How to Turn Off Auto Emoji on Discord
You can disable auto emoji features in Discord through the Text & Images settings. This includes turning off automatic emoticon conversion and emoji suggestions.
Method 1: Disable Emoticon Conversion (Desktop)
To turn off automatic emoticon to emoji conversion:
- Open Discord and click the gear icon (User Settings)
- Navigate to “Text & Images” in the left sidebar
- Find “Automatically convert emoticons in your messages to emoji”
- Toggle this setting OFF
- Your changes save automatically
Method 2: Disable Emoji Suggestions
To turn off emoji autocomplete suggestions:
- Go to User Settings (gear icon)
- Click on “Text & Images”
- Look for “Show emoji suggestions”
- Toggle this setting OFF
Mobile Discord Settings
On Discord mobile app:
- Tap your profile picture in the bottom right
- Select “Settings”
- Go to “Text & Images”
- Toggle off “Convert Emoticons”
- Toggle off “Emoji Suggestions” if available
What Each Setting Does
Emoticon Conversion: Converts text like :) into 😊 automatically
Emoji Suggestions: Shows emoji recommendations as you type
Alternative Text-Based Emoticons
With auto emoji disabled, you can use:
- :) :( :D :P (classic emoticons)
- ^^ >< =D (anime-style)
- ¯_(ツ)_/¯ (shrug)
- \o/ (celebration)
Manual Emoji Usage
You can still use emojis manually by:
- Typing emoji names like :smile: or :heart:
- Copying and pasting emojis
- Using the emoji picker (smiley face icon)
- Using keyboard shortcuts on Windows/Mac
Server-Specific Emoji Settings
Note that these settings don’t affect:
- Custom server emojis
- Emoji reactions on messages
- Animated emojis (if you have Nitro)
- Other users’ emoji usage
Troubleshooting
If settings don’t save: Try restarting Discord or clearing cache. On mobile, force close and reopen the app.
Benefits of Disabling Auto Emoji
Turning off auto emoji can help with:
- Professional communication
- Coding discussions (prevents conversion of code symbols)
- Academic or formal writing
- Personal preference for text-based communication
Re-enabling Auto Emoji
To turn auto emoji back on:
- Return to Text & Images settings
- Toggle the emoticon conversion setting back ON
- Toggle emoji suggestions back ON if desired
- Changes take effect immediately
Keyboard Shortcuts for Manual Emoji
Alternative ways to add emojis:
- Windows: Win + . (period) or Win + ;
- Mac: Control + Command + Space
- Discord: Click the smiley face in the message box