Mac keyboards the bottom-left key is labelled both fn and 🌐, and macOS gives it a job of its own. That's fine until you want fn for something else, like holding it to dictate.

#Turn it off

1. Choose Apple menu → System Settings, then click Keyboard in the sidebar.
2. Find Press 🌐 key to. On some keyboards it reads Press fn key to.
3. Choose Do Nothing.

The change applies straight away; no restart needed. These steps are the same on macOS 14 Sonoma, macOS 15 and later.

The menu has four choices, as described in Apple's Keyboard settings guide:

Anything other than Do Nothing fires every time you press fn on its own, which is why the emoji picker keeps popping up when another app uses fn.

#Opening emoji without the fn key

Turning the key off doesn't take emoji away. Apple lists three ways in to the Character Viewer (Mac keyboard shortcuts, emoji guide):

• fnE
• ⌃⌘Space
• Edit → Emoji & Symbols in most apps

Type a word like "heart" or "thumbs up" first and then press fnE, and macOS suggests matching emoji right there.

#If you used fn to switch languages

If your fn key was set to Change Input Source because you type in two languages, Do Nothing takes that away from the key, but not from your Mac. Apple gives you other ways to switch (input sources guide):

• ⌃Space selects the last input source you used.
• ⌃⌥Space selects the next one in the list.
• The Input menu on the right of the menu bar lets you click to switch. It turns on automatically when you add a second input source; if it's missing, turn on Show Input menu in menu bar under System Settings → Keyboard → Text Input → Edit.

If you'd rather keep fn for switching languages, that's fine too: leave the setting alone and give your dictation app a different key (see below).

#If it keeps switching back

The usual cause is the Dictation shortcut. Apple's Dictation guide notes that choosing certain shortcuts changes the fn key setting: picking the press-fn-twice shortcut for Dictation sets the key to Start Dictation.

If you want fn free for another app:

1. Open System Settings → Keyboard and scroll to Dictation.
2. Click the Shortcut menu and choose something that doesn't use fn, or choose Customize and press your own combination.
3. Go back to Press 🌐 key to and set it to Do Nothing again.

#Do fn shortcuts still work?

Yes. Shortcuts that combine fn with another key aren't affected by this setting. fn← still jumps to the start of a document, fn↑ still pages up, and fnE still opens emoji.

Sayburst follows the same rule. Holding fn on its own starts a dictation; pressing fn together with another key, like fn←, is treated as an fn shortcut, so your normal shortcuts keep working.

#Using fn to dictate with Sayburst

Sayburst uses fn by default: hold it, talk, let go, and the cleaned-up text appears where your cursor is. Tap it once instead to go hands-free, and tap again to finish.

If macOS is still set to open the emoji picker on fn, Sayburst warns you and shows you where to change it, so you don't end up with the emoji picker and a recording at the same time.

Once it's set up, a quick reply is one press:

"sounds good, um, I'll bring the, the projector and you grab the HDMI cable"

What lands in Messages:

Sounds good, I'll bring the projector and you grab the HDMI cable

The filler and repeated "the" are gone, and Message mode skips the stiff full stop at the end.

#Keyboards without a usable fn key

Plenty of external keyboards don't have an fn key macOS can see, or put fn somewhere awkward. Pick a different key in Sayburst under Settings → Shortcuts:

• Right Option, right Command or right Control. These work well because most people rarely use the right-hand modifiers for anything else.
• Any recorded shortcut, if you'd rather use a combination.
• A mouse button. The middle or side button works the same way as fn: hold to talk, release to insert.
• ⌥Space toggles dictation from anywhere, whatever key you've chosen.

Press Esc any time to cancel a recording without typing anything.

#Two dictation tools fighting over fn

If you run more than one dictation app, or Apple Dictation is set to press fn twice, both may react when you press fn. Give each tool its own key. A common setup: Sayburst on fn, and Apple Dictation on a custom shortcut or turned off. If dictation stops working after this kind of change, see Mac dictation not working; if it records but types nothing, see dictation text not appearing.

New to dictating on a Mac? How to dictate on a Mac covers the built-in options and when an app is worth it.

Questions people ask

How do I stop the globe key from opening emoji on Mac?

Open System Settings, click Keyboard, and set "Press 🌐 key to" (or "Press fn key to") to Do Nothing. The change applies immediately.

How do I open emoji on a Mac after turning the fn key off?

Press fn-E or Control-Command-Space, or choose Edit, then Emoji & Symbols in most apps. All three open the same Character Viewer.

Why does my fn key keep switching back to emoji or dictation?

Some Dictation shortcuts change it. Apple notes that choosing the press-fn-twice Dictation shortcut sets the fn key to Start Dictation. Pick a different Dictation shortcut if you want fn left alone.

Can I use fn for dictation on an external keyboard?

Only if the keyboard has an fn key macOS can see. Many third-party keyboards don't. In Sayburst, use right Option, right Command, right Control, a recorded shortcut or a mouse button instead.