Windows 11 users got a new emoji this week in an optional OS update. One of the nearly 2,000 emojis is Microsoft's (infamous) office assistant, Clippy. While this emoji won't help you when you're writing a Word document, his return is welcome - at least for those who liked Clippy's animated antics.

The update is part of Microsoft's effort to bring Microsoft 365 products like Office and Teams closer to the company's Fluent Design System. Windows 11's soft, rounded look is a Fluent design language is a clear example, and the 1,800 emoji updates, including Clippy, certainly fit that design philosophy.

While the plethora of updated 2D emojis is welcome, they are not what Microsoft promised: in July, Microsoft introduced 3D emojis to Office, Teams, Skype, and various other Microsoft products and services along with Windows 11 introduced as a new feature. Many fans thought this meant that 3D emoji would be available as a core feature of Windows 11 itself. However, when Microsoft began testing new emoji in Windows 11 last month, the company's originally announced 3D design was nowhere to be found.

As reported by Windows Central, a Microsoft spokesperson admitted that the initial announcement post published on Medium in July did not properly convey where the 3D emoji would actually appear. The post has since been updated to clarify that 3D emojis are only accessible in Windows 11 apps that support them, and that there are no plans to make them available across Windows 11.

Will we see 3D emoji in Windows 11?As The Verge points out, the absence of 3D emoji may be related to technical limitations in the color font format the company uses to display emoji within Windows. If this is indeed the case, Microsoft will need to devise a way around this hurdle.

If you are a Windows 11 user and want to install the November 2021 Windows 11 Preview Update to check for new emoji, go to Settings > Update & Security > Windows Update and select "Update You can do this by selecting "Check for programs. Then press the Windows key + period to display the pictogram picker and reunite with Clippy. Note that this update is only available for Windows 11; Windows 10 users will have to make do with the old emoji.