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Can't make smiley faces any longer!

Anonymous
2017-01-24T17:36:22+00:00

Hi, Suddenly I can no longer make a happy face in my Office programs. When I type :) it converts to an open square bullet. This happens in Outlook and Word. I'm using Office 2016. On the two screen shots below, you can see how the AutoCorrect is working for the sad face, but replaces the happy face with the bullet. I'm not able to edit what it's replacing with. 

Microsoft 365 and Office | Word | For home | Windows

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  1. Anonymous
    2017-01-25T11:54:04+00:00

    Hi Shannon,

    Please follow steps below and check if this problem can be solved:

    1. Find the :) AutoCorrect rule, then delete it.
    2. Copy 😊
    3. Add a new AutoCorrect rule, then paste the 😊 to the “With”

    Thanks,

    Rena

    70+ people found this answer helpful.
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  2. Anonymous
    2017-01-26T02:01:34+00:00

    Hi Shannon,

    Did you also delete the :) autocorrect rule then add a new one? The highlight part should be like this, a happy face but not a "*".

    Thanks,

    Rena

    6 people found this answer helpful.
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  3. Anonymous
    2017-01-26T02:10:21+00:00

    Rena, 

    Thanks for getting back to me! Yes, I've deleted and recreated the AutoCorrect Rule several times now. It seems to work but then when I'm in Outlook and type the :) it doesn't change. It's the weirdest thing. 

    Thanks!

    -Shannon

    5 people found this answer helpful.
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  4. Anonymous
    2017-01-26T02:24:53+00:00

    Hi Shannon,

    To narrow down the issue, please follow the steps below and tell us the result:

    • Is there any other rules for this happy face, for example:

    If so, the two rules will impact each together, then will cause the problem that when you type “:)” it’s still showing “:)”

    • If you type other faces like “:(“, will it turns to ☹?

    Thanks,

    Rena

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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  5. Anonymous
    2017-01-25T16:09:33+00:00

    Thanks Rena!

    That worked in Word but not Outlook. At least Outlook is no longer replacing the :) with a square bullet, but it isn't changing it to a smiley face. Any clues? 

    latest screen shot from Outlook--looks right, but when I go to create an email, it doesn't AutoCorrect. Thanks!

    3 people found this answer helpful.
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