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font-variant-emoji

The font-variant-emoji CSS property specifies the default presentation style for displaying emojis.

Traditionally, this was done by appending a Variation Selector, U+FE0E for text and U+FE0F for emoji, to the emoji codepoint. Only emojis listed as contributing to a Unicode emoji presentation sequence are affected by this property.

Syntax

/* Keyword values */
font-variant-emoji: normal;
font-variant-emoji: text;
font-variant-emoji: emoji;
font-variant-emoji: unicode;

/* Global values */
font-variant-emoji: inherit;
font-variant-emoji: initial;
font-variant-emoji: revert;
font-variant-emoji: revert-layer;
font-variant-emoji: unset;

The font-variant-emoji property is specified using a single keyword value from the list below.

Values

normal: Allows a browser to choose how to display the emoji. This often follows the operating system setting.
text: Renders the emoji as if it were using the unicode text variation selector (U+FE0E).
emoji: Renders the emoji as if it were using the unicode emoji variation selector (U+FE0F).
unicode: Renders the emoji in accordance with the Emoji presentation properties. If the U+FE0E or U+FE0F variation selector is present, then it will override this value setting.

Formal definition

Value not found in DB!

Formal syntax

font-variant-emoji = 
  normal   |
  text     |
  emoji    |
  unicode

Examples

Changing the way an emoji is displayed

This example shows how you can render an emoji in its text or emoji presentation.

HTML

<section class="emojis">
  <div class="emoji">
    <h2>text presentation</h2>
    <div class="text-presentation">☎</div>
  </div>
  <div class="emoji">
    <h2>emoji presentation</h2>
    <div class="emoji-presentation">☎</div>
  </div>
</section>

CSS

.text-presentation {
  font-variant-emoji: text;
}

.emoji-presentation {
  font-variant-emoji: emoji;
}

Result

Accessibility concerns

While the use of emojis may seem fun, you should consider their impact on accessibility, specifically for users with visual and cognitive impairments. Consider the following factors while using emojis:

Display on screen-readers: Screen-readers will read out the alt text of an emoji. Keep this in mind to consider the position of an emoji in the content. Repeated and overuse of emojis will have a detrimental effect on screen-reader users. It is better to use emojis than emoticons; emoticons will be read out as punctuation characters.
Contrast with background: When using emojis, consider their colors and how that will work with the background color, especially if you have background colors that can change, such as light/dark modes.
Intent of use: Do not use emojis to replace words because your understanding of the emoji meaning may differ from that of the users'. Also consider that emojis might have different meanings in different cultures and geographies. Our recommendation is to preferably limit usage to commonly known emojis.

Specifications

Specification
CSS Fonts Module Level 4 # font-variant-emoji-prop

Browser compatibility

	Desktop						Mobile
	Chrome	Edge	Firefox	Internet Explorer	Opera	Safari	WebView Android	Chrome Android	Firefox for Android	Opera Android	Safari on IOS	Samsung Internet
`font-variant-emoji`	No	No	108	No	No	No	No	No	108	No	No	No