Microsoft open sources its Windows 11 emoji for everyone to expand the set

Microsoft has decided to open-source its Fluent Design 3D emojis to encourage creativity and inclusiveness in the emoji space. A library of 1538 emoji from today is available in Figma and on GitHub .

Microsoft was working on beautiful 3D emoji for Windows 11 to replace the current 2D flat emoticons. The updated emoji are already available in Microsoft Teams, so Teams users can enjoy better-looking graphics. However, the 3D emoji still didn't come to Windows 11.

Initially the company did not plan to open the source of its work. At the start, they were completely focused on creating the main concept. But at some point this idea appeared, and it coincided with company's modern ideas and internal spirit. According to Microsoft's Jon Friedman, corporate vice president of design and research, the more open their internal and external source code is, the more perfect product they could create. So the more significant Microsoft can be for all of humanity.

Microsoft wants creators to explore new ways to create their own emoji. "Internally at Microsoft we’re one design community that can only do so much or see so much," Friedman explains. "We have a desire to engage the community and help us see and do more that’s globally relevant, that reaches people in unique ways."

Of course, users will surely create sticker sets based on these emojis, and someone will probably make their own unique emoji set. There are already such stickers for Telegram. Friedman is expecting to see some really unique and specific ideas, and some really broadly applicable designs. When Microsoft's team made their app icons a few years ago, there were people who made Marvel versions of those app icons. So Microsoft can expect something amazing and unique built around the emoticons.

Microsoft's design teams are looking forward to seeing the community build their emoji library. "There’s power in recognizing, honoring, and building on the work of others. Our creator community is infinitely imaginative, and we can’t wait to see how you break boundaries, remix our designs, and take the Fluent emoji to places we can’t foresee." said John Friedman.

The open sourced emoji are available in various formats, including SVG, PNG, and JPG formats. This will allow creators to use them wherever they want, in a variety of projects. The set also includes monochrome versions.

It is worth noting that the company has excluded a few emoticons that have licensing limitations. Specially, the Clippy emoji, a well known MS Office assistant, and two work-from-home emojis aren't available as they are trademarked.  Besides, every emoji in the Microsoft pack is now available to anyone who can use and edit them to suit their needs.

Download Windows 11 Emoj

The set of open source emoji is available on GitHub. Alternatively, you can use Figma, where the full pack of emoticons is also hosted.