There are two emojis settings that you can configure in the Environment > General tab. The first one enables auto-emojis, so you can insert emojis automatically as you type with applicable character combinations. The second one turns on grayscale format, which enhances performance by displaying emojis in grayscale in item lists. Both options can be overridden by your administrator in either the disabled or enabled mode so that you cannot change the settings.
To configure the settings when not locked by the administrator:
Navigate to Tools > Options > Environment > General tab.
Enable or disable as applicable either of the options below:
Enable auto emojis
Display grayscale emojis (faster)