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Emoji Viewer Vanishes After One Second`

Big Sr 11.4, Imac. In MacMail, Messages, Word for Mac: when I press Ctr-Alt-Space, or when I try Edit "emoji and symbols," a panel/viewer appear for a moment-- maybe less than a second-- then vanishes. I cannot find a way to keep the viewer open and visible.


iMac 21.5″, macOS 10.14

Posted on Jun 16, 2021 3:02 PM

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Posted on Jun 18, 2021 12:28 PM

Galluses wrote:

(I hope there is a next step, have no idea what it might be.)

You have some 3rd party system modification that is changing the default behaviour. These kinds of "tinker", "tweak", "clean up" tools are common.

14 replies

Jun 17, 2021 12:15 PM in response to Galluses

On macOS 11.4, the Emoji & Character viewer will remain on screen from the application it was launched until you switch to another application. That changes the application layer order causing the previous Emoji & Symbols panel to disappear from the screen. As soon as. you click on the application that launched it, the Emoji & Symbols panel will reappear as you left it.


This is exactly how the Emoji & Symbols panel has behaved over the last several years, so not a new phenomenon of Big Sur.

Jun 17, 2021 2:08 PM in response to VikingOSX

VikingOSX, you describe exactly what the Emoji & Character Viewer does NOT do. In any one program it fails to be present for more than a second. This has nothing to do with changing from one application to another. I did not mean to suggest this has to do with Big Sur, just tried to supply the context.


To be super clear: in Mail or in Word, or in any other text application (e.f. Messages) the Viewer appears for an instant, then vanishes.


I wish I could screenshot a video. (I've tried re-booting . . . it seems to be a defect that has emerged in the system.)

Jun 17, 2021 2:17 PM in response to VikingOSX

Thanks for trying.


Is this a clue? Thinking about my own description of the problem, I tried it in TextEdit (which I rarely use). In that one application, the viewer stays properly in place as it should!


Makes it all the more frustrating that I can't use the viewer it in Word or Mail or Messages. But if I really needed a symbol or emoji I could call it up in TextEdit and copy it.

Jun 17, 2021 2:28 PM in response to Galluses

What is the "Ctr" key? Do you mean "Control"? Harder question - what is the "Alt" key? Mac keyboard don't have one. There is an "fn" key, a "control ^" key, an "option ⌥" key, and a "command ⌘" key. While this forum happens to map Command + Control + Space bar to the Character Viewer, that is not a system-wide behaviour.


System defaults could be a couple of different things depending on what the actual keystrokes you are using. "Control + Option + Space" is defined in System Preferences > Keyboard > Shortcuts > Input Sources as "Select next source in input menu". "Option + Command + space" is defined in Spotlight as "Show Finder search window". Of course, you can change all of those. You might even have an "Alt" key if you are using a PC or 3rd party keyboard, but it should be mapped to "Option".

Jun 17, 2021 2:49 PM in response to etresoft

Thanks for correcting my terminology. I do mean "Control" by "Ctr" and I mean "Command" by "Alt."


With Control+Command+Spacebar, I can get the Emoji & Symbol Viewer to appear for a moment, but it vanishes at once. Same thing happens if I use "Edit" then "Emoji & Symbols." This happens in all text-using applications except Text Edit, where the Viewer remains visible as it should.


Apologies for the old PC terms, left over from many years ago.

Emoji Viewer Vanishes After One Second`

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