How to Delete Stickers from the iPhone Keyboard

Written by Bavum, Builder and Editor at Mojitap · Published August 4, 2026 · Reviewed with current Apple documentation · About 11 minutes

To delete a sticker from the iPhone keyboard, first identify what kind of sticker it is. A photo or Live Sticker, a Genmoji, a Memoji character, and a sticker already attached to a message are stored in different places. There is no single delete button that removes every sticker type.

For a Genmoji, open the emoji keyboard, open Stickers, touch and hold the Genmoji, then tap Delete. For a photo or Live Sticker, open a photo in Photos, enter Markup, open Add Sticker, touch and hold the saved sticker, then tap Remove. To remove a Memoji sticker pack, delete the Memoji character that created it.

Identify what you are trying to delete

The iPhone keyboard can display several image types beside standard Unicode emoji. Deleting the wrong layer is the main reason a sticker appears to return or remains visible somewhere else.

Delete a photo sticker or Live Sticker

Apple currently documents deleting a sticker created from a photo through the sticker collection available in Markup. This route works even when the sticker first appeared in the emoji keyboard or Messages.

1. Open the Photos app.
2. Open any photo in full screen.
3. Tap Edit.
4. Tap the Markup button.
5. Tap the add button, then tap Add Sticker.
6. Find the photo sticker or Live Sticker you want to remove.
7. Touch and hold the sticker.
8. Tap Remove.

Delete a Genmoji from the iPhone keyboard

Genmoji are saved with stickers. Their deletion path begins in a normal text field, so you do not need to find the original description used to create the image.

1. Tap a text field in Messages, Notes, or another supported app.
2. Open the emoji keyboard.
3. Swipe toward the sticker area or tap the Stickers button.
4. Find the Genmoji you want to delete.
5. Touch and hold the Genmoji.
6. Tap Delete.
7. Close and reopen the sticker area to confirm that it is gone.

Deleting a saved Genmoji removes it from your collection. It does not retroactively erase image content that was already delivered in an older message. A sent item and the reusable item in your sticker collection are separate things.

Delete a Memoji and its sticker pack

Memoji stickers are generated automatically from a Memoji character. Apple's current management controls let you edit, duplicate, or delete the Memoji. Apple does not document a way to remove only one pose while keeping every other pose in that generated pack.

1. Open Messages.
2. Start a new message or open an existing conversation.
3. Tap the plus button.
4. Swipe up if needed, then tap Memoji.
5. Swipe to the Memoji you want to remove.
6. Tap the More button.
7. Tap Delete.

Remove a sticker attached to a message bubble

A sticker dragged onto a message bubble is attached to that conversation. Deleting the saved original from the keyboard does not automatically remove the copy already placed on the bubble.

1. Open the conversation in Messages.
2. Touch and hold the message bubble that has the sticker attached.
3. Tap Sticker Details.
4. Swipe left on the sticker you want to remove.
5. Tap the delete button.

Apple documents this deletion control on iPhone. Removing the attached sticker does not remove the reusable sticker from your collection. If you want both copies gone, delete the placed sticker and then delete the saved source item using the correct method above.

Delete a sticker that was sent as its own message

A sticker sent as a standalone message is handled like a message or attachment, not like a sticker placed on top of another bubble. Deleting it from your conversation removes it from your device and synced Apple devices, but normal deletion does not remove what the recipient already received.

When available, Undo Send is the feature intended to retract a recently sent message for both sides within Apple's allowed time window. If that window has passed, deleting your local copy is not the same as retracting it from the recipient.

Why a deleted sticker still appears

1. You deleted a placed copy instead of the saved source

Removing a sticker from a message bubble changes that conversation only. Open the sticker collection and delete the source item if you also want it removed from the keyboard.

2. You deleted the saved source but are viewing an old message

Previously sent messages preserve what was sent. A sticker in an old conversation is not proof that the reusable sticker remains in your current keyboard collection.

3. Another Apple device has not finished syncing

Photo stickers can sync through iCloud. Confirm that connected devices use the same Apple Account and allow time for the sticker collection to update before repeating the deletion process.

4. The item is Memoji, Genmoji, or a photo sticker—not the type you deleted

Similar-looking items can sit together in the sticker interface. Recheck the icon or category at the top of the sticker panel, then use the deletion path for that exact type.

5. The item comes from a third-party sticker app

A sticker pack installed by another app is managed by that app or its Messages extension. Deleting a personal photo sticker does not uninstall a third-party pack. Check the app that supplied the sticker before changing the iPhone keyboard itself.

6. You are looking at Frequently Used

Frequently Used is a mixed shortcut area that can include recently used emoji, Memoji, and stickers. It is not one master storage folder. If the original item still exists in its own collection, it may remain available even after you clear or reset another recent list.

What you cannot delete individually

Built-in Unicode emoji are part of the Emoji keyboard and cannot be removed one character at a time. You can remove the entire Emoji keyboard from the list of installed keyboards, but that is a much broader action than deleting a custom sticker.

Removing the Emoji keyboard is usually unnecessary when the problem is a photo sticker, Genmoji, Memoji, or suggestion. Use the narrowest deletion method so standard emoji remain available.

Delete, hide, or clear: choose the right action

1. Delete when you no longer want a custom photo sticker, Genmoji, or Memoji in its collection.
2. Remove from a conversation when a sticker is covering a message bubble but should remain available for future use.
3. Clear recent items when the problem is the Frequently Used area rather than the original sticker.
4. Turn off suggestions when the sticker appears automatically while typing but should remain saved.
5. Remove the Emoji keyboard only when you do not want the full standard emoji keyboard available.

For a recent-list problem, use How to Remove Recently Used Emojis . If the entire Emoji keyboard disappears after changing settings, see How to Get the Emoji Keyboard Back on iPhone .

Use a standard emoji when a sticker is not necessary

Stickers, Memoji, and Genmoji are image-based or adaptive visual items. Standard Unicode emoji are usually easier to copy into plain text, search, export, and display across unrelated apps. When compatibility matters more than a personalized image, use Mojitap's All Emojis page to find and copy an existing Unicode emoji.

Final check before deleting anything else

1. Is the item a photo sticker, Genmoji, Memoji, or built-in emoji?
2. Are you deleting the saved source or only a copy placed in Messages?
3. Do you want to remove one item, a full Memoji pack, or the entire Emoji keyboard?
4. Have you checked whether the sticker came from a third-party app?
5. Did you allow iCloud-connected devices time to update?
6. Can you still find the item in its original category after reopening the app?
7. Would clearing Frequently Used or turning off suggestions solve the problem without deleting the item?

Official references

This guide was reviewed on August 4, 2026. Apple can change button names, sticker categories, and supported interfaces in later iOS versions.

• Apple iPhone User Guide: Make stickers from your photos on iPhone
• Apple iPhone User Guide: Create and delete Genmoji on iPhone
• Apple Support: Use and manage Memoji on iPhone or iPad Pro
• Apple iPhone User Guide: Send, place, and delete stickers in Messages
• Apple iPhone User Guide: Delete messages and attachments
• Apple iPhone User Guide: Add or remove keyboards on iPhone

Related Mojitap guides

• How to Remove Recently Used Emojis
• How to Get the Emoji Keyboard Back on iPhone
• How to Copy and Paste Emojis Without Formatting Problems
• How to Change Emoji Skin Tone on iPhone and Android

Delete the original item only after identifying its type. Remove photo stickers through the saved sticker collection, delete Genmoji from the keyboard's Stickers area, delete a Memoji when you want its entire custom pack gone, and use Sticker Details for a sticker already attached to a message bubble. This keeps unrelated emoji and keyboard features intact.