Your Guide to the Mail ✉️, Email 📧 & More Emojis

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Plus, how and when to use emojis in your professional emails 📧

Co-authored by Dan Hickey Reviewed by Candace Gasper

Last Updated: March 25, 2024 Fact Checked

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Mail Emoji Meanings

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Related Emojis

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Adding Emojis to Emails

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Should you use emojis in professional emails?

Did you know there’s basically an entire post office hidden in your emoji keyboard? We’re here to break down what common postal emojis like ✉️ (envelope), 📧 (email), or 💌 (love letter) mean and how to use them, plus show you the vast array of other mail emojis you can use to communicate about, well, communicating. Plus, we’ll even show you how to insert emojis into your emails 📧 (and offer advice about when it’s OK to do so at work). Read on to learn more!

The Most Common Mail Emoji Meanings

Use the ✉️ (envelope) emoji to reference the mail, the postal service, stationary, or letters and cards.
Add the 📧 (email) emoji to your messages when you want to talk about emails, online communication like DMs, or work.
Try out the 💌 (love letter) emoji when you’re talking about a romantic message, a Valentine’s Day card or letter, or any kind of affectionate greeting or sympathy card.

Section 1 of 4:

Mail Emoji Meanings

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The ✉️ (envelope) emoji represents both physical mail and email. It shows the back of a white envelope you might use to send a letter, card, or check. Use this emoji to talk about the postal service, stationary, or anything at all related to the mail.
- “Anyone remember how to address an envelope? ✉️”
- “Just got your birthday ✉️ in the mail, thank you!”
- “I don’t envy the USPS workers out in this rain today ✉️☔”
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The 📧 (email) emoji symbolizes email messages or online communication. It looks like the back of a white envelope stamped with a capital letter “E” (for “email” or “electronic”) or sometimes an @ symbol, depending on the platform you’re using. Send the 📧 emoji whenever you’re talking about emails, work, or any kind of online messaging.
- “Ugh, this meeting could have been an email 📧🤦”
- “I woke up to my inbox being FLOODED 🤯📧 So much for TGIF…”
- “I guess I’ll just use my flight to catch up on 📧”
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The 📩 (envelope with arrow) emoji means direct messages, email, or the mail. This emoji looks like a white envelope with a downward arrow hovering above it. Include a 📩 emoji whenever you’re talking about DMing someone, to highlight your email address, or just to talk about the mail or letters. It’s also sometimes used to talk about downloading files or messages.^{[1]
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- “My DMs are open 📩 to anyone with questions about our organization’s work!”
- “Jaime sent his report over, but it will take forever to download 📩😩”
- “My 📩 is emojilover24@wikihow.com”
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The 💌 (love letter) emoji represents romantic letters or affectionate greetings. It shows the back of a white envelope sealed with a red heart, representing love. Use this emoji when you’re talking about writing love letters, sending a Valentine’s Day card, or sending anyone a friendly or loving message in the mail or online.
- “Make sure to check your mail today 💌😍 Happy Valentine’s Day!”
- “I wanna be famous just so I can get fan mail 💌🤩”
- “Everyone has been so kind since my surgery. Look at all these letters! 💌”

Section 2 of 4:

Related Emojis

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Try some of the many (but way less common) mail emojis for variety. You may not have noticed, but your emoji keyboard is stacked with mailboxes, letter trays, and even an old-timey postal horn. Check out some of these rarely used (but definitely worthy!) emojis for your next mail-related text or email:
- 📮 (postbox): a red, pubic mailbox like those in Japan or the UK (some platforms may use a blue one, like in the US).^{[2]
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- 📤 (outbox tray): an empty tray with an up arrow representing outgoing mail or email.
- 📥 (inbox tray): an empty tray with a down arrow representing incoming mail or email.
- 📨 (incoming envelope): an envelope getting dropped into an inbox tray that signifies an email address or sending and receiving mail more generally.^{[3]
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- 📬 (open mailbox with raised flag): a curbside, open mailbox with an envelope inside and its flag up, indicating mail has just been delivered or that there is new mail to be picked up for delivery.
- 📭 (open mailbox with lowered flag): an empty curbside mailbox with the flag down indicating that outgoing mail has been picked up.
- 📫 (closed mailbox with raised flag): a curbside mailbox with the door closed and the flag up indicating incoming mail that has been delivered.
- 📪 (closed mailbox with lowered flag): a curbside mailbox with the door closed and the flag down indicating that there’s no incoming mail (or that outgoing mail has been picked up).
- 📯 (postal horn): an 18–19th century brass horn used to make important announcements or to clear the way for mail coaches. This is more recognizable in Europe than the US.^{[4]
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Section 3 of 4:

How to Add Emojis to Emails

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Use your smartphone’s emoji keyboard if you’re emailing on mobile. Adding emojis to an email is a breeze if you’re on your phone. Just tap the smiley face or emoji icon on your keyboard, select the emoji you want, and bam! It’ll appear in your message.^{[5]
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- To return to your normal keyboard, tap the “ABC” button.
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Use the “insert” option to add emojis to email on desktop. The exact process is slightly different depending on which platform you’re using, but here are the steps for some of the most popular email platforms:
- Outlook: Press “Windows + Period” (or “Control + Command + Space” on Mac) to bring up the emoji panel and click the one you want to insert.^{[6]
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  - Or, click “Insert” and then “Online Pictures” to search for emojis and other images, then click “Insert” when you see the one you want to include.
- Gmail: Click the “insert emoji” icon (it looks like a smiley face) in the options bar at the bottom of a new message to pull up the emoji panel. Click the one you want to insert.
- Apple Mail: Click “Edit” in the upper left corner of the screen, then “Emojis & Symbols.” Select “Emoji” to bring up the emoji panel, then drag and drop your emoji into the body of your message.
- When in doubt, Google your emoji and copy and paste it into your email. This is usually the best way to add emojis to the subject line since that’s outside the body of your message.

Section 4 of 4:

Should you use emojis in professional emails?

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Feel free to use emojis in emails if it fits your company culture. If your workplace is pretty informal, you have a good relationship with your colleagues, and you send lots of quick and casual messages, emojis are fine to use. In fact, they can help add a personal touch to work communication, highlight important info, and make your message seem more honest or relatable.^{[7]
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- Emojis are especially acceptable in lighthearted announcements or personal news that you’re sharing with your peers.
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Use emojis sparingly (or just avoid them) in formal or serious work settings. If you’re emailing your boss or a “higher-up,” a client, or someone you don’t have an established rapport with, steer clear of emojis most of the time (the exception might be if you’re working with a brand or partner where emojis are important to their marketing or company culture). Overusing emojis in formal settings might make you seem less competent to some, plus emojis aren’t universally understood and may lead to confusion.^{[8]
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- Emojis are definitely in poor taste if you’re delivering bad news or an unwelcome request.