How to Delete Stickers on iPhone: A Simple 2026 Guide
To delete stickers on iPhone, open Messages, tap the plus icon, then tap Stickers. Press and hold the sticker you want to remove, then tap Delete. This works for custom stickers and sticker packs.
Built-in Memoji stickers cannot be fully deleted, but you can hide them from your keyboard. Below, you will find every method for how to delete stickers on iPhone, plus fixes for the common bugs that stop it from working.
Why Stickers Pile Up on Your iPhone
Every time you make a sticker from a photo, download a sticker pack, or use a third-party app, iOS saves it. Over time, these digital stickers, small images meant to add emotion to a chat, similar to emojis but bigger and more custom, fill up your keyboard and push out the emojis you actually want to use. Some users just find the clutter annoying. Others want to free up storage space or clean up their phone before a reset. Whatever the reason, learning how to delete stickers on iPhone the right way saves you time and frustration.
Quick Ways to Delete Stickers on iPhone from Messages
The Messages app is the fastest place to manage and delete stickers on iPhone. Since iOS 17, Apple split the sticker drawer into two tabs, Recent and Live/Custom. You can only delete stickers from the Live or Custom tab. Here is how:
- Open the Messages app and start any conversation.
- Tap the plus icon next to the text box.
- Tap Stickers to open your sticker collection.
- Switch to the Live or Custom tab. You cannot delete from Recent.
- Press and hold the sticker you want to remove. Do not drag it.
- Lift your finger when a small menu pops up.
- Tap Delete to confirm.
If the sticker still shows up in your Recent tab, do not worry. That section clears on its own once you stop using the sticker, and deleting the original clears it from Live/Custom right away.
How to Delete a Sticker Pack on iPhone
If you want to delete stickers on iPhone in bulk, removing the whole pack is faster than deleting one at a time.
- Open Messages and tap the plus icon.
- Tap Stickers, then tap and hold any sticker in the drawer.
- Choose Rearrange from the menu that appears.
- Tap the minus icon next to each sticker pack you want gone.
- Tap the background or any sticker again to save and exit.
For third-party sticker apps, there is an even quicker route. Find the app icon on your Home Screen or in the App Library, press and hold it, then tap Remove App. This deletes the app along with every sticker it added, so you will not need to hunt them down one by one.
How to Remove Sticker Suggestions from Your Keyboard
Starting with iOS 17, Apple began suggesting Memoji, saved stickers, and custom packs automatically while you type. Many people mistake this for clutter they cannot control. You actually can turn it down.
- Go to Settings, then tap General.
- Tap Keyboard.
- Turn off the switch next to Send Stickers from Emoji Keyboard.
This stops new sticker suggestions from appearing, though anything already in your frequently used history may stick around a bit longer. Combine this step with the deletion steps above for a fully clean keyboard.
How to Delete a Sticker Sent in a Text Message
Sometimes you just want to delete stickers on iPhone from one specific conversation, not your whole library.
- Open the conversation containing the sticker.
- Press and hold the sticker or the photo it is attached to.
- Tap Sticker Details from the menu.
- Swipe left on the sticker and tap Delete.
Keep in mind this only removes the sticker from your own device. If you sent it to a friend, it will still show up on their end.
Freeing Up Storage Space Taken by Stickers
Sticker packs are small individually, usually a few megabytes, but animated packs and dozens of downloads add up fast. If your phone is running low on space, check Settings, then General, then iPhone Storage, and tap Messages. You will see which sticker apps are taking up the most room. Deleting a pack you have not touched in months frees that space instantly and will not affect your existing chats or message history.
Fixing Common Problems When You Try to Delete Stickers on iPhone
A few issues trip people up more than anything else:
The toggle in Settings does not work. This is a known bug on iOS 18 and some earlier builds. Turning off Send Stickers from Emoji Keyboard only blocks new stickers. It does nothing for ones already saved in your Live/Custom or frequently used sections. You still need to delete those manually using the steps above.
Deleted stickers keep reappearing. Try a force restart. On newer models, press and quickly release Volume Up, then Volume Down, then hold the Side button until the Apple logo shows up. This clears small system glitches that sometimes block deletion.
Nothing seems to work at all. Check for a software update. Go to Settings, then General, then Software Update. Apple has patched several sticker-related bugs in past iOS releases, and an outdated version could be the actual cause.
Final Thoughts
Knowing how to delete stickers on iPhone comes down to picking the right tool for the job. Use the Messages app to remove individual stickers or full packs, turn off sticker suggestions in Settings to stop new clutter, and check for software updates if something is not working right. Memoji stickers cannot be fully removed, but everything else on your keyboard is fully within your control.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can you get rid of Memoji stickers on iPhone for good?
No. Memoji stickers are built into iOS and cannot be permanently deleted. You can remove them from your frequently used section, but if you use Memoji again later, they will come back.
Why is the sticker toggle in Settings not working?
The toggle only stops new stickers from appearing. Anything already saved in your frequently used or Live/Custom tabs stays until you delete it directly through the Messages app.
Does deleting stickers also delete my emojis?
No. Stickers and emojis are stored separately on iPhone. Deleting stickers will not touch your emoji list in any way.
How do you delete an entire app’s stickers at once?
Find the app on your Home Screen, press and hold it, then tap Remove App. This deletes the app and every sticker it added in one step.
Does this process work the same on every iOS version?
Most of these steps work from iOS 13 onward. iOS 17 introduced the Live/Custom tab split, and iOS 18 has a known toggle bug, so always check your version if a step looks slightly different on your screen.
