Emoji Shortcodes: The Complete Guide for Slack, Discord & GitHub

March 9, 2026

Emoji shortcodes are text codes like :smile: or :fire: that automatically convert to emojis in certain apps. They're faster than hunting through an emoji picker and can be typed without lifting your hands from the keyboard.

What Are Emoji Shortcodes?

A shortcode is a text string wrapped in colons that a platform converts to an emoji:

:smile:       → 😄
:fire:        → 🔥
:heart:       → ❤️
:thumbsup:    → 👍
:tada:        → 🎉

The concept was popularised by Slack and is now supported in Discord, GitHub, GitLab, Notion, Linear, and many other tools.

Emoji Shortcodes in Slack

Slack has one of the most comprehensive shortcode systems, supporting hundreds of built-in emojis plus custom emoji that workspace admins can add.

How to use shortcodes in Slack

Type : in any message field.
Start typing the shortcode name (e.g. :part).
A dropdown autocomplete appears; press Tab or Enter to select.
Or type the full shortcode including the closing : (e.g. :party_popper:) and press Enter.

Common Slack Shortcodes

Shortcode	Emoji
`:slightly_smiling_face:`	🙂
`:laughing:`	😆
`:fire:`	🔥
`:tada:`	🎉
`:rocket:`	🚀
`:thumbsup:`	👍
`:white_check_mark:`	✅
`:warning:`	⚠️
`:x:`	❌
`:eyes:`	👀
`:pray:`	🙏
`:clap:`	👏
`:100:`	💯
`:heart:`	❤️
`:wave:`	👋

Emoji Shortcodes in Discord

Discord uses shortcodes nearly identical to Slack's; the autocomplete system works the same way.

How to use shortcodes in Discord

Type : in a message.
Start typing the emoji name.
A picker appears; use arrow keys to navigate and Enter to select.

Discord-Specific Features

Custom server emoji: Server admins can add custom emoji with custom shortcodes. They follow the format :customemojiname: or <:name:id> for inline use.

Animated emoji (Nitro): Discord Nitro subscribers can use animated custom emoji.

Reaction shortcodes: Click the reaction button on a message and type : to find emoji by shortcode.

Common Discord Shortcodes

Most Discord shortcodes match Slack's, with a few differences in naming:

Shortcode	Emoji
`:joy:`	😂
`:sob:`	😭
`:thinking:`	🤔
`:skull:`	💀
`:sparkles:`	✨
`:star2:`	🌟
`:gem:`	💎
`:zap:`	⚡

Emoji Shortcodes in GitHub & GitLab

GitHub and GitLab support shortcodes in issues, pull requests, commit messages, and Markdown files (including README.md).

How to use them

Type : anywhere in a GitHub comment or Markdown file and the autocomplete will appear.

Common GitHub Shortcodes

Shortcode	Emoji	Common Use
`:bug:`	🐛	Bug reports
`:sparkles:`	✨	New features
`:fire:`	🔥	Removing code
`:rocket:`	🚀	Deployments
`:memo:`	📝	Documentation
`:wrench:`	🔧	Configuration
`:construction:`	🚧	Work in progress
`:white_check_mark:`	✅	Tests
`:lock:`	🔒	Security fixes
`:arrow_up:`	⬆️	Upgrading dependencies

Gitmoji Convention

Gitmoji is a popular convention for using emoji in git commit messages. Each emoji corresponds to a type of change, making commit history easier to scan at a glance.

Emoji Shortcodes in Other Apps

App	Shortcode Support
Notion	✅ Type `:` to trigger
Linear	✅ Type `:` to trigger
Jira	✅ In comments
Confluence	✅ In pages
Basecamp	✅ In messages
Trello	✅ In comments

Finding Shortcodes for Any Emoji

Emoji Family includes shortcode data for every emoji. When you look up an emoji, you'll see all its shortcodes, useful for finding the right code before you need it.

You can also use the Emoji Family API to fetch shortcodes programmatically:

const response = await fetch("https://www.emoji.family/api/emojis/🎉");
const emoji = await response.json();

console.log(emoji.shortcodes);
// [":tada:", ":party_popper:"]

Building Shortcode Support in Your Own App

If you're building a chat app or text editor, you can implement shortcode support using the Emoji Family API:

Fetch all emojis from /api/emojis on startup.
Build a lookup map from shortcode → emoji.
Listen for : in the text input to trigger autocomplete.
When the user selects a shortcode, replace it with the emoji character.

See the Emoji Family developer docs for the full API reference.