{"id":2087,"date":"2017-02-25T09:00:06","date_gmt":"2017-02-25T17:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/itgroove.net\/oh365eh\/?p=2087"},"modified":"2023-02-24T20:34:35","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T20:34:35","slug":"when-smiley-face-symbol-auto-corrects-to-square-outlook-2016","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/regroove.ca\/oh365eh\/2017\/02\/25\/when-smiley-face-symbol-auto-corrects-to-square-outlook-2016\/","title":{"rendered":"When the Smiley Face Symbol Auto-Corrects to a Square in Outlook 2016"},"content":{"rendered":"

**** [NOTE: Two updates have been made to the middle and bottom of this post to help readers resolve their issue faster. We are helping many people resolve their smiley face symbol autocorrects to square] ****<\/strong><\/p>\n

A client recently came across an odd situation and I thought I’d share some ideas for solutions if this happens to you:<\/p>\n

What:\u00a0<\/strong><\/h2>\n

When writing an email in Microsoft Outlook, they would type a colon and a right bracket, they expect to see a happy face emoticon in Outlook appear.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately, something had happened to their PC and now a : and ) no longer made a smiley face in Outlook; rather, it made a square symbol.<\/p>\n

If they pressed CTRL + Z, they could get a : ) but it wasn’t nearly as nice as a happy little round smiley face emoji symbol. \ud83d\ude42<\/p>\n

\"emoticon-symbol-smiley\"<\/p>\n

So What:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The ability to use smiley faces in their email correspondence in Outlook 2016 was important to them. The issue of the smiley face symbol autocorrects to square was an inconvenience, when it should seem a simple task!<\/p>\n

They put happy faces in almost every email they write because\u00a0they find emails can come across as cold without the added visual context.<\/p>\n

I totally get this!\u00a0My email tone is often interpreted as angry, frustrated, or rude\u00a0when I\u2019m just focused on getting to the point in the fewest number of words possible.<\/p>\n

\"happy-face\"<\/a><\/p>\n

What Next:<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The internet was not very helpful. The closest thing to a potential answer that I found is this TechNet Forum Post<\/a>.<\/p>\n

I came across a short list of troubleshooting steps that a user should work through one at a time to see if the issue can be resolved.<\/p>\n

Some things to consider:<\/p>\n

#1 – Check the format of your emails in Outlook.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

Open a new email > Format Text > Format > set to HTML or Rich Text (Plain text = no formatting, emoticons, or symbols will work).<\/p>\n

\"outlook-2016-square-emoticon-01\"<\/a><\/p>\n

#2 – Check AutoCorrect to see what it is set to replace : )\u00a0\u00a0in Outlook.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How: In Outlook > File > Options > Mail > Spelling and AutoCorrect > AutoCorrect Options > check the list in AutoCorrect to see if it is set to replace : ) with J.<\/p>\n

**** UPDATE #1:<\/strong>\u00a0If you see a smiley face here, but you’re still seeing a square in your emails then please f<\/strong>ollow these step-by-step\u00a0instructions\u00a0from fellow Blogger Robert S. carefully:<\/b> Colorful emoticons and smiley faces in Outlook<\/b><\/a>.\u00a0****<\/p>\n

**** <\/b>UPDATE #2:\u00a0<\/strong> Eileen P. points out: “It doesn\u2019t work to copy\/paste the smiley symbol or emoji into the AutoCorrect dialog box. You have to *selected it in a newly created email* and then open the AutoCorrect dialog and tell it what you want that symbol to replace.” ****<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"outlook-2016-square-emoticon-02\"<\/a><\/p>\n

#3 – Check Display Email Content settings in Outlook.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How: File > Options > Mail > Editor Options > Advanced > Look for the \u201cDisplay e-mail content\u201d header and ensure that “Show picture placeholders” is not checked.<\/p>\n

\"outlook-2016-square-emoticon-03\"<\/a><\/p>\n

#4 – Check Trust Center settings in Outlook.<\/strong><\/h3>\n

How: File > Options > Trust Center > Trust Center Settings > Automatic Download and ensure that “Don’t download pictures automatically in HTML e-mail messages or RSS items” is not checked.<\/p>\n

\"outlook-2016-square-emoticon-04\"<\/a><\/p>\n

If that didn\u2019t work\u2026 let me know! Here are some other ideas to consider:<\/strong><\/p>\n