Universal Safe Emojis for Email (Legacy Outlook & Modern Clients)

Compatible uses classic BMP text symbols (e.g., ★ ✓ ☀ ☺) without emoji variation selectors or ZWJ sequences, so they render reliably in older Outlook desktop and other legacy clients. Extended adds modern colorful emoji (😀 ❤️ 🍕) that are widely supported in Gmail, Apple Mail, and Outlook 365. Extended still excludes risky types like flags, skin tones, and complex ZWJ sequences to avoid tofu boxes.

If your list includes enterprise or Outlook-heavy users, stick with Compatible for maximum coverage. If your audience is mostly mobile and modern webmail, Extended is fine. When unsure, start with Compatible and A/B test a small segment with Extended to confirm rendering and performance.

Skin-tone modifiers and flags are not legacy-safe and may show as letter codes or blank boxes, so they're excluded. "Sunglasses" 😎 is Extended-only (modern clients). For Compatible mode, use look-alike symbols such as ★, ☀, ✓, or ☻ to convey emphasis without breaking on older Outlook.

For the broadest compatibility, pick from Compatible: hearts (❤ ♥ ♡), stars (★ ☆), checks (✓ ✔ ☑), arrows (→ ↗ ⇐), shapes and bullets (• ■ □ ◆ ◇), simple weather (☀ ☁ ☔ ❄), and classic faces (☺ ☹ ☻). These render as readable text across legacy clients.

Yes—older desktop Outlook usually shows Compatible emojis as monochrome text glyphs. Newer Outlook (web/365) supports most Extended emojis. If you must reach both, prefer Compatible or test Extended on a small cohort first.

Each platform ships its own font. The style can vary (color vs. text glyphs), but the character remains the same. Compatible keeps to symbols with strong fallbacks so your message stays readable even without color.

Emojis are just Unicode text and don't harm deliverability by themselves. Spam issues come from poor practices (ALL CAPS, excessive symbols, misleading copy). Use 0–2 relevant emojis and keep wording clear.

Best practice is 0–2. More than two can clutter on mobile, reduce clarity, and increase the chance of looking promotional or spammy.

Used sparingly and relevantly, emojis can lift opens by improving scannability. Overuse reduces clarity and may depress performance. Test with and without to confirm impact on your audience.

Yes. They work in subjects, preheaders, and body copy. Keep crucial information in text, and use emojis to support meaning rather than replace words.

Send to a seed list covering Outlook desktop (legacy), Outlook web/365, Gmail (web/Android), and Apple Mail (iOS/macOS). Compare renders, confirm no tofu boxes, and A/B test Compatible vs Extended on a small segment.

Screen readers announce emoji descriptions (e.g., "black star"). Keep essential meaning in words, place emojis after key text, and avoid long emoji strings so announcements remain concise.