The built-in emoji icon

In WhatsApp Web, click the smiley-face icon to the left of the message box to open the built-in emoji panel, then browse by category or use the search bar at the top of the panel to find a specific emoji by name.

Where the built-in picker slows you down

WhatsApp Web's picker resets after each emoji, making it slow to add several in a row, and its search only matches emoji names closely, which doesn't always match how you'd naturally describe what you're looking for.

Copy-paste from a browser tab

Keeping an online emoji keyboard open in a second browser tab lets you search loosely, build a longer string of emoji in one place, and paste the whole thing into WhatsApp Web's message box in a single action — handy for building things like a decorative row of hearts or flags.

Works the same on any computer

Because this approach only needs a browser, it works identically whether you're on your own laptop or a shared or work computer where you can't install anything extra.