Emoticon issue still ongoing

I am not able to insert emoticons into Xfinity emails. Apparently this has been ongoing for quite a long time looking at various threads of forum conversations with no resolution. Seeing posts from as far back as over a year ago.  I use Microsoft 8.1 / Chrome usually (sometimes Internet Explorer but same issue on that) on a Dell desktop.  Has anyone ever gotten an answer from Xfinity that resolves the issue? It looks like some "upgrades" messed up the emoticon option. The only place I've been able to insert an emoticon is on this forum! 😠 Can someone update me on if Xfinity has actually given anyone an actual fix for this? At one point they responded to hold down the Windows key and press either the (-) or (+) key a couple of times.  Did not work. They also said to clear temp files, etc. but that didn't work for anyone either. The last thread I found on this issue ended around 12/2019 but was closed by Xfinity because it turned into a complaint-fest about Comcast. Help!