FAQs

Mowji is a native emoji picker for Mac. Find and insert emoji where you type, using the keyboard and words that make sense to you.

Mowji requires macOS 15+. It’s a Mac app; there isn’t an iPhone, iPad, Windows, or Android version.

Choose your trigger in Settings. With the colon selected, type :smile in a text field, use the arrow keys to choose an emoji, and press Return to insert it. Press Escape to dismiss the picker.

Mowji needs Accessibility permission, called Device Control and Data Access on macOS 27, to detect your trigger, read your search query, and insert an emoji in the field you’re using. You can manage this permission in System Settings.

Yes. Choose a character that fits the way you type in Settings. The colon shown on this website is one option.

Mowji tries to open close to where you’re typing. macOS and some apps don’t always provide a reliable text cursor position, so the picker may appear near the text field or elsewhere on your screen. It also adjusts its position to stay visible near screen edges.

Yes. Search with a word that describes the emoji you want. You can also give an emoji a word you’ll remember in Settings › Search › Aliases.

Yes. Save up to 30 Favorites in Settings and drag them into your preferred order. Choose Favorites as your starting view to see them when you type the trigger.

Yes. Press Shift + Return to insert the selected emoji and keep the picker open, then choose another. Shift + click works too.

Yes. Add an app to App Exclusions in Settings, and Mowji won’t open the picker there. You can change the list at any time.

Yes. Download Mowji and use the evaluation for 100 lifetime emoji insertions. Once you use that allowance, you can still search and browse emoji; a license is needed to keep inserting them.

No. A license is a one-time purchase at the regular price of $12 USD, with updates included. The launch offer is $8 USD for the first 100 licenses, starting October 20, 2026.

One license covers up to 3 Macs.

No. Downloading gives you the DMG to install the app and start the evaluation. Purchasing a license is a separate action.

Yes. The macOS permission lets Mowji receive keyboard events and read text from the field you’re using to detect your trigger and search query. This happens locally; typed text and searches aren’t sent automatically.

Finding and inserting emoji works offline, without AI. Mowji goes online to check for updates, send crash reports and errors when allowed, or deliver feedback you submit.

Mowji won’t start an emoji session in fields macOS identifies as secure, such as password fields. This depends on the app marking its fields correctly.

Yes, in System Settings. The picker needs that permission to work. Removing it doesn’t delete your settings, Favorites, Aliases, or usage history.

Your message and optional email, along with app and macOS version details. Screenshots and Debug Info are optional. Recent searches are included only if you make a separate choice to attach them.

Yes, a local Debug Log is kept for up to seven days. You can clear it from the Debug Info sheet. It’s shared only if you choose to include it with feedback.

Quitting stops the picker and keyboard monitoring. No separate service keeps them running. The updater uses temporary helpers to download and install updates, including an installation you’ve allowed to finish when you quit. Launch at Login is optional.