Windows 10: Windows 11 Emoji Panel Loses GIF Support Until Users Install June Update That Replaces...

Microsoft has confirmed that Windows 11 users running versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1 will see a "GIF service is not available" error in the emoji panel unless they install a recent update.

This information comes from a Windows release health dashboard notice. The problem began on June 30, 2026, when Google retired the Tenor API, which the emoji panel used to fetch animated GIFs.

Microsoft replaced Tenor with GIPHY in the June 23 preview update, restoring the feature for users who install it.The change affects the emoji panel that opens with the Windows key plus the period keyboard shortcut. Systems that haven’t received the update will continue to display the error until they install the fix.

Why GIF Search Broke In The Windows 11 Emoji Panel


The emoji panel used Google's Tenor API to search for and display animated GIFs.Google discontinued the Tenor API on June 30, 2026, according to their support documentation. After the API was turned off, Windows 11 had no way to fetch GIFs, resulting in an error message when users tried to access them.

Microsoft's release health notice states: "Starting June 30, 2026, install the latest Windows update to continue using GIFs in the Emoji panel.

If you do not update, you will see a 'GIF service is not available' message in the panel."

Instead of trying to restore Tenor access directly, Microsoft switched to GIPHY before the shutdown. This change was included in the preview updates released on June 23:

• KB5095093 for versions 25H2 and 24H2
• KB5095091 for version 26H1

Devices that installed either update before June 30 continued to display GIFs without issues.

Those that skipped the preview update encountered an error message on June 30 and will see it until the update is installed.

How To Restore GIF Support In Windows 11


Users experiencing the error can restore GIF functionality by installing the latest Windows quality update. To do this, open Settings and navigate to Windows Update.

If the Patch Tuesday update has not yet been released, enable the toggle for "Get the latest updates as soon as they're available." Then click Check for updates and install any available quality updates.

Restart the device if prompted. After the update is installed, the emoji panel will automatically switch to GIPHY, with no additional configuration needed.

Since the emoji panel now pulls results from GIPHY instead of Tenor, users might notice differences in animations, rankings, and content for the same search terms.

The feature works as before, but the underlying library has changed. Those who relied on specific Tenor content should expect some variation in results.

The GIPHY library includes most common GIF categories, such as reactions, animated stickers, and pop culture content.

Users searching for particular memes or animations that were unique to Tenor may find fewer matches or see different variants.

What Users Should Know About The Switch To GIPHY


Users of Windows 11 who are experiencing this issue should install the latest available update as an immediate step.

Those who prefer to wait for the standard Patch Tuesday release rather than the optional preview update can expect the fix to be included in the July 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative update.

This incident highlights that even built-in Windows features rely on external services that can be discontinued at any time without Microsoft's control.

When a third-party service disappears, features that seem native to the operating system can stop functioning until Microsoft provides a replacement.

To avoid similar disruptions in the future, users can keep Windows 11 updated with the latest quality updates instead of delaying them.

They can also enable optional preview updates through Settings and Windows Update if they want quicker access to fixes.Monitoring the Windows release health dashboard for notices about known issues can also help you stay informed.

The GIPHY replacement is now available for Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1 through the June 23 preview updates. It will be broadly rolled out with the July 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative update.

Microsoft has not provided details on whether the GIPHY integration will stay permanent or if the emoji panel might switch to another provider in the future.

Thank you for being a Ghacks reader. The post Windows 11 Emoji Panel Loses GIF Support Until Users Install June Update That Replaces Tenor With GIPHY appeared first on gHacks.

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How to change Windows 11 default emojis?

Windows 11 emojis are stored as a system font file named "Segoe UI Emoji" in the Windows Fonts folder. To modify these emojis, you'll need to replace this font file with a new one. Here's how to do it:

1. The emoji font is located at: C:\Windows\Fonts\seguiemj.ttf
   
2. This file contains the Segoe UI Emoji font used by Windows
   

1. Press Win + R, type "regedit" and press Enter to open the Registry Editor
   
2. Navigate to: HKEY_LOCAL_MACHINE\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows NT\CurrentVersion\Fonts
   
3. Find and delete the "Segoe UI Emoji" entry
   

1. Download your preferred emoji font (must be a COLR/CPAL-based OpenType font)
   
2. Rename the new font file to "Segoe UI Emoji" using a tool like Typograf
   
3. Right-click the renamed font file, choose "Show more options" > "Install for all users"
   
4. Restart your computer to apply the changes
   

You can also use the Windows 10 emoji set in Windows 11:

1. Download the Windows 10 emoji font from a trusted source
   
2. Follow steps 1-3 from the "Changing the Emoji Font" section
   
3. Install the Windows 10 emoji font file for all users
   

• Press Win + . (period) or Win + ; (semicolon) to open the emoji panel
  
• Use this panel to insert emojis in supported applications
  

• Some applications may not support all types of emojis
  
• Changing system files can potentially cause issues, so proceed with caution
  
• Always backup important data before making system changes
  

By following these steps, you can successfully update, add to, or change the emojis on your Windows 11 system.

 

Bug - Windows 10 emoji panel doesn't display all available emojis, even if emoji font is manually updated / replaced

Hi folks

Context:
The Windows 10 emoji font (Segoe UI Emoji, seguiemj.ttf) has not been updated to include the latest emoji version updates. This in itself is an oversight or intentionally poor decision, rather than a bug, perhaps to try to compel people to make an ill-fated "upgrade" to Windows 11.

Bug:
Even if users install a newer font version from Windows 11 (1.33 officially; 1.35 for insider), the emoji picker does NOT show ANY of the newly added emojis and these cannot be searched for.

Examples:
The transgender pride flag ️‍⚧️ and people hugging emojis cannot be selected in the emoji picker, despite being included in updated emoji font versions. All country flags (such as , , , etc.) seem to be intentionally blocked also.

Steps to replicate:

• Install Windows 10 & all available updates. It should be on 22H2.

• Extract the seguiemj.ttf font from the latest Windows 11 official release or insider release ISO. Install this font.
- Optional alternative. Instead install Twemoji Color font for Windows, following the instructions outlined here.

• Restart Windows.

• Open up any application where you can enter emojis, such as a document editor, a social media platform app, or a web browser page like this community.

• Use the emoji key or the keyboard shortcut to bring up the emoji panel.

• Type in the name for any country flags or for symbols added from emoji 13, emoji 13.1 or emoji 14.

• The result will be that you cannot find these using the emoji panel. You can, however, copy & paste these from an emoji website, which is how I've managed to add them to this post.

Requested resolution:

• The emoji picker should automatically update itself based on the emojis available, rather than only showing vetted emojis.

• Keep the emoji font fully updated with the latest emojis.

• Stop making your own emoji designs. Instead, ideally use the Twemoji designs (though please note that work on unicode 15 seems to have stopped, due to Elon Musk destroying Twitter), or alternatively use the Noto emoji font.

 

Emoji Panel is Broken

Hello Colby. I'm Greg, here to help you with this.

1) Try these fixes for Windows 11 Emoji panel is broken:

https://thegeekpage.com/emoji-panel-keyboard-no...

https://www.thewindowsclub.com/emoji-panel-not-...

(Avoid ad links which intrude into editorial copy, especially DO NOT INSTALL Restoro, PC Repair Tool and Reimage ads)

https://geekchamp.com/how-to-fix-emoji-keyboard...



2) If none of those help then Go over Windows 11 with this Performance Checklist to make sure the install is set up correctly, optimized for best performance, and to find and fix problems:

https://answers.microsoft.com/en-us/windows/for...

Feel free to ask back any questions. Based on the results you post back, I will have other suggestions if necessary.

____________________________________________

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