There’s something refreshingly satisfying about the shrug emoticon. It’s never flashy. It never tries too hard. And still, it gets that feeling of confusion, ambivalence, or those “I literally have no idea what’s going on” moments. You know you have—stuck in a group chat gone off-the-rails? Shrug. Attempting to reply to an ambiguous text you don’t want to overanalyse? Shrug. Just too drained to justify yourself for the third time today? That little character is your hero.
It’s there now, though, in shrug emoji form. It’s even technologically simpler to locate and transmit. But let’s be real—it doesn’t hold up. The old text-based shrug has a kind of charm to it that emojis can’t replace. If you are an old enough soul to have spent your childhood on AIM, early forums, or MSN Messenger, you know what I mean.
Typed Emoticons Are Not Dead. They Are Niche.
Typer emotes like ¯\(ツ)/¯ haven’t gone anywhere—they’ve just gone underground. And that’s what gives them an appeal. They have character. They’re hand-crafted. If you insert one in a message, it doesn’t appear as bland as everyone else’s generic emoji. It reads like your own, kind of like handwriting in an otherwise uniform font world.
But I have to admit, retyping it every time is annoying. You have to keep in mind the backslashes, the parentheses, and the odd little Japanese character. Most of us just end up Googling it and copying and pasting off an old post or some thread on Reddit. It gets the job done, but it disrupts the flow. So I finally caved and created an abbreviation. It only took me less than a minute, and now I hardly even realize I’m doing it.
If you’re someone who uses this emoticon often—or even occasionally—it’s 100% worth setting up. Here’s how to make that happen, step by step, across different devices.
How to Type the Shrug Emoticon Quicker on Any Computer
On Mac
- Copy this: ¯\(ツ)/¯
- Open System Settings and go to Keyboard.
- Press the Text button.
- Press the + icon to create a new shortcut.
- In the Replace field, enter something like shrug.
- In the With field, insert ¯\(ツ)
That’s it. Now, every time you write “shrug,” your Mac will automatically replace it with the full emoticon. It works anywhere—from Messages to Notes to Safari. It’s one of those small tweaks that saves you more time than you realize.
On Windows
Unlike macOS, there isn’t a system-wide built-in text replacement tool in Windows. And trust me, it’s about time. Nonetheless, you can still automate the shrug using third-party applications. Two common choices:
- PhraseExpress – available at no cost when used personally. Simple to install.
- AutoHotkey – Somewhat more advanced, but highly customizable.
With either tool, you can establish a shortcut so that typing something like shrug automatically expands to ¯\(ツ)/¯ in any application. It’s an additional step at setup, but it repays itself quickly—or at least, quickly enough—if you happen to be typing this thing more than about every week.
On iPhone
- Copy this: ¯\(ツ)/¯
- Go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Text Replacement.
- Click on the + button at the top right.
- In the Phrase field, paste shrug.
- In the Shortcut field, enter shrug.
- Tap Save.
Now, typing “shrug” on your iPhone drops in the full emoticon instantly. It’s supported in Messages, email, Instagram Direct Messages—and anywhere else you type.
On Android
Android is slightly more fragmented based on your phone and keyboard, but assuming you’re using Gboard like everyone else, here’s how to do it:
- Copy ¯\(ツ)/¯
- Open Settings -> System -> Languages & Input -> Personal Dictionary.
- Select your language.
- Tap and Add
- Paste the emoticon in the Phrase field.
- In the Shortcut field, input something like shrug or idkshrug.
Now, every time you type that shortcut, you will find an offered suggestion of the shrug emoticon. Just click it, and you’re finished. It is usable in texts, chats, notes—all sorts of places you type.
Why Even Bother
You can just cut and paste the shrug every time. Nobody’s holding you back. But that gets tiresome quickly. Creating a handy shortcut—on your phone or computer—eliminates that small moment of resistance. It’s one less thing to worry about in your day.
To me, it’s about keeping small bits of internet history around. There’s something strangely comforting about making use of a typed emoticon in 2025. It’s like remembering what the internet felt like when everything wasn’t polished, it wasn’t templatized, and it wasn’t optimised around engagement. The shrug emoticon doesn’t have any regard for your engagement level. It just shrugs.
So you made it this far and you’re still typing it out by hand. Possibly it’s time. Set it up once and never worry about it again. You’ll thank yourself when someone comes along and asks you a question that doesn’t deserve an honest answer.
