Adding Emojis to Your PDFs: Troubleshooting Issues & Solving Them

You can add emojis to your PDFs just like you can to most other documents, but not all PDF readers and editors handle emojis the same way. 🤔

Some will display them just fine, while others might replace them with empty boxes or weird symbols. It all depends on the support in your PDF viewer.

Here are useful emoji keyboard shortcuts:

• Windows: Win + .

• Mac: Cmd + Ctrl + Space

• Chromebook: Search + Shift + Space

Quick start: Use the editor below to upload or drag-and-drop your PDF and add emojis with the Text tool.

The quickest way to add emojis to your PDF is using Smallpdf’s suite of tools. 💪

Using Edit PDF

1. Upload your PDF to Edit PDF.

2. Click the text box where you want to add the emoji.

3. Use the relevant shortcut to open the emoji keyboard.

4. Select an emoji and insert it.

5. Click “Finish,” then download the updated PDF.

Some features of Edit PDF only work with a Pro subscription. You can sign up for a free 7-day trial to test these out or use PDF Annotator as a workaround.

Using PDF Annotator

1. Upload your file to Smallpdf’s PDF Annotator.

2. Select the “Add text” tool and click where you want the emoji.

3. Use the same commands as before to launch the emoji keyboard.

4. Insert your emoji and reposition or resize if needed.

5. Click “Finish” and download your PDF. 🎉

Convert the PDF for More Control

If you want to add a lot of emojis, or need more control when adding them, converting the PDF might be better.

1. Upload your document to Smallpdf’s PDF Converter.

2. Choose the format you want to convert to.

3. Download the converted document and open it.

4. Insert emojis using the emoji keyboard 

5. Save the document and re-export it as a PDF.

Mobile and Chromebook Methods

Smallpdf’s suite of tools are web apps, so you can easily use them in any browser, including on mobile devices. You can also download the free app for iPhone and Android. 📱 

If you’re a Chromebook user, you can follow the same steps as before for adding emojis to your PDFs. The only change will be how you access the emoji keyboard. 

On ChromeOS you can either press Search + Shift + Space, or right-click on the text field and select “Emoji.”

Some Chromebook PDF viewers may not display emojis properly. If you see blank spaces instead of emojis, try converting the PDF to Word, then adding the emojis in Microsoft Word or Google Docs, and re-saving as a PDF.

Emojis don’t always behave the same way across PDF readers. If they disappear, look wrong, or print in black and white, the issue is usually one of the following.

Emojis Not Showing at All

Often caused by older PDF viewers or devices that don’t support newer emoji.

Fix: Flatten the PDF or use widely supported emoji.

Emojis Turning Black and White

Most PDF readers don’t support color emoji fonts.

Fix: Embed fonts when exporting, or flatten the PDF before sharing.

Emojis Changing Between Devices

Different platforms have different emoji sets.

Fix: Test the PDF in more than one viewer before sending.

Emojis Printing Incorrectly

Some printers can’t handle color emoji fonts.

Fix: Use “Print as Image,” or convert the PDF to a flattened format.

Emojis Appearing Too Big or Cut Off

Happens when pasted from other apps or when line spacing is tight.

Fix: Resize the emoji or add spacing around it.

PDFs handle emojis differently than other documents. Here’s why your colorful emojis might lose their color or disappear entirely.

Most PDF viewers don’t fully support color fonts (the technology behind colorful emojis). Instead, they show a basic black-and-white version or nothing at all. This happens because:

• PDFs were designed for text and simple graphics, not colorful symbols

• Color emoji fonts use special formats that many PDF readers can’t handle

• Your device might not have the right fonts installed to display emojis properly

This leads to a letdown between what you expect 🎨 versus what you might get ⬛.

Preview on macOS also allows emoji annotations, but browser-based PDF viewers (Chrome, Edge, Firefox) don’t display emojis at all when using the annotation tools. 😞

Emojis Not Showing in PDF Viewers

If your emojis appear as blank squares or question marks, the issue is usually device related. 

Every year, Unicode announces a batch of new emoji. These are not immediately supported by all devices and software. Even if you can see the emoji on your device, other people opening the same document might not if their device hasn’t been updated yet.

You can try fixing this by flattening your PDFs before sharing them. 

Alternatively, avoid using new emoji released in the last 2-3 years. There’s a better chance everyone will be able to see older emojis. Finally, you can also try installing the Noto Color Emoji font, but for this to work flawlessly, you will need to ensure the font is embedded in your PDF.

Emoji Export and Print Problems

Your emojis might look fine on screen but disappear or change when you print or export the file. This can happen with newer emoji. It’s also worth remembering that there can be subtle differences in emoji across different programs and operating systems.

Fix it by converting the PDF to an image-based format (like a flattened PDF) before printing or embedding fonts in your PDF. If printing, check the “Print as Image” option in your print settings, if available.

Emoji Size and Formatting Issues

Sometimes, emojis show up way too big, too small, or with portions cut off in a PDF, especially if you copy-paste them from another source.

Fix it by resizing emojis using the text size option in a PDF editor. If it is being cut off, make sure it isn’t overlapping with another element, and try adding a blank line above or below the emoji.

App-Specific Tips

Different apps handle PDF export differently. Here’s what works best.

• Microsoft Word: Use “Save as PDF” instead of “Export as PDF” for better emoji support.

• Google Docs: Download as PDF works well, but test the result before sharing.

• LibreOffice: Choose “Export as PDF” and check “Embed fonts” in the options.

• Obsidian: Use the print function and select “Save as PDF” for consistent results.

Follow these tips to avoid emoji problems before they happen:

• Test in multiple viewers before sharing your PDF with others.

• Flatten PDFs when emoji display is critical for your document.

• Use “Print as Image” for consistent printing results.

• Choose widely-supported emojis and avoid the newest releases.

• Embed fonts when possible during PDF creation.

• Consider converting to image for guaranteed display across all devices.

✅ Do: Test your PDF on different devices and apps before sharing

❌ Avoid: Using brand-new emojis that might not display everywhere.

Emoji Fonts to Try (and Limitations)

These fonts might help with emoji display:

• Noto Color Emoji: Google’s open-source emoji font, works well across platforms

• Segoe UI Emoji: Windows default, good for Windows users

• Apple Color Emoji: Mac default, but limited to Apple devices

Keep in mind that even with these fonts, PDFs have inherent limitations with colorful emojis due to how the format handles graphics.

Accessibility Tips for PDF Emojis

Make your emoji-enhanced PDFs accessible to everyone:

• Don’t rely on emojis alone to convey important information.

• Consider how screen readers will interpret emoji symbols.

• Use emojis sparingly in professional documents.

Now that you know how to add and troubleshoot emojis in PDFs, why not explore more ways to enhance your documents?

Smallpdf’s PDF Editor lets you add text, images, shapes, and yes—emojis—with just a few clicks. No technical expertise required.

Ready to create eye-catching PDFs? Start your free trial and access our full suite of PDF tools.