How to Delete Stickers on iPhone: The Only Official Way

To delete stickers on iPhone, open the Photos app, tap Edit, then tap the Markup controls, select Add Sticker, touch and hold the sticker you want to remove, and tap Remove. This is the only officially documented method for deleting stickers on iPhone, and it works directly within the Photos app.

How to delete stickers on iPhone using the Photos app

Apple’s official support documentation provides a single, exact method for removing a sticker from a photo on iPhone. This is the only system-level way to delete a sticker that Apple has documented for the device.

Open the Photos app on your iPhone.
Open the photo that contains the sticker you want to remove.
Tap Edit in the top-right corner.
Tap the Markup controls (the pen tip icon).
Tap Add Sticker (the sticker icon).
Touch and hold the sticker you wish to delete.
Tap Remove from the pop-up menu.

This action removes the sticker from that specific photo. It does not delete the sticker from your device’s sticker collection or from any other photos where it may have been placed.

What happens to deleted photos and stickers

When you delete photos or videos from the Photos app, they are moved to the Recently Deleted album. Items remain there for 30 days before being permanently removed. If you have iCloud Photos turned on and are signed in to the same Apple Account on other devices, deleting a photo or video from one device removes it from all devices where iCloud Photos is active. This behavior applies to all media in the Photos app, including GIFs saved as photos, but Apple does not specifically document a separate deletion flow for GIFs or stickers in this context.

What about GIFs and third-party sticker apps?

GIFs that you save to the Photos app are treated as standard images. You delete them the same way you delete any photo: open the Photos app, select the GIF, tap the trash icon, and confirm deletion. To remove a third-party GIF keyboard, go to Settings > General > Keyboard > Keyboards, swipe left on the keyboard name, and tap Delete. To clear an app’s cache, offload the app via Settings > General > iPhone Storage, tap the app, select Offload App, then reinstall it. For other third-party sticker apps, Apple provides no system-wide setting to disable GIFs and stickers across all apps. Each third-party app must be managed individually within its own settings. No official Apple support page documents a dedicated iPhone setting to “remove GIF keyboards” or “disable GIFs and stickers” system-wide.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I recover a sticker I deleted from a photo?

No. Once you remove a sticker from a photo using the Markup controls, that action cannot be undone. The sticker is removed from that specific photo only, but if the sticker was originally saved as a separate image in your Photos library, that original image remains in your library unless you delete it separately.

Does deleting a sticker from a conversation remove it from my device?

No. Deleting a GIF or sticker from a specific message or conversation only removes it from that conversation. It does not delete the file from your iPhone’s storage or from any other conversations where it has been used.

How do I remove stickers from the Messages app?

Disabling GIFs and stickers in messaging apps is not covered by official Apple support for iPhone. If you use third-party sticker apps, you must manage those stickers within each app’s own settings.

Will deleting a sticker free up phone storage space?

Yes, freeing up phone storage space is one benefit of removing unwanted stickers and GIFs from your Photos app. When you delete a photo or video (including GIFs saved as photos), the file is moved to Recently Deleted and permanently removed after 30 days, recovering that storage space on your device.

Are there third-party apps that can help manage stickers on iPhone?

Yes, several third-party apps on the App Store offer tools to organize or delete sticker collections. However, Apple provides no official support or documentation for these apps, and their functionality varies. You must review each app’s features and privacy practices before using it.