Using Emotes on dA

One of the best things about chat friendly emoticons is being able to use them within conversation. However, finding out how to use emoticons around deviantART can be a little confusing. There are actually several ways which you can use emoticons around the site and the methods are neatly summed up within one tutorial:

How to use emotes on dA

Official Emoticons

The 'Official Emoticons' list is the remains of the old emoticon system used on deviantART called The Emoticon Legend. In the past, only a small number of emotes were usable in comments around the site, and these were listed on the Emoticon Legend. To use these emotes you had to use a code (such as :hug: -> ) and due to the nature of the system, the list became hard to efficiently update or maintain.

In July 2013 a new Stash Sidebar was added allowing any emote to be used around dA. However, so as to not lose the ability to use the emote codes, or the past list of emoticons so many were used to, the Emoticon Legend merged into the new system, labelling the list as 'Official Emoticons'

Note: The new emote system does not currently work with the dA chatrooms. For the moment, you must still use the Emoticon Legend or a Script such as superdAmn to use emoticons in chatrooms.

The original deviations of the Official Emoticons can be located on this page

How do I get an emoticon added to the 'Official Emotes' list?

The simple answer is it's near impossible. The old Emoticon Legend was rarely updated and with the introduction of the new emote system, the likelihood of them taking time to add more 'Official Emoticons' is pretty slim. However, as any Chat Friendly Emoticon can now be used in comments, it is less important to get your emote added to the official list.

What are Plz accounts and how do I make/use them?

Plz accounts are dA accounts created for the use of their avatar. The emote or image is placed as icon, which can then be produced in comments wherever avatars can normally be used. They are called Plz accounts due to the fact most accounts end in the 3 letters plz, both to avoid using decent names and to identify their purpose.

For more information on creating and using plz accounts, check out the Plz account journal

How do I use emotes contained in a pack?

Sadly whole packs of emoticons can't be used on deviantART without each emote being uploaded individually as a deviation or Plz account. If you find an emote in a pack you would love to use then speak with the creator to see if this can be arranged.

Packs can however be used on other sites (with owners permission). To access the pack download it and then select to 'extract all files'. This should allow you to obtain the individual emoticons.