To delete stickers on your iPhone, open Messages → any chat → the stickers drawer → Custom Stickers tab → long-press the sticker → tap Delete.
For sticker packs, go to Messages → Apps icon → Manage Apps → Edit → tap the minus (-) next to a sticker pack → Delete.
To turn off sticker suggestions entirely, go to Settings → General → Keyboard → Stickers → toggle off.
This step-by-step guide explains how to delete every kind of sticker on your iPhone — whether they’re custom, built-in, or third-party — and keep your Messages clean and clutter-free.
📱 1. What Are Stickers on iPhone?
Before deleting anything, let’s quickly understand what kinds of stickers exist in iOS.
Apple has several sticker types, and the deletion process depends on which one you’re handling:
- Custom Stickers: Stickers you created yourself using photos or Live Photos.
- Third-Party Sticker Packs: Stickers you downloaded from the App Store or iMessage extensions.
- Memoji or Emoji Stickers: Auto-generated stickers based on your Memoji or emoji usage.
- Stickers Applied to Messages or Photos: Stickers you’ve placed on a message bubble or image inside Messages.
- Recent Stickers: Recently used stickers that appear in your emoji/sticker keyboard suggestions.
Now let’s delete each type properly — step by step.
🧩 2. How to Delete Custom Stickers on iPhone
Custom stickers are ones you’ve made from your own photos or Live Photos. They sync with iCloud, so deleting them removes them from all connected Apple devices.
✅ Step-by-Step:
- Open the Messages app.
- Enter any conversation.
- Tap the “+” icon beside the text box.
- Tap Stickers (peeling smiley icon).
- Tap the Custom Stickers tab (often shows a star or photo icon).
- Find the sticker you want to delete.
- Long-press the sticker until a menu appears.
- Tap Delete.
- To delete multiple stickers, tap Edit or Rearrange, then tap the minus (–) symbol on each unwanted sticker.
- Tap Done to save changes.
Tip: If deleted stickers reappear, restart your iPhone or ensure iCloud sync is turned on (Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Messages → On).
💬 3. How to Delete Stickers Applied to a Message or Photo
If you’ve placed a sticker on a message bubble, it won’t go away just by deleting the sticker pack. You must remove it from the specific message.
✅ Step-by-Step:
- Open the Messages app and find the conversation.
- Locate the message or photo with the sticker on it.
- Press and hold the message bubble or photo (not the sticker).
- Tap Sticker Details from the pop-up menu.
- Swipe left on the sticker you want to delete.
- Tap Delete.
Note: This only removes the sticker for you. Others in the conversation will still see it.
Bonus Tip: If a sticker is stuck on a photo, you can also open that photo → tap Edit → Revert to Original (this removes sticker overlays).
🧰 4. How to Delete Third-Party Sticker Packs
Downloaded sticker packs are fun at first — until they fill your sticker tray. You can delete or hide them easily.
✅ To Delete a Sticker Pack:
- Open Messages → any chat.
- Tap the “+” icon beside the text field.
- Tap Stickers → Manage Apps (or “More” with three dots).
- Tap Edit at the top-left corner.
- Find the sticker pack you want to delete.
- Tap the red minus (–) next to it.
- Tap Delete to confirm.
- Tap Done when finished.
✅ To Hide (Not Delete) a Sticker Pack:
- In the Edit list, toggle the switch next to a pack Off instead of deleting it.
- Hidden packs won’t show in your sticker tray but remain installed.
✅ To Delete the Whole Sticker App:
- Go to your Home Screen → long-press the sticker app → Remove App → Delete App.
- This removes the app and its iMessage sticker pack.
⚙️ 5. How to Disable Stickers on iPhone Keyboard Entirely
If you rarely use stickers, disable them in your keyboard settings.
✅ Step-by-Step:
- Open Settings → General → Keyboard.
- Scroll down and tap Stickers (on iOS 17 and later).
- Toggle Stickers Off.
Important: Even with stickers disabled, any recent stickers already shown in the emoji keyboard might still appear until you clear them manually from the sticker drawer.
🧹 6. How to Clear Recently Used Stickers
Those random stickers in your emoji keyboard’s “Frequently Used” area can clutter things up.
✅ How to Clear Them:
- Delete custom stickers you no longer want (as shown earlier).
- Stop using stickers for a while — new emojis will eventually push old stickers out of the “Recents.”
- If you want an instant reset, reset keyboard dictionary:
Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset Keyboard Dictionary.
(⚠️ This clears all learned typing habits too.)
📦 7. How to Manage Sticker Storage
Most stickers are tiny, but large packs or animated sets can eat space over time.
✅ How to Check Sticker Storage:
- Go to Settings → General → iPhone Storage.
- Wait for apps to load.
- Find the sticker app or iMessage extension.
- Tap it to see how much space it’s using.
- Tap Delete App if it’s taking unnecessary space.
Pro Tip: Stickers sync with iCloud too, so cleaning them helps reduce unnecessary iCloud data usage.
🔁 8. Why Deleted Stickers Sometimes Reappear
If your deleted stickers mysteriously come back, don’t panic — it’s a known sync issue.
Common Causes:
- iCloud Stickers Sync temporarily delayed.
- Deleting from “Recents” instead of “Custom Stickers.”
- Old iOS version bug.
✅ Fix:
- Make sure iCloud Stickers is enabled:
Settings → [your name] → iCloud → Messages → On. - Restart your iPhone.
- Delete stickers again from the Custom Stickers tab (not Recents).
- If it persists, update iOS to the latest version.
🧭 9. Version-Specific Instructions (iOS 17 vs iOS 18)
iOS 17:
- Stickers were introduced as a major redesign feature.
- You can delete custom stickers via the Live Stickers drawer → long-press → Delete.
iOS 18:
- Adds Genmoji and improved sticker management.
- Deletion works the same, but the interface shows “Manage” instead of “Edit.”
- To disable stickers: Settings → General → Keyboard → Stickers → Off.
Always check for small label changes after updates.
💡 10. Accessibility: Deleting Stickers with VoiceOver or AssistiveTouch
For users who rely on accessibility tools:
✅ With VoiceOver:
- Navigate to the sticker drawer.
- Swipe until you hear the sticker name.
- Double-tap and hold → choose Delete from the rotor options.
✅ With AssistiveTouch:
- Enable AssistiveTouch via Settings → Accessibility → Touch → AssistiveTouch → On.
- Use the on-screen pointer to long-press and delete stickers more easily.
Apple ensures sticker features are VoiceOver-friendly, so accessibility users can manage them equally well.
🛠️ 11. Advanced Troubleshooting (If Stickers Won’t Delete)
If you’ve followed everything and stickers still won’t disappear:
Try These:
- Restart your iPhone.
- Check for updates:
Settings → General → Software Update → Install latest version. - Delete the related app.
- Sign out of iCloud → restart → sign in again.
- Reset All Settings:
Settings → General → Transfer or Reset iPhone → Reset → Reset All Settings (⚠️ Non-destructive reset). - Backup and Restore via Finder/iTunes (only as a last resort).
✨ 12. Best Practices for a Clean Sticker Drawer
- Delete unused stickers monthly.
- Hide rarely used sticker packs.
- Rename custom stickers for easier management.
- Keep only 3–5 active packs at a time.
- Regularly clear “Recents” by using new emojis.
- Avoid duplicate sticker apps — choose multipurpose packs.
- Reboot after big clean-ups to sync deletions across devices.
A tidy sticker space makes Messages faster and visually cleaner.
📋 13. Summary Table — Quick Reference
| Sticker Type | Deletion Path | Affects Others? | Works on iCloud? |
|---|---|---|---|
| Custom Sticker | Messages → Stickers → Custom → Long-press → Delete | No | Yes |
| Sticker on Message | Long-press Message → Sticker Details → Delete | Only for You | No |
| Third-Party Pack | Messages → Apps → Manage → Delete | No | Yes |
| Sticker App | Home Screen → Delete App | No | Yes |
| Sticker Keyboard | Settings → General → Keyboard → Stickers → Off | No | Yes |
🧠FAQs About Deleting Stickers on iPhone
Q1. If I delete a sticker, will it disappear from messages I sent?
No — once a sticker is sent, it remains visible in chats for everyone.
Q2. Can I recover a deleted sticker pack?
Yes, reinstall it from the App Store → Purchased → Not on this iPhone → Reinstall.
Q3. Are stickers stored on iCloud?
Yes, custom stickers sync through iCloud if Messages in iCloud is on.
Q4. Can I remove the Memoji stickers?
You can delete your custom Memoji to remove related stickers, but Apple’s built-in Memoji stickers can only be hidden, not deleted.
Q5. Why do deleted stickers keep coming back?
They’re syncing from another device. Delete them on all devices using the same Apple ID.
Q6. Do stickers take up storage?
A little — large or animated ones might take more, especially if you download many packs.
Q7. Can I stop sticker suggestions on the emoji keyboard?
Yes — disable Stickers in keyboard settings (iOS 17+).
Q8. Is there a way to delete multiple stickers at once?
Yes — in the Custom Stickers drawer → Edit → tap (–) beside multiple stickers → Done.
Q9. Can I delete stickers from iPad or Mac?
Yes — open Messages on that device, follow similar steps, and iCloud will sync the deletion.
Q10. Is it safe to delete sticker apps?
Completely safe. It doesn’t affect your messages, only the ability to send more stickers.
🌈 Pro Tips & Final Thoughts
- Keep your sticker packs minimal — 5 active packs max.
- Use “Edit” to rearrange your favorite packs to the top.
- If stickers reappear, check your secondary Apple devices — deletions sync slowly.
- To quickly preview stickers, tap and hold before sending.
- Reinstall sticker packs only from trusted developers.
- Avoid clutter: clean stickers like you declutter apps monthly.
Deleting stickers isn’t just about space — it’s about control. You choose what stays in your Messages, not Apple or app developers.
So next time your sticker tray feels crowded, take a minute, follow these steps, and enjoy a cleaner, faster, more personal texting experience.
