iPhone stickers are a fun way to express yourself in messages. You can add them to chats. You can decorate Live Photos. You can create Memoji versions of yourself or download sticker packs from the App Store. Pretty handy.
But sometimes you want to delete them. Many reasons, e.g., your drawer got too cluttered, an old Memoji you no longer use or a sticker pack that came with some random app. Maybe all three.
This easy guide will help you delete stickers from your iPhone by providing step-by-step methods for each type, explaining where Apple hides the delete option and helping you clear up any confusion. Each sticker type works a little different. So let me walk you through every method one by one.
Where iPhone Stores Your Stickers
Apple hides your stickers in two main places. Here is where.
First place is the sticker drawer. That is the menu that pops up above your keyboard when you tap the sticker icon in Messages. Most of your stickers live here.
Second place is trickier. Stickers can stay stuck on top of specific message bubbles. They are attached to that one message until you remove them manually. Even if you delete from the drawer they stay on the message.
You can manage both places. The menus are just different.
Method 1: Delete Stickers from the Sticker Drawer
This is the most common case. Stickers you made from photos. Stickers you saved from third-party apps. Live Stickers from your iPhone gallery. They all end up in the same drawer.
Here is how to remove them.
- Open the Messages app on your iPhone.
- Tap any conversation. Then tap the plus (+) icon on the left of the text field.
- Tap Stickers from the menu that opens.
- Find the sticker you want to remove.
- Long-press the sticker until a small menu appears.
- Tap Delete then confirm.
Done. The sticker is gone from your library. It will not come back unless you recreate it from the source photo again.
Method 2: Delete Stickers from a Message Conversation
This one trips up most people. If a sticker is stuck on top of a specific message bubble, e.g., someone reacted to your message with one, then deleting from the drawer will not work. You have to remove it from the message itself.
Here is the step-by-step.
- Open the conversation in Messages.
- Scroll to the message that has the sticker on it.
- Tap and hold on the sticker itself. Not the message under it.
- Tap Sticker Details from the menu that pops up.
- Swipe left on the sticker entry then tap Delete.
The sticker is gone from that message bubble. The original message stays right where it was.
Method 3: Delete Memoji Stickers
Heads up before you try this one. Memoji stickers work a little different from regular stickers.
You cannot delete individual Memoji stickers because they are auto-generated from your Memoji character. So if you want them gone the only way is to delete the whole Memoji. Yeah. All or nothing.
Here is how to remove a Memoji.
- Open Messages and tap any chat. Then tap the plus (+) icon.
- Tap Stickers from the menu.
- Tap Memoji Stickers at the top of the screen.
- Tap the three dots (…) on the Memoji you want to remove.
- Tap Delete then confirm.