Can't insert Special Characters/Emoji/Symbols to any document

I found the secret answer! From any text field, press the Command, Control, & Space keys at the same time and the Emoji selector will magically appear :-) Thanks so much to these people for this info…

http://blog.getemoji.com/emoji-keyboard-mac

http://www.imore.com/how-insert-emoji-text-os-x-yosemite

This problem started (as far as I know) since the upgrade to Sierra and I have not seen it before. I do not have Webroot, and I don't know which other application could have Secure Keyboard Entry turned on. I toggled this setting in the Terminal (which I rarely use). I have added a French keyboard and rebooted, but none of this helps. I would not really know where to start looking from here on. I have used special character entries for a few years without any problem. The only thing I have recently installed (besides the Sierra upgrade) is VirtualBox and Windows 10 but they are currently not running. I guess I have to try removing those to see if it makes any difference?

Responding to myself: it turns out that using option + key is working fine, e.g. I just used "option + r" (®) and "option + 3"(£) and these characters are entered normally for my US keyboard. But combinations with "option + ctrl" are not working. On the French keyboard, option+ctrl combinations work for the numbers, but not for special characters.

If you ask me: this is some kind of bug.

tapt wrote:

This problem started (as far as I know) since the upgrade to Sierra

Could you tell us more about the problem? if you have TextEdit running and you do Edit > Emoji & Symbols, does the Character Viewer come up? If so, and it is the small version, expand it to the full version by clicking on the icon at the top right of the panel. Then select the emoji category at the left. Using the center display of emojis, can you input via double click? Can you input via drag drop?

Thanks for your reply, Tom! Yes, I can do all of that.

But if I use keyboard shortcuts as per the keyboard viewer, and use any combination of option+CTRL, nothing happens.

I rarely use the window show/hide emoji & symbols and double click or dragging. The symbol I use most often is the euro sign €, and maybe I tried the wrong keystrokes (I switch back and forth between mac and windows), but anything combined with control does not work. That's my biggest find for today. I can now enter € with option+2 on the Dutch kb or option+shift+2 on the US kb. I'd swear they didn't work earlier today, but maybe I am confused now.

Remains that I would like to find out if any combination with option+ctrl+key works for other people.

Thx!

tapt wrote:

Remains that I would like to find out if any combination with option+ctrl+key works

Perhaps you have it mixed up with Windows or another platform. Apple normally only uses option and option+shift for special characters. Control is only used with keyboard shortcuts for menu items.

Tom Gewecke wrote:

tapt wrote:

Remains that I would like to find out if any combination with option+ctrl+key works

Perhaps you have it mixed up with Windows or another platform. Apple normally only uses option and option+shift for special characters. Control is only used with keyboard shortcuts for menu items.

Hm, you must be right. Now that I have a look at the keyboard viewer again, I see that even though it LOOKS like option+control has additional symbols, it actually doesn't. Problem solved; it must have been a confusion with windows. Thx!

Hey Apple, fix your stupid word processor. It's loaded with complete fails of features like this. How is any creative or writer or web editor and anyone really supposed to engage the internet if they can't quickly and consistently use French and Spanish accents? Have you more important priorities than things like this?

You should have no problem making accents the same ways everyone else does. Either hold down the key for the base letter and choose what you want from the pop up menu that appears, or use the standard option key shortcuts, such as option e, then e produces é. What exactly does not work for you?

It works for me in Yosemite in everything, and does so with a single click—thankfully; try single clicking. Under some circumstances (not sure which) it will insert and then the utility will vanish. Here's some examples using this Safari: ▼⎂♸✔️⬅️

If you want it to stick around, click on the tiny box at its furthest upper right (it has a classic Command-symbol ⌘ in that box) and you'll get the whole thing essentially the same as the old style special characters entry.‱ <— These were done with this expanded entry-box, and even required the classic double-click.

If none of that works, then re-start your machine or... (insert favourite facile but useless advice here —>) __________ .

Strange to say, the emoji were inserted, but on saving the comment, disappeared. So some symbols may indeed not be displaying; they aren't for me.

I have exactly the same problem. I have tried rebooting, but nothing works for me. I am using an iMac with Yosemite, my wife has a macbook air and she has the same problem too. I can't believe we are isolated cases, has anyone found a workaround yet?

I have the same problem and I want to pull my hair out. Clicking on Emoji & Symols opens the Characters window, but then... nothing. I cannot get them from there into Keynote no matter what I try. Ridiculous, buggy, MS-grade software. Argh.

Send Apple feedback. They won't answer, but at least will know there is a problem. If enough people send feedback, it may get the problem solved sooner.

Feedback

Or you can use your Apple ID to register with this site and go the Apple BugReporter. Supposedly you will get an answer if you submit feedback.

Feedback via Apple Developer

WE got our Mac Pro from a Best Buy and they included Webroot in the purchase. We had this problem too BUT removing Webroot fixed it!