The shortcut lets you easily insert an emoji while writing. You no longer have to pull up your computer’s picker or copy and paste the icons from other places.

The new system gives you several ways to get at emoji, which Google lists in this help document. The simple simple simple is to type’@ [ emoji name ],’ which will pull up a searchable emoji picker, like the one on your phone.

You can also type’@: [ emoji name ],’ which is the fastest and most reliable method. Typing in the name directly after the @ symbol will often bring up other functions or prompt me to mention a co-worker.