microsoft has confirmed that windows 11 Users running versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1 will see the “GIF service is not available” error in the emoji panel unless they install a recent update.
This information comes from a notice in the Windows version status panel. The problem began on June 30, 2026, when Google retired the Tenor API, which the emoji panel used to search for animated GIFs.
Microsoft replaced Tenor with GIPHY in the June 23 preview update, restoring the feature to users who install it. The change affects the emoji panel that opens with the Windows key plus the dot keyboard shortcut. Systems that have not received the update will continue to display the error until they install the fix.
Why GIF Search Broken in Windows 11 Emoji Panel
The emoji panel used Google’s Tenor API to find and display animated GIFs. Google discontinued the Tenor API on June 30, 2026, according to its support documentation. After the API was disabled, Windows 11 had no way to retrieve GIFs, resulting in an error message when users tried to access them.
Microsoft’s release health advisory says: “Starting June 30, 2026, install the latest Windows update to continue using GIFs in the Emoji panel.
If you do not update, you will see the message “GIF service is not available” on the dashboard.
Instead of trying to restore access to Tenor directly, Microsoft switched to GIPHY before the shutdown. This change was included in the preliminary updates released on June 23:
- KB5095093 for versions 25H2 and 24H2
- KB5095091 for version 26H1
Devices that installed any of the updates before June 30 continued to display GIFs without issues.
Those who skipped the preview update encountered an error message on June 30 and will see it until the update is installed.
How to restore GIF support in Windows 11
Users experiencing the error can restore GIF functionality by installing the latest Windows quality update. To do this, open Settings and navigate to Windows Update.
If the Patch Tuesday update has not yet been released, enable the “Get the latest updates as soon as they are available” option. Then click Check for updates and install the available quality updates.
Restart the device if prompted. Once the update is installed, the emoji panel will automatically switch to GIPHY, with no additional configuration required.
Since the emoji panel now pulls results from GIPHY instead of Tenor, users may notice differences in animations, rankings, and content for the same search terms.
The feature works as before, but the underlying library has changed. Those who relied on specific Tenor content should expect some variation in results.
The GIPHY library includes the most common GIF categories such as reactions, animated stickers, and pop culture content.
Users searching for particular memes or animations that are unique to Tenor may find fewer matches or see different variants.
What users should know about the switch to GIPHY
Windows 11 users experiencing this issue should install the latest available update as an immediate step.
Those who prefer to wait for the standard Patch Tuesday release instead of the optional preview update can expect the fix to be included in the July 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative update.
This incident highlights that even built-in Windows features depend on external services that can be suspended at any time without Microsoft’s control.
When a third-party service goes away, features that appear native to the operating system may stop working until Microsoft provides a replacement.
To avoid similar outages in the future, users can keep Windows 11 updated with the latest quality updates instead of delaying them.
They can also enable optional preview updates through Settings and Windows Update if they want faster access to fixes. Monitoring the Windows release status panel for notices about known issues can also help you stay informed.
The GIPHY replacement is now available for Windows 11 versions 24H2, 25H2, and 26H1 through June 23 preview updates. It will be widely deployed with the July 2026 Patch Tuesday cumulative update.
Microsoft has not provided details on whether the GIPHY integration will remain permanent or if the emoji panel could switch to another provider in the future.
