How to Delete Stickers on iPhone: Complete Guide 2026
How to Delete Stickers on iPhone
By Editorial Team | Published: November 9, 2026 | Updated: November 9, 2026
Our Editorial Team tests iPhone tips on real devices. We cover Messages, Photos, and iOS settings every week, so our guides match what you see on your screen.
Stickers pile up fast on an iPhone. One fun photo cutout turns into a full drawer, and soon the stickers you love hide behind ones you never use. Good news: you can clean them up in minutes, and you do not need any extra app to do it.
This guide shows you how to delete stickers on iPhone the right way. You will learn how to remove custom stickers, peel a sticker off a message, delete a whole sticker pack, and hide Memoji stickers from your keyboard. Each method takes less than two minutes. You will also see which stickers can never be deleted, so you stop wasting time on them.
Open Messages, tap the plus button, then tap Stickers. Switch to the Live tab, touch and hold the sticker you want to remove, and tap Delete. To remove a sticker from a message, touch and hold the bubble, tap Sticker Details, swipe left on the sticker, and tap Delete.
Key takeaways:
- Delete custom stickers from the Live tab in Messages, not the Recent tab.
- A sticker on a message only disappears from your own iPhone.
- Third-party packs go away when you delete their app.
- Memoji stickers cannot be deleted, but you can hide them.
- What You Will Need
- How to Delete Stickers on iPhone: Step-by-Step Guide
- Pro Tips and Common Mistakes
- Troubleshooting
- FAQs
- Conclusion
What You Will Need
You need very little to delete stickers on iPhone. Your iPhone, the Messages app, and a few minutes are enough for most jobs. Check your iOS version first, because the steps below work best on iOS 17 and iOS 18. Older versions lack the Live Stickers drawer.
Before you start, back up any sticker you made from a loved photo. Deleted custom stickers do not come back, and iCloud sync removes them from your other devices too.
| Tool | What it does | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| iPhone with iOS 17 or later | Runs the Messages sticker drawer | Already owned |
| Messages app | Holds your custom and Memoji stickers | Free, built in |
| Settings app | Hides Memoji stickers from the keyboard | Free, built in |
| App Store app | Removes third-party sticker packs | Free, built in |
Pick the method that fits your sticker type.
| Sticker type | Where it lives | Can you delete it? |
|---|---|---|
| Custom photo sticker | Live tab in Messages | Yes, one by one |
| Memoji sticker | Memoji pack | No, hide it only |
| Third-party pack sticker | Inside its app | Yes, delete the app |
| Sticker on a message | On the message bubble | Yes, from your screen only |
| Emoji | Built into iOS | No, it stays |
Safety first: Deleting a sticker pack app also deletes that app and its data. Check the app first if it holds chats, saved work, or game progress. When in doubt, hide the pack instead.
How to Delete Stickers on iPhone: Step-by-Step Guide
Follow these four steps in order. Start with the sticker type you have, and skip any step that does not fit. Each step takes about one minute.
Step 1: Delete a Custom Sticker from Messages
Open Messages and tap any chat. It does not matter which one you pick, because the sticker drawer is the same in every chat. Tap the plus button next to the text box, then tap Stickers to open the drawer.
Now switch to the Live tab at the bottom. This tab shows stickers you made from photos. Do not use the Recent tab, because you cannot delete anything from there. Touch and hold the sticker you want to remove, lift your finger, and tap Delete in the menu that pops up. The sticker leaves your collection at once.
Want to clear several at once? Touch and hold any sticker, then tap Rearrange. A small minus button appears on each sticker. Tap the minus on every sticker you want to drop, then tap the background to finish. Your other devices update through iCloud soon after.
Step 2: Remove a Sticker from a Message Bubble
Sometimes the sticker is not in your collection at all. A friend may have dropped it onto your message, or you may have placed it there weeks ago. Either way, you can peel it off the bubble in seconds.
Touch and hold the message bubble that carries the sticker. Tap Sticker Details in the menu. You will see each sticker on that bubble, listed one by one. Swipe left on the sticker you want to remove, then tap the Delete button. The bubble returns to plain text on your screen.
Note this change is one-sided. Your friend still sees the sticker on their own phone. Apple confirms this in its Messages guide (Apple Support, 2026). If the sticker covers text you need to read, double-tap the bubble to peek under it first.
Step 3: Delete a Third-Party Sticker Pack
Sticker packs from the App Store work as a group. You cannot delete one sticker from inside a pack. Your only choice is to delete the whole pack, which means deleting the app that brought it.
Find the app on your Home Screen or in the App Library. Touch and hold its icon until the menu opens, then tap Remove App. Tap Delete App and confirm. The pack leaves Messages right away, and its stickers vanish from the drawer.
Check first whether the app does more than stickers. Many packs come with games, photo tools, or chat apps. If you still use the app, keep it and hide its stickers from the drawer instead. You can also re-download a free pack later from the App Store.
Step 4: Hide Memoji Stickers from the Keyboard
Memoji stickers frustrate many iPhone owners. You cannot delete the Memoji pack itself, because it is part of iOS. You can, however, stop Memoji stickers from crowding your keyboard.
Open Settings, tap General, then tap Keyboard. Find the Memoji Stickers switch near the bottom and turn it off. Your Memoji characters stay safe, but their stickers stop showing in the emoji keyboard. Turn the switch back on any time to bring them back.
To delete a whole Memoji character, open the emoji keyboard in any app, tap the Memoji button, and tap the three dots on the character. Choose Delete, then confirm. This removes that character and all its stickers at once. Keep a copy of the look if you may rebuild it later.
Pro Tips and Common Mistakes
Work from the Live tab every time. The Recent tab looks the same, yet it blocks deletes, and that trips up most people. If Delete never appears, you are almost always on the wrong tab. Switch tabs and try again.
Delete in small batches, not one huge purge. Start with the stickers you clearly hate, then live with the rest for a day. You may find you miss a sticker you made from a family photo. A slow cleanup beats a fast regret.
Do not confuse hiding with deleting. Turning off Memoji Stickers only hides them from view. The characters still exist, and they return when you flip the switch back on. Real deletion needs the steps above.
A common mistake is deleting an app just for its stickers. Check what else the app holds first. Photos, chats, and saved files go with it, and a reinstall may not bring them back. Hide the pack when the app still earns its place.
Another slip is long-pressing too hard or dragging the sticker. A drag moves the sticker, while a still press opens the menu. Hold still, lift your finger, then tap Delete. If the menu fails to show, restart Messages and try once more.
Troubleshooting
Stickers can act stubborn, even when you follow each step. Use this table to match your problem with its fix. Most issues clear in under two minutes.
| Problem | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| No Delete option shows | You are on the Recent tab | Switch to the Live tab and retry |
| Sticker returns after delete | iCloud sync delay | Wait a few minutes, then restart iPhone |
| Memoji stickers still show | Keyboard switch still on | Turn off Memoji Stickers in Settings |
| Pack will not leave the drawer | App still installed | Delete the app, then restart Messages |
| Sticker stays on friend's phone | Removal is one-sided | Ask your friend to remove it too |
| Drawer looks empty | Wrong pack selected | Tap the pack icons along the top row |
If nothing works, update iOS first. Go to Settings, tap General, then tap Software Update. Apple fixes sticker bugs in small updates, and an old version may lack the Delete menu entirely. A restart after the update often clears the last glitch.
FAQs
Can I delete all stickers on iPhone at once?
No, Apple offers no delete-all button for stickers. You must delete custom stickers one by one, or use Rearrange to tap the minus on several in a row. Third-party packs go away as a group when you delete their app.
How do I delete stickers on iPhone from the emoji keyboard?
Open the emoji keyboard, switch to the Live stickers tab, then touch and hold the sticker and tap Delete. The Recent tab will not let you delete, so check the tab first. Memoji stickers still need the Settings switch instead.
Why can't I delete Memoji stickers?
Memoji stickers are tied to a Memoji character, and iOS builds the full set for you at once. You cannot delete just one pose alone. Delete the whole Memoji character, or hide all Memoji stickers in Settings, General, then Keyboard.
Do deleted stickers disappear for everyone?
No. Deleting a custom sticker removes it from your collection on all your devices. Removing a sticker from a message bubble only changes the screen on your own phone. The other person still sees it until they remove it too.
Is there a free app to delete stickers faster?
No app is needed, and no trusted app deletes stickers better than Messages itself. The built-in Rearrange mode is the fastest free way to clear many stickers. Skip any app that promises bulk deletion, since it cannot reach inside Messages.
Conclusion
You now know how to delete stickers on iPhone without stress. Custom stickers go from the Live tab, message stickers peel off the bubble, packs leave with their app, and Memoji stickers hide behind one Settings switch. Pick the method that fits your sticker, work in small batches, and your drawer will feel tidy again. Try one cleanup today, then check our guide on how to find hidden apps on iPhone to keep your phone neat all over.
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Viola R. Daigle
I'm Viola R. Daigle, a dedicated Internet Marketer. I work with WarriorPlus as a Vendor and Affiliate, and I’m also an Affiliate on JVZoo and Legendary Marketer. My passion is to provide honest and detailed reviews of Internet Marketing (IM) products and software. I love helping people choose the right tools and strategies to grow their online business with confidence.
