diff --git a/frontend/src/components/CustomEmojiManageModal.tsx b/frontend/src/components/CustomEmojiManageModal.tsx
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..dd60200
--- /dev/null
+++ b/frontend/src/components/CustomEmojiManageModal.tsx
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+import { useState } from 'react'
+import { deleteCustomEmoji } from '../api/customEmoji'
+import { useAuth } from '../context/AuthContext'
+import { useCustomEmoji } from '../context/CustomEmojiContext'
+import type { CustomEmoji } from '../types'
+import { CustomEmojiUploadModal } from './CustomEmojiUploadModal'
+import { EmojiGlyph } from './MessageContent'
+import './Modal.css'
+
+interface CustomEmojiManageModalProps {
+  onClose: () => void
+}
+
+// Moved out of the reaction/composer emoji picker -- that grid packs items
+// 9-to-a-row with a delete "x" overlapping the glyph itself, which on a
+// touch screen is far too easy to hit by accident while just trying to
+// react. A dedicated list with a normal-sized "Delete" button (plus the
+// same confirm() every other destructive action in this app uses) needs a
+// deliberate tap to actually delete something.
+export function CustomEmojiManageModal({ onClose }: CustomEmojiManageModalProps) {
+  const { user } = useAuth()
+  const { list, refresh } = useCustomEmoji()
+  const [uploadOpen, setUploadOpen] = useState(false)
+  const [deletingId, setDeletingId] = useState<string | null>(null)
+
+  async function handleDelete(emoji: CustomEmoji) {
+    if (!confirm(`Delete :${emoji.shortcode}:? This can't be undone.`)) return
+    setDeletingId(emoji.id)
+    try {
+      await deleteCustomEmoji(emoji.id)
+      await refresh()
+    } finally {
+      setDeletingId(null)
+    }
+  }
+
+  return (
+    <div className="modal-scrim" onClick={onClose}>
+      <div className="modal" onClick={(e) => e.stopPropagation()}>
+        <div className="modal-header">
+          <h2>Custom emoji</h2>
+          <button type="button" className="modal-close" onClick={onClose} aria-label="Close">
+            &times;
+          </button>
+        </div>
+
+        <div className="modal-field-label">Site emoji</div>
+        {list.length === 0 ? (
+          <p className="modal-empty">No custom emoji yet.</p>
+        ) : (
+          list.map((emoji) => {
+            const canDelete = user?.id === emoji.uploaded_by || user?.is_site_admin
+            return (
+              <div key={emoji.id} className="modal-list-row">
+                <div className="modal-list-row-body">
+                  <div className="modal-list-row-title">
+                    <EmojiGlyph value={`:${emoji.shortcode}:`} /> :{emoji.shortcode}:
+                  </div>
+                  <div className="modal-list-row-sub">
+                    Added {new Date(emoji.created_at).toLocaleDateString()}
+                  </div>
+                </div>
+                {canDelete && (
+                  <button
+                    type="button"
+                    className="modal-list-row-action"
+                    disabled={deletingId === emoji.id}
+                    onClick={() => handleDelete(emoji)}
+                  >
+                    {deletingId === emoji.id ? 'Deleting…' : 'Delete'}
+                  </button>
+                )}
+              </div>
+            )
+          })
+        )}
+
+        <div className="modal-actions">
+          <button type="button" className="btn-secondary" onClick={onClose}>
+            Close
+          </button>
+          <button type="button" className="btn-primary" onClick={() => setUploadOpen(true)}>
+            Add emoji
+          </button>
+        </div>
+      </div>
+
+      {uploadOpen && (
+        <CustomEmojiUploadModal
+          onClose={() => setUploadOpen(false)}
+          onUploaded={() => {
+            refresh()
+            setUploadOpen(false)
+          }}
+        />
+      )}
+    </div>
+  )
+}
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/EmojiPicker.css b/frontend/src/components/EmojiPicker.css
index b872a31..f60f9fe 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/EmojiPicker.css
+++ b/frontend/src/components/EmojiPicker.css
@@ -69,26 +69,6 @@
   padding: 4px 4px 2px;
 }
 
-.emoji-picker-category-label-row {
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  justify-content: space-between;
-}
-
-.emoji-picker-add-custom {
-  background: transparent;
-  border: none;
-  color: var(--ds-accent);
-  font-size: 0.7rem;
-  font-weight: 600;
-  cursor: pointer;
-  padding: 2px 4px;
-}
-
-.emoji-picker-add-custom:hover {
-  text-decoration: underline;
-}
-
 .emoji-picker-grid {
   display: grid;
   grid-template-columns: repeat(9, 1fr);
@@ -109,32 +89,6 @@
   background: var(--ds-surface-2);
 }
 
-.emoji-picker-item-custom {
-  position: relative;
-}
-
-.emoji-picker-item-remove {
-  position: absolute;
-  top: -2px;
-  right: -2px;
-  display: flex;
-  align-items: center;
-  justify-content: center;
-  width: 14px;
-  height: 14px;
-  border-radius: 50%;
-  background: var(--ds-danger);
-  color: white;
-  font-size: 0.65rem;
-  line-height: 1;
-  opacity: 0;
-  cursor: pointer;
-}
-
-.emoji-picker-item-custom:hover .emoji-picker-item-remove {
-  opacity: 1;
-}
-
 /* The picker is positioned absolutely relative to its trigger button, which
    can sit close enough to a narrow viewport's edge that the full 320px
    width runs off-screen (e.g. the composer's emoji trigger, near the left
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/EmojiPicker.tsx b/frontend/src/components/EmojiPicker.tsx
index 6e503a4..cb426b7 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/EmojiPicker.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/EmojiPicker.tsx
@@ -1,12 +1,9 @@
-import { useMemo, useState, type MouseEvent } from 'react'
-import { deleteCustomEmoji } from '../api/customEmoji'
-import { useAuth } from '../context/AuthContext'
+import { useMemo, useState } from 'react'
 import { useCustomEmoji } from '../context/CustomEmojiContext'
 import { useEscapeKey } from '../hooks/useEscapeKey'
 import { ALL_EMOJI, EMOJI_CATEGORIES } from '../lib/emoji'
 import { EMOJI_NAMES } from '../lib/emojiNames'
 import { getRecentEmoji, recordEmojiUsed } from '../lib/recentEmoji'
-import { CustomEmojiUploadModal } from './CustomEmojiUploadModal'
 import { EmojiGlyph } from './MessageContent'
 import './EmojiPicker.css'
 
@@ -55,11 +52,8 @@ function searchEmoji(query: string, customShortcodes: string[]): string[] {
 
 export function EmojiPicker({ onPick, onClose, placement = 'below', align = 'left' }: EmojiPickerProps) {
   useEscapeKey(onClose)
-  const { user } = useAuth()
-  const { list: customEmoji, refresh: refreshCustomEmoji } = useCustomEmoji()
+  const { list: customEmoji } = useCustomEmoji()
   const [query, setQuery] = useState('')
-  const [uploadOpen, setUploadOpen] = useState(false)
-  const [deletingId, setDeletingId] = useState<string | null>(null)
   const customShortcodes = useMemo(() => customEmoji.map((e) => e.shortcode), [customEmoji])
   const searchResults = useMemo(() => searchEmoji(query, customShortcodes), [query, customShortcodes])
   const searching = query.trim().length > 0
@@ -74,18 +68,6 @@ export function EmojiPicker({ onPick, onClose, placement = 'below', align = 'lef
     onPick(emoji)
   }
 
-  async function handleDeleteCustomEmoji(e: MouseEvent, emojiId: string) {
-    // Delete, not pick -- must never bubble to the button's own onClick.
-    e.stopPropagation()
-    setDeletingId(emojiId)
-    try {
-      await deleteCustomEmoji(emojiId)
-      await refreshCustomEmoji()
-    } finally {
-      setDeletingId(null)
-    }
-  }
-
   return (
     <>
       <div className="emoji-picker-scrim" onClick={onClose} />
@@ -122,48 +104,25 @@ export function EmojiPicker({ onPick, onClose, placement = 'below', align = 'lef
           )
         ) : (
           <>
-            <div className="emoji-picker-category">
-              <div className="emoji-picker-category-label-row">
+            {customEmoji.length > 0 && (
+              <div className="emoji-picker-category">
                 <div className="emoji-picker-category-label">Custom</div>
-                <button
-                  type="button"
-                  className="emoji-picker-add-custom"
-                  onClick={() => setUploadOpen(true)}
-                >
-                  + Add
-                </button>
-              </div>
-              {customEmoji.length > 0 && (
                 <div className="emoji-picker-grid">
-                  {customEmoji.map((e) => {
-                    const canDelete = user?.id === e.uploaded_by || user?.is_site_admin
-                    return (
-                      <button
-                        key={e.id}
-                        type="button"
-                        role="menuitem"
-                        className="emoji-picker-item emoji-picker-item-custom"
-                        title={`:${e.shortcode}:`}
-                        onClick={() => pick(`:${e.shortcode}:`)}
-                      >
-                        <EmojiGlyph value={`:${e.shortcode}:`} />
-                        {canDelete && (
-                          <span
-                            role="button"
-                            aria-label={`Remove :${e.shortcode}:`}
-                            className="emoji-picker-item-remove"
-                            onClick={(ev) => handleDeleteCustomEmoji(ev, e.id)}
-                            style={deletingId === e.id ? { opacity: 0.5, pointerEvents: 'none' } : undefined}
-                          >
-                            ×
-                          </span>
-                        )}
-                      </button>
-                    )
-                  })}
+                  {customEmoji.map((e) => (
+                    <button
+                      key={e.id}
+                      type="button"
+                      role="menuitem"
+                      className="emoji-picker-item"
+                      title={`:${e.shortcode}:`}
+                      onClick={() => pick(`:${e.shortcode}:`)}
+                    >
+                      <EmojiGlyph value={`:${e.shortcode}:`} />
+                    </button>
+                  ))}
                 </div>
-              )}
-            </div>
+              </div>
+            )}
             {recent.length > 0 && (
               <div className="emoji-picker-category">
                 <div className="emoji-picker-category-label">Recently used</div>
@@ -205,15 +164,6 @@ export function EmojiPicker({ onPick, onClose, placement = 'below', align = 'lef
           </>
         )}
       </div>
-      {uploadOpen && (
-        <CustomEmojiUploadModal
-          onClose={() => setUploadOpen(false)}
-          onUploaded={() => {
-            refreshCustomEmoji()
-            setUploadOpen(false)
-          }}
-        />
-      )}
     </>
   )
 }
diff --git a/frontend/src/components/TopBar.tsx b/frontend/src/components/TopBar.tsx
index 22f523c..ecfdadd 100644
--- a/frontend/src/components/TopBar.tsx
+++ b/frontend/src/components/TopBar.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import {
 } from '../lib/desktopBridge'
 import { getPushSubscriptionStatus, isPushSupported, subscribeToPush, unsubscribeFromPush } from '../lib/push'
 import { AboutModal } from './AboutModal'
+import { CustomEmojiManageModal } from './CustomEmojiManageModal'
 import { ProfileModal } from './ProfileModal'
 import { UserAvatar } from './UserAvatar'
 import './TopBar.css'
@@ -28,6 +29,7 @@ export function TopBar() {
   const navigate = useNavigate()
   const [menuOpen, setMenuOpen] = useState(false)
   const [profileModalOpen, setProfileModalOpen] = useState(false)
+  const [customEmojiModalOpen, setCustomEmojiModalOpen] = useState(false)
   const [aboutModalOpen, setAboutModalOpen] = useState(false)
   const [pushSubscribed, setPushSubscribed] = useState(false)
   const [pushBusy, setPushBusy] = useState(false)
@@ -124,6 +126,16 @@ export function TopBar() {
               >
                 Profile settings
               </button>
+              <button
+                type="button"
+                role="menuitem"
+                onClick={() => {
+                  setMenuOpen(false)
+                  setCustomEmojiModalOpen(true)
+                }}
+              >
+                Custom emoji
+              </button>
               <button
                 type="button"
                 role="menuitem"
@@ -190,6 +202,7 @@ export function TopBar() {
         )}
       </div>
       {profileModalOpen && <ProfileModal onClose={() => setProfileModalOpen(false)} />}
+      {customEmojiModalOpen && <CustomEmojiManageModal onClose={() => setCustomEmojiModalOpen(false)} />}
       {aboutModalOpen && <AboutModal onClose={() => setAboutModalOpen(false)} />}
     </header>
   )